BC MCP Config Generator

A VS Code extension for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central AL developers who want to set up and validate the AL MCP server quickly, and scaffold custom API pages that can later be exposed to agent/MCP scenarios.

What's new in 0.2.0

Guided AL MCP workspace setup

Run:

BC MCP: Setup AL MCP Workspace

The wizard:

• Detects the AL project from app.json
• Lets you choose .vscode/mcp.json or portable .mcp.json
• Creates/updates the AL MCP server entry
• Preserves other MCP server entries
• Creates a backup before modifying an existing config (when enabled)
• Runs a health check immediately after setup

Typical generated configuration:

{
  "servers": {
    "al": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "altool",
      "args": [
        "launchmcpserver",
        "${workspaceFolder}",
        "--transport",
        "stdio"
      ]
    }
  }
}

MCP Health Check

Run:

BC MCP: Run MCP Health Check

The report checks:

• Workspace and AL app.json
• AL Language extension and its major version
• altool availability on PATH
• .NET 8 runtime detection
• .vscode/launch.json
• .alpackages
• .vscode/mcp.json / .mcp.json
• AL MCP launchmcpserver entry and stdio transport

The full result is shown in Output → BC MCP Health Check.

AL API Page Generator

Run:

BC MCP: Generate AL API Page

The generator can:

• Detect local AL table objects
• Suggest the next free page ID from app.json idRanges
• Let you select fields from a local table
• Accept standard/dependency tables by name or ID
• Generate APIPublisher, APIGroup, APIVersion, EntityName, and EntitySetName
• Generate a SystemId-based OData key
• Create either a read-only or read/write API page
• Create the output under src/api by default

Example generated page:

page 50100 "Customer MCP API"
{
    PageType = API;
    Caption = 'Customer MCP API';
    APIPublisher = 'myCompany';
    APIGroup = 'mcp';
    APIVersion = 'v1.0';
    EntityName = 'customer';
    EntitySetName = 'customers';
    SourceTable = Customer;
    ODataKeyFields = SystemId;
    InsertAllowed = false;
    ModifyAllowed = false;
    DeleteAllowed = false;

    layout
    {
        area(Content)
        {
            repeater(General)
            {
                field(id; Rec.SystemId)
                {
                    Caption = 'Id';
                    Editable = false;
                }

                // Add fields to expose here.
            }
        }
    }
}

API pages generated by this extension are AL source code. Review the exposed fields and permissions before publishing them to a Business Central environment.

Commands

Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run:

• BC MCP: Setup AL MCP Workspace
• BC MCP: Run MCP Health Check
• BC MCP: Generate AL API Page
• BC MCP: Generate / Update AL MCP Config
• BC MCP: Validate MCP Config
• BC MCP: Check AL MCP Prerequisites
• BC MCP: Open MCP Config
• BC MCP: Remove AL MCP Server Entry

Requirements

For the Microsoft AL MCP server itself, the current Microsoft guidance requires an up-to-date AL development setup including:

• AL Language extension 17.0 or later for the AL agent tooling
• .NET 8 runtime
• altool available to the extension host process
• Network/authentication access to Business Central for operations such as publish or symbol download

Microsoft documentation:

• AL MCP Server
• API page type
• Developing a custom API

Scope

This extension configures the AL development MCP server supplied with ALTool. It does not create the Business Central runtime MCP configuration used by Copilot Studio (mcp.businesscentral.dynamics.com).

The API Page Generator helps scaffold AL APIs that you can review, publish, and then expose through the appropriate Business Central integration/MCP configuration.

Settings

• bcMcpConfig.defaultServerName
• bcMcpConfig.altoolCommand
• bcMcpConfig.backupBeforeWrite
• bcMcpConfig.defaultConfigTarget
• bcMcpConfig.apiPublisher
• bcMcpConfig.apiGroup
• bcMcpConfig.apiVersion

Development

npm install
npm run check

Press F5 in VS Code to launch an Extension Development Host. No transpilation step is required because the extension uses plain JavaScript.

Package locally:

npm run vsix

Then install the generated .vsix with Extensions → ... → Install from VSIX....

Marketplace publishing

See PUBLISHING.md.

License

MIT