promptu VSCode Extension

Create shareable, clickable links that run AI prompts from anywhere directly in VSCode's Github Copilot Chat

Features

🔗 Prompts In A Click: Transform any prompt into a shareable, clickable link
🌐 Universal Prompt Access: Support for Azure DevOps, GitHub, direct URLs, local files, and MCP prompts
🔐 Git Authentication: Uses your existing git credentials for private repositories
⚡ Just-in-Time Fetching: Downloads prompts on demand, no pre-sync needed
🔗 GitHub Copilot Integration: Executes prompts directly in Copilot Chat
🛠️ MCP Server Support: Specify Model Context Protocol servers to install for prompts

URI Format

Prompt + Input + MCPs + Workspace

vscode://ms-promptu.promptu?prompt=<prompt-location>&input=<input-data>&mcp=<mcp-config>&workspace=<workspace-config>

For VSCode Insiders, use vscode-insiders://

Parameters:

prompt (required): Location of the prompt, see Supported Prompt Sources
input (optional): Any string to pass to the prompt. For specifying MCP prompt arguments, see MCP Prompt Inputs
mcp (optional): MCP server configurations, see MCP Server Configuration
workspace (optional): Workspace selection options, see Workspace Selection

Prepend https://vscode.dev/redirect?url= for creating clickable links

Append &windowId=_blank to open in a new VS Code window

Supported Prompt Sources

Source	Format	Example
GitHub	`gh:<username>/<repo>/<path>`	`gh:awesome-team/ai-prompts/code-review`
Azure DevOps	`ado:<org>/<project>/<repo>/<path>`	`ado:company/engineering/ai-assistants/code-quality`
Direct URL	`https://...`	`https://raw.githubusercontent.com/team/ai-prompts/main/analysis`
Local File	Absolute path	`C:/my-prompts/code-review` (Windows) `/home/user/my-prompts/debug-helper` (Linux/Mac)
Installed Prompts	`<prompt name>`	`code-review`
MCP Prompts	`mcp.<MCP server name>.<prompt name>`	`mcp.MyMCPServer.MyPrompt`

For file-based prompts, automatically adds .prompt.md extension if no extension provided.

How to use

Simply enter the URI into your browser address bar or file explorer.

Or create clickable links by prepending https://vscode.dev/redirect?url=

Ex: https://vscode.dev/redirect?url=vscode://ms-promptu.promptu?prompt=gh:github/awesome-copilot/prompts/prompt-builder

Or create buttons, ex:

Or use platform-specific shortcuts

Windows: Win+R → paste URI → Enter
Mac: Cmd+Space → paste URI → Enter

Authentication

If prompt is publicly available, no auth needed.

If not, uses MSAL authentication for Azure DevOps, or git authentication. Works automatically if you can git clone the repository. Git Credential Manager is recommended for setting up git credentials.

Requirements

VSCode: 1.103.0 or higher
GitHub Copilot Chat: Extension must be installed and configured

For private sources:

Git Credential Manager: Required for private repository access. Setup here
Azure Artifacts Credential Provider: Used to install MCPs from NuGet packages. Setup here

Installation

Install the extension from VS Code Marketplace by searching 'promptu' or build and install VSIX file

MCP Prompt Inputs

For MCP prompts, use JSON format to specify argument names and values:

&input={"argumentName": "value"}
&input={"arg1": "value1", "arg2": 123}  # Multiple arguments

MCP Server Configuration

NOTE: This is tested as working for local MCPs via NuGet and remote MCPs that don't require auth. Further MCP support is in development.

The mcp parameter configures Model Context Protocol servers needed for prompt execution. Supports single server object or array of servers:

Single Server:

&mcp={"name":"MyServer","type":"http","url":"https://api.example.com/mcp"}

Multiple Servers:

&mcp=[{"name":"Server1","type":"http","url":"..."},{"name":"Server2","type":"stdio","command":"..."}]

MCP Config:

{
  "name": "string",           // Required: Unique identifier for the MCP server
  "type": "http|stdio",       // Required: Transport protocol type
  "url": "string",            // For HTTP: Server endpoint URL
  "command": "string",        // For stdio: Executable command/tool name
  "nugetPackage": "string",   // For NuGet: package to install (optional)
  "nugetFeed": "string",      // For NuGet: Custom NuGet feed URL (optional)
  "prerelease": boolean       // For NuGet: Include prerelease packages (optional, defaults to false)
}

Server Types:

HTTP: {"name":"MyServer","type":"http","url":"https://api.example.com/mcp"}
stdio: {"name":"MyServer","type":"stdio","command":"my-mcp-tool"}
NuGet Package: {"name":"MyServer","type":"stdio","command":"my-mcp-tool","nugetPackage":"My.Package","nugetFeed":"https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json","prerelease":false}

Examples:

# HTTP MCP server
&mcp={"name":"microsoft.docs.mcp","type":"http","url":"https://learn.microsoft.com/api/mcp"}

# Local MCP via NuGet
&mcp={"name":"MyMCPServer","type":"stdio","command":"my-mcp-tool","nugetPackage":"My.Company.MCPServer","nugetFeed":"https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json","prerelease":false}

NOTE: For clickable links (using https://vscode.dev/redirect?url=), JSON parameters must be stringified and URL-encoded. Asking Copilot to do this for you should work. You can also use JSON.stringify() followed by encodeURIComponent() in JavaScript, or equivalent functions in other languages.*

Workspace Selection

The workspace parameter allows you to specify which workspace context the prompt should run in:

Format:

workspace=select                    # Show workspace selection dialog
workspace=select:Custom message     # Show dialog with custom guidance message

Selection Options:

Current Workspace: Execute in the currently open workspace
Browse for Folder: Choose a different folder/workspace to open in a new window
Execute without workspace context: Run the prompt without specific workspace context

Examples:

# Simple workspace selection
vscode://ms-promptu.promptu?prompt=gh:team/prompts/code-review&workspace=select

# With custom guidance message
vscode://ms-promptu.promptu?prompt=gh:team/prompts/debug-react&workspace=select:This%20debugging%20prompt%20works%20best%20in%20a%20React%20project%20workspace

When a different workspace is selected, promptu will:

Open the selected workspace in a new VS Code window
Re-execute the prompt in that new workspace context
The original window remains unchanged

Complete URI Examples

Using GitHub shorthand: For this prompt from awesome-copilot repo: prompt-builder

Github: vscode://ms-promptu.promptu?prompt=gh:github/awesome-copilot/prompts/prompt-builder

Using direct raw URL: vscode://ms-promptu.promptu?prompt=https://raw.githubusercontent.com/github/awesome-copilot/refs/heads/main/prompts/prompt-builder.prompt.md

Using a prompt name (for prompts already in your VS Code): vscode://ms-promptu.promptu?prompt=code-review&input=Review this TypeScript function

Using MCP prompt with server auto-configuration: vscode://ms-promptu.promptu?prompt=mcp.MyMCPServer.MyPrompt&input={"dataId":"12345"}&mcp={"name":"MyMCPServer","type":"stdio","command":"my-mcp-tool","nugetPackage":"My.Company.MCPServer","nugetFeed":"https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json","prerelease":false}

Using workspace selection: vscode://ms-promptu.promptu?prompt=gh:team/react-prompts/debug-component&workspace=select:This%20prompt%20needs%20a%20React%20project%20workspace

Development

npm install
npm run compile
npm run package

Commands

The extension provides these commands via the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

promptu: Execute Prompt - Manually execute a prompt by entering the prompt location and input

Troubleshooting commands (only needed if VS Code updates break Copilot Chat integration):

promptu: Set Copilot Chat Command - Manually override the chat command
promptu: Discover Available Chat Commands - Browse available chat commands

Note: The extension auto-detects working commands. Only use troubleshooting commands if prompts fail to open in Copilot Chat.

License

MIT

Contributing

This project welcomes contributions and suggestions. Most contributions require you to agree to a Contributor License Agreement (CLA) declaring that you have the right to, and actually do, grant us the rights to use your contribution. For details, visit Contributor License Agreements.

When you submit a pull request, a CLA bot will automatically determine whether you need to provide a CLA and decorate the PR appropriately (e.g., status check, comment). Simply follow the instructions provided by the bot. You will only need to do this once across all repos using our CLA.

This project has adopted the Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct. For more information see the Code of Conduct FAQ or contact opencode@microsoft.com with any additional questions or comments.

Trademarks

This project may contain trademarks or logos for projects, products, or services. Authorized use of Microsoft trademarks or logos is subject to and must follow Microsoft's Trademark & Brand Guidelines. Use of Microsoft trademarks or logos in modified versions of this project must not cause confusion or imply Microsoft sponsorship. Any use of third-party trademarks or logos are subject to those third-party's policies.