Sinch ClickSend logo

MCP installation guide for VS Code

On this page:

There are two supported paths for VS Code: the ClickSend Marketplace extension (recommended for guided setup) or manual mcp.json configuration (the same pattern as Cursor).

Option A – ClickSend MCP extension (recommended)

The ClickSend MCP extension handles credential storage and server registration automatically. It integrates with GitHub Copilot Chat in Agent mode.

Requirements:

  • VS Code 1.115.0 or later

  • GitHub Copilot Chat extension installed

ClickSend MCP Extension Visual Studio Code

Steps:

  1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace. Search for "ClickSend MCP", or go directly to the Marketplace listing and click Install.

2. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P on macOS / Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows and Linux) and run: ClickSend MCP: Configure Credentials

3. Enter your ClickSend username and API key when prompted. Find these in your ClickSend dashboard under Profile > API credentials. Credentials are stored securely in VS Code's secret storage – never written to plain-text settings.

ClickSend MCP VS Code Configure Credentials

4. Open Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode.

5. Test with a natural-language prompt:

  • "Send an SMS to +12015550123 with the message 'Hello from VS Code'"

  • "Check my ClickSend account balance"

Useful commands

ClickSend MCP: Configure Credentials

Set or update your username and API key

ClickSend MCP: Validate Connection

Test credentials against the ClickSend API

ClickSend MCP: Open Settings

Open extension configuration

Troubleshooting

"Authorization error" when sending SMS:

  • Run ClickSend MCP: Validate Connection to confirm your credentials are correct.

  • Make sure you're using your API key, not your account login password.

  • Check your account has sufficient credit balance.

MCP server not connecting:

  • Re-run ClickSend MCP: Configure Credentials.

  • Confirm Copilot Chat is in Agent mode, not standard chat mode.

  • Open the Output panel and filter by ClickSend MCP to review error details.

Option B – Manual mcp.json (for non-Copilot MCP clients in VS Code)

Use this path if you're running VS Code's native MCP support without the ClickSend extension.

  1. Create or edit .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace root (or your global user MCP config file).

  2. Add the following configuration — replacing your-clicksend-username and your-clicksend-api-key with your ClickSend credentials from Profile > API credentials in your dashboard: 

                
                {
  "servers": {
    "clicksend": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@clicksend/clicksend-mcp-server@latest"],
      "env": {
        "CLICKSEND_USERNAME": "<your-clicksend-username>",
        "CLICKSEND_API_KEY": "<your-clicksend-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

  3. Save the file. VS Code will detect the updated MCP config automatically.

  4. Open Copilot Chat (or your MCP client) and verify the ClickSend server appears in the available tools list.

Note: Credentials added via mcp.json are stored in plain text. For shared or version-controlled workspaces, use Option A or reference credentials via environment variables rather than hardcoding them directly.

FAQs