Content
# VisualStudio MCP Bridge
VisualStudio MCP Bridge is a Visual Studio VSIX extension that exposes the current Visual Studio IDE session through a local MCP server.
The server binds only to `127.0.0.1` and requires a local bearer token.
## Features
- Compatible With Codex Claude code and other ai that support mcp
- List running Visual Studio instances.
- Read the current solution, projects, active document, and open documents.
- Open files in Visual Studio.
- Read, replace, insert, and save text documents through Visual Studio.
- Trigger a Visual Studio solution build.
- Read Error List and Output window panes.
- Inspect solution tree and project references.
- Start/stop debugging and execute Visual Studio commands.
## Installation
1. Download `VisualStudioMcpExtension.vsix` from GitHub Releases.
2. Close Visual Studio.
3. Install the VSIX by double-clicking it, or run:
```powershell
& "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\18\Community\Common7\IDE\VSIXInstaller.exe" `
"C:\Path\To\VisualStudioMcpExtension.vsix"
```
4. Open Visual Studio.
5. Start the bridge:
```text
Tools > VisualStudio MCP Bridge > Connect to Local MCP Server
```
You can also open:
```text
View > VisualStudio MCP Bridge Window
Tools > Options > VisualStudio MCP Bridge > Connection
```
## Connection
The extension writes a per-user config file:
```text
%LOCALAPPDATA%\VisualStudioMcpBridge\config.txt
```
It contains:
```text
endpoint=http://127.0.0.1:32177/mcp
token=<local bearer token>
port=32177
log=<local log path>
```
Use these values in your MCP client:
```text
URL: http://127.0.0.1:32177/mcp
Authorization: Bearer <token>
```
Do not share or commit your token.
## Test With PowerShell
```powershell
$config = Get-Content "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\VisualStudioMcpBridge\config.txt"
$token = ($config | Where-Object { $_ -like "token=*" }) -replace "^token=", ""
$body = @{
jsonrpc = "2.0"
id = 1
method = "tools/list"
params = @{}
} | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 10
Invoke-RestMethod `
-Uri "http://127.0.0.1:32177/mcp" `
-Method Post `
-Headers @{ Authorization = "Bearer $token" } `
-ContentType "application/json" `
-Body $body
```
## MCP Tools
- `visualstudio_instances`
- `visualstudio_solution`
- `visualstudio_active_document`
- `visualstudio_open_documents`
- `visualstudio_build_solution`
- `visualstudio_open_file`
- `visualstudio_read_document`
- `visualstudio_replace_selection`
- `visualstudio_insert_text`
- `visualstudio_replace_document`
- `visualstudio_save_document`
- `visualstudio_error_list`
- `visualstudio_solution_tree`
- `visualstudio_project_references`
- `visualstudio_output_window`
- `visualstudio_debug_status`
- `visualstudio_start_debugging`
- `visualstudio_stop_debugging`
- `visualstudio_execute_command`
## Build From Source
Publish the bridge first:
```powershell
dotnet publish .\src\VisualStudioMcpBridge -c Release -o .\src\VisualStudioMcpBridge\publish
```
Build the VSIX:
```powershell
dotnet build .\src\VisualStudioMcpExtension -c Release
```
Or use:
```powershell
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\build-release.ps1
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\create-release-zip.ps1 -Version 0.1.11
```
The generated VSIX is:
```text
src\VisualStudioMcpExtension\bin\Release\net472\VisualStudioMcpExtension.vsix
```
Upload the `.vsix` file to GitHub Releases. Do not commit generated build outputs.
## Signing
The VSIX can be distributed unsigned for early testing. For a public trust flow, sign it with your own code-signing certificate.
Development-only self-signed certificate:
```powershell
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\create-self-signed-cert.ps1
```
Sign with `VsixSignTool.exe` if it is installed:
```powershell
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\sign-vsix.ps1 -PfxPath .\scripts\VisualStudioMcpBridge-DevCert.pfx
```
