VS Code and Copilot: add a persistent memory with an MCP server

Updated 30 October 2026. Steps taken from the official VS Code documentation, read on 30 October 2026. Copilot's menus change often; the mcp.json format is more stable.

To give GitHub Copilot in VS Code a persistent memory, add a remote MCP server: open the Command Palette, run MCP: Add Server, choose HTTP and paste the server URL; or write it in .vscode/mcp.json under servers, with "type": "http". On the first connection, VS Code opens your browser for the OAuth authorization. Then enable its tools in the chat with Configure Tools.

This guide uses Pryzm Memory as the example: a memory shared across several AIs over MCP (Model Context Protocol). What you decided with Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor becomes available in Copilot, and the other way round.

What you need

• An up-to-date VS Code with GitHub Copilot chat. In companies, your organisation can restrict the use of MCP servers.
• A Pryzm account. Free up to 100 memories; on the free plan, your email must be confirmed before you connect an AI. The sign-in page asks for your Pryzm username, not your email.

Method 1: the “MCP: Add Server” command

1. Open the Command Palette: Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows, Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac).
2. Run “MCP: Add Server”, then choose HTTP.
3. Paste the URL: https://pryzm-memory.com/mcp.
4. Follow the prompts: server name (for example pryzm) and where to save the configuration, for you only or for this workspace. Labels vary between VS Code versions.

Method 2: the .vscode/mcp.json file

For a project, create .vscode/mcp.json at the root with this content. Careful, it isn't Cursor's format: VS Code expects servers and type, not mcpServers.

{
  "servers": {
    "pryzm": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://pryzm-memory.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Sign in and use the memory

1. Sign in. On the first connection to the server, VS Code opens a browser window for authorization. Accept, then enter your Pryzm username and password.
2. Enable the tools. In the chat input, open Configure Tools and tick pryzm's tools (depending on the version: Chat: Open Customizations → Tools). You can tick only some of them.
3. Add an instruction. Paste the “main memory” instructions into a Copilot instructions file, so the agent checks the memory on its own.
4. Test: “Check Pryzm for my preferred coding style.” The tool call should appear in the conversation.

The ready-to-paste instructions are on the connection page. The full configuration is described in VS Code's MCP servers documentation and its configuration reference.

If something doesn't work

• Pryzm missing from Configure Tools: the server isn't started or signed in. Run MCP: List Servers and check its state; otherwise, your organisation may be blocking MCP.
• Old configuration in settings.json (“mcp.servers”): VS Code's current documentation puts servers in an mcp.json file. Use “MCP: Add Server” or .vscode/mcp.json with servers.
• Format error: .vscode/mcp.json uses servers and "type": "http". Cursor's mcpServers format can't be copied as is.
• “Incorrect username or password”: use your Pryzm username, not your email.
• Copilot never checks the memory: check pryzm's tools are ticked, add the instruction, or mention “Pryzm” in your request.

What the server sees

The server receives what Copilot sends it when it calls a tool: a search, or the text of a memory. At Pryzm, each account is encrypted with its own key (AES-256-GCM), with servers in Germany; during a session, the server decrypts your memories in memory so it can search them. It is not end-to-end encryption. Don't put secrets in an AI memory: API keys and passwords are refused anyway.

When it isn't useful

If you only work with Copilot in a single repository, its instruction files are probably enough. An external memory helps when the same context should follow you into Cursor, Claude Code or Claude.