---
title: Add Cascades to VS Code
description: "Add Cascades to VS Code: config, install command and the scopes your API key needs for the Cascades MCP server."
canonical_url: "https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/vscode"
doc_version: "1.0.0"
last_updated: "2026-10-09T14:37:54Z"
source: docs/mcp/tools.json
---

# Add Cascades to VS Code

1. Click *Add to VS Code* (needs VS Code 1.99+ with GitHub Copilot agent mode), or
2. create `.vscode/mcp.json` in your workspace with the JSON below. VS Code's schema is `servers`, not `mcpServers`, and declares the transport explicitly.
3. Run *MCP: List Servers* from the command palette and start `cascades`.

`.vscode/mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "cascades": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@crscreditapi/cascades-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CASCADES_API_KEY": "{{API_KEY}}",
        "CASCADES_PROD_BASE_URL": "https://cascades.crscreditapi.com"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

One-click install (replace `{{API_KEY}}` with your key before following it):

```
vscode:mcp/install?%7B%22name%22%3A%22cascades%22%2C%22command%22%3A%22npx%22%2C%22args%22%3A%5B%22-y%22%2C%22%40crscreditapi%2Fcascades-mcp-server%22%5D%2C%22env%22%3A%7B%22CASCADES_API_KEY%22%3A%22%7B%7BAPI_KEY%7D%7D%22%2C%22CASCADES_PROD_BASE_URL%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fcascades.crscreditapi.com%22%7D%7D
```

## Notes

- `CASCADES_PROD_BASE_URL` is the host **without** `/api/v1` (`https://cascades.crscreditapi.com`); the server adds the prefix.
- The key needs `workflows:read`, `workflows:write`, `executions:read`, `executions:write`. A key missing a scope gets `403 insufficient_scope` on the affected tool only.
- Sandbox keys can only run in test mode: `execution_mode: "live"` is billable, needs a production-approved account, and is rejected for docs-issued keys.
- To keep the key out of the workspace file, VS Code supports `"inputs"` with `"password": true` and `${input:cascades_api_key}` in `env`.

## Test with MCP Inspector

```bash
CASCADES_API_KEY={{API_KEY}} CASCADES_PROD_BASE_URL=https://cascades.crscreditapi.com \
  npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx -y @crscreditapi/cascades-mcp-server
```

## Other clients

- [Claude Code](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/claude-code.md)
- [Claude Desktop](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/claude-desktop.md)
- [Cursor](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/cursor.md)
- [Windsurf](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/windsurf.md)
- [ChatGPT](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/docs/mcp/install/chatgpt.md)

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](https://cascades.crscreditapi.com/sitemap.md) for all pages.