netdata/docs/netdata-ai/mcp/mcp-clients/vs-code.md at master · netdata/netdata · GitHub
Skip to content

vs-code.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
406 lines (309 loc) · 10.6 KB

vs-code.md

File metadata and controls

406 lines (309 loc) · 10.6 KB

VS Code

Configure Visual Studio Code extensions to access your Netdata infrastructure through MCP.

Available Extensions

Continue (Recommended)

The most popular open-source AI code assistant with MCP support.

Cline

Autonomous coding agent that can use MCP tools.

Transport Support

VS Code extensions typically support stdio-based MCP servers:

Transport Support Netdata Version Use Case
stdio (via nd-mcp bridge) ✅ Fully Supported v2.6.0+ Local bridge to WebSocket
stdio (via npx mcp-remote) ✅ Fully Supported v2.7.2+ Alternative bridge with HTTP/SSE support
Streamable HTTP ⚠️ Varies by Extension v2.7.2+ Check extension documentation
SSE (Server-Sent Events) ⚠️ Varies by Extension v2.7.2+ Check extension documentation
WebSocket ❌ Not Supported - Use nd-mcp bridge

Note: Most VS Code extensions support stdio-based MCP servers. For HTTP/SSE connections to Netdata v2.7.2+, you can use npx mcp-remote bridge. For older Netdata versions (v2.6.0 - v2.7.1), use the nd-mcp bridge with WebSocket.

Prerequisites

  1. VS Code installed - Download VS Code
  2. MCP-compatible extension - Install from VS Code Marketplace
  3. Netdata v2.6.0 or later with MCP support - Prefer a Netdata Parent to get infrastructure level visibility. Your AI Client (running on your desktop or laptop) needs to have direct network access to the Netdata IP and port (usually 19999).
    • v2.6.0 - v2.7.1: Only WebSocket transport available, requires nd-mcp bridge
    • v2.7.2+: Can use npx mcp-remote bridge for HTTP/SSE support
  4. Bridge required: Choose one:
    • nd-mcp bridge - The stdio-to-websocket bridge for all Netdata versions. Find its absolute path
    • npx mcp-remote@latest - Official MCP remote client supporting HTTP/SSE (requires Netdata v2.7.2+)
  5. Netdata MCP API key exported before launching VS Code - keep secrets out of config files by setting: 
    export ND_MCP_BEARER_TOKEN="$(cat /var/lib/netdata/mcp_dev_preview_api_key)"
    Each Netdata Agent or Parent has its own unique API key for MCP - Find your Netdata MCP API key

Netdata Cloud MCP

Connect to your entire Netdata Cloud infrastructure through a single endpoint — no local setup, bridges, or firewall changes needed.

Prerequisites:

  • Netdata Cloud account with Business plan
  • Nodes claimed to Netdata Cloud
  • API token with scope:mcp (create one)

Continue Extension

Add to .continue/mcpServers/netdata-cloud.yaml:

name: Netdata Cloud
version: 0.0.1
schema: v1
mcpServers:
  - name: netdata-cloud
    type: streamable-http
    url: https://app.netdata.cloud/api/v1/mcp
    requestOptions:
      headers:
        Authorization: Bearer YOUR_NETDATA_CLOUD_API_TOKEN

Cline Extension

Cline only supports stdio and SSE transports. Since Netdata Cloud MCP uses Streamable HTTP, you need the mcp-remote bridge to convert stdio to HTTP:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "netdata-cloud": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-remote@latest",
        "https://app.netdata.cloud/api/v1/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_NETDATA_CLOUD_API_TOKEN"
      ],
      "alwaysAllow": [],
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_NETDATA_CLOUD_API_TOKEN with your Netdata Cloud API token (must have scope:mcp). For more details, see Netdata Cloud MCP.

Local Agent or Parent

The following methods connect directly to a Netdata Agent or Parent on your network.

Continue Extension

Installation

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
  3. Search for "Continue"
  4. Install the Continue extension
  5. Reload VS Code

Configuration

Step 1: Add Claude Model
  1. Click "Select model" dropdown at the bottom (next to Chat dropdown)
  2. Click "+ Add Chat model"
  3. In the configuration screen:
    • Provider: Change to "Anthropic"
    • Model: Select Claude-3.5-Sonnet
    • API key: Enter your Anthropic API key
    • Click "Connect"
Step 2: Add Netdata MCP Server

Continue stores MCP definitions as YAML or JSON blocks. The recommended flow is:

  1. Click "MCP" in the Continue toolbar
  2. Click "+ Add MCP Servers" to scaffold .continue/mcpServers/<name>.yaml
  3. Replace the contents with one of the configurations below

Continue's reference guide documents the type field (stdio, sse, or streamable-http) and block syntax (https://docs.continue.dev/customize/deep-dives/mcp).

Method 1: stdio launcher (all Netdata versions)

name: Netdata (nd-mcp)
version: 0.0.1
schema: v1
mcpServers:
  - name: netdata
    type: stdio
    command: /usr/sbin/nd-mcp
    args:
      - ws://YOUR_NETDATA_IP:19999/mcp

Export ND_MCP_BEARER_TOKEN before launching Continue so nd-mcp can authenticate without embedding secrets in YAML.

Method 2: Direct SSE (Netdata v2.7.2+)

name: Netdata (SSE)
version: 0.0.1
schema: v1
mcpServers:
  - name: netdata
    type: sse
    url: https://YOUR_NETDATA_IP:19999/mcp
    requestOptions:
      headers:
        Authorization: Bearer ${NETDATA_MCP_API_KEY}

Method 3: Streamable HTTP (Netdata v2.7.2+)

name: Netdata (HTTP)
version: 0.0.1
schema: v1
mcpServers:
  - name: netdata
    type: streamable-http
    url: https://YOUR_NETDATA_IP:19999/mcp
    requestOptions:
      headers:
        Authorization: Bearer ${NETDATA_MCP_API_KEY}

Continue expands environment placeholders such as ${NETDATA_MCP_API_KEY} so you can keep API keys out of source control. After saving, reload the window to pick up the new server.

Usage

Press Ctrl+L to open Continue chat, then:

@netdata what's the current CPU usage?
@netdata show me memory trends for the last hour
@netdata are there any anomalies in the database servers?

Cline Extension

Installation

  1. Search for "Cline" in Extensions
  2. Install and reload VS Code

Configuration

Cline's official docs describe two workflows (https://docs.cline.bot/mcp/configuring-mcp-servers):

  • UI configuration – Click the MCP Servers icon → Configure tab → add/update servers, restart, toggle, and set timeouts.
  • JSON configuration – Click Configure MCP Servers to open cline_mcp_settings.json and edit the underlying JSON.
JSON examples

Stdio (nd-mcp)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "netdata": {
      "command": "/usr/sbin/nd-mcp",
      "args": [
        "ws://YOUR_NETDATA_IP:19999/mcp"
      ],
      "alwaysAllow": [],
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

SSE for Netdata v2.7.2+

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "netdata": {
      "url": "https://YOUR_NETDATA_IP:19999/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer NETDATA_MCP_API_KEY"
      },
      "alwaysAllow": [],
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

Optional fields such as networkTimeout, alwaysAllow, and env map directly to Cline's UI controls. SSE and stdio are the two transports Cline supports today; pick the one that matches your Netdata deployment.

Usage

  1. Open Cline (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Cline: Open Chat")
  2. Cline can autonomously:
    • Analyze performance issues
    • Create monitoring scripts
    • Debug based on metrics

Example:

Create a Python script that checks Netdata for high CPU usage and sends an alert

Multiple Environments

Workspace-Specific Configuration

Create a YAML file in your project's .continue/mcpServers/ directory (e.g., netdata-prod.yaml):

name: Netdata Production
version: 0.0.1
schema: v1
mcpServers:
   - name: netdata-prod
     type: stdio
     command: /usr/sbin/nd-mcp
     args:
       - ws://prod-parent:19999/mcp

Environment Switching

Different projects can have different Netdata connections:

  • ~/projects/frontend/.continue/mcpServers/netdata.yaml → Frontend servers
  • ~/projects/backend/.continue/mcpServers/netdata.yaml → Backend servers
  • ~/projects/infrastructure/.continue/mcpServers/netdata.yaml → All servers

ℹ️ Export ND_MCP_BEARER_TOKEN with the appropriate key before opening VS Code so the bridge picks up credentials without storing them in the YAML files.

Advanced Usage

Custom Commands

Create custom VS Code commands that query Netdata:

{
  "commands": [
    {
      "command": "netdata.checkHealth",
      "title": "Netdata: Check System Health"
    }
  ]
}

Task Integration

Add Netdata checks to tasks.json:

{
  "version": "2.0.0",
  "tasks": [
    {
      "label": "Check Production Metrics",
      "type": "shell",
      "command": "continue",
      "args": [
        "--ask",
        "@netdata show current system status"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Snippets with Metrics

Create snippets that include metric checks:

{
  "Check Performance": {
    "prefix": "perf",
    "body": [
      "// @netdata: Current ${1:CPU} usage?",
      "$0"
    ]
  }
}

Extension Comparison

Feature Continue Cline Codeium Copilot Chat
MCP Support ✅ Full ✅ Full ❓ Check ❓ Future
Autonomous Actions ❌ ✅ ❌ ❌
Multiple Models ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌
Free Tier ❌ ❌ ✅ ❌
Open Source ✅ ✅ ❌ ❌

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Finding MCP

  • Restart VS Code after configuration
  • Check extension logs (Output → Continue/Cline)
  • Verify JSON syntax in settings

Connection Issues

  • Test Netdata: curl http://YOUR_NETDATA_IP:19999/api/v3/info
  • Check bridge is executable
  • Verify network access from VS Code

No Netdata Option

  • Ensure @netdata is typed correctly
  • Check MCP server is configured
  • Try reloading the window (Ctrl+R)

Performance Problems

  • Use local Netdata Parent for faster response
  • Check extension memory usage
  • Disable unused extensions

Best Practices

Development Workflow

  1. Start coding with infrastructure context
  2. Check metrics before optimization
  3. Validate changes against production data
  4. Monitor impact of deployments

Team Collaboration

Share Netdata configurations:

  • Commit .vscode/settings.json for project-specific configs
  • Document which Netdata Parent to use
  • Create team snippets for common queries