VS Code Setup

VS Code is the primary development surface for Alex projects. Here's how to configure it for cognitive architecture work.

Install VS Code

macOS

brew install --cask visual-studio-code

After installing, enable the code command in your PATH:

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Cmd + Shift + P
3. Type "Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH"
4. Press Enter

Windows

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

The Windows installer adds code to your PATH automatically: restart your terminal after installing.

Essential Extensions

These extensions are required or strongly recommended for Alex development.

Must Have

Extension	ID	Why
GitHub Copilot	github.copilot	Core AI assistant: Alex runs through Copilot Chat
GitHub Copilot Chat	github.copilot-chat	Chat interface for Alex interaction
GitHub Pull Requests	github.vscode-pull-request-github	PR reviews, issue management
Markdown All in One	yzhang.markdown-all-in-one	Markdown editing, TOC generation, preview

Recommended

Extension	ID	Why
Mermaid Preview	bierner.markdown-mermaid	Preview Mermaid diagrams in markdown
markdownlint	davidanson.vscode-markdownlint	Markdown quality enforcement
GitLens	eamodio.gitlens	Git history, blame, graph visualization
Azure Tools	ms-azuretools.vscode-azure-github-copilot	Azure MCP integration
Docker	ms-azuretools.vscode-docker	Container management
Python	ms-python.python	Python IntelliSense, debugging, linting
ESLint	dbaeumer.vscode-eslint	JavaScript/TypeScript linting

Install All at Once

code --install-extension github.copilot
code --install-extension github.copilot-chat
code --install-extension github.vscode-pull-request-github
code --install-extension yzhang.markdown-all-in-one
code --install-extension bierner.markdown-mermaid
code --install-extension davidanson.vscode-markdownlint
code --install-extension eamodio.gitlens
code --install-extension ms-azuretools.vscode-azure-github-copilot
code --install-extension ms-azuretools.vscode-docker
code --install-extension ms-python.python
code --install-extension dbaeumer.vscode-eslint

Workspace Settings

Alex projects use .vscode/settings.json for workspace-level configuration. Key settings:

{
    // Markdown preview styling
    "markdown.styles": [
        ".vscode/markdown-light.css"
    ],

    // Skill discovery paths (Alex loads skills from these locations)
    "chat.agentSkillsLocations": {
        ".github/skills": true,
        ".agents/skills": true,
        ".claude/skills": true,
        "~/.copilot/skills": true,
        "~/.agents/skills": true
    }
}

MCP Servers

Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers extend Copilot with external tool access. These are configured at the user level (not per-workspace) in VS Code settings or ~/.vscode/mcp.json.

Common MCP servers for Alex projects:

Server	Purpose
Azure MCP	Azure resource management, deployment, Bicep
Microsoft Graph MCP	M365 integration: mail, calendar, Teams, SharePoint
GitKraken MCP	Advanced Git operations, Launchpad, PR management
Bicep MCP	Infrastructure-as-code validation and generation
Microsoft Learn MCP	Official docs search and fetch

To configure an MCP server, add it to your VS Code settings (Ctrl + , on Windows, Cmd + , on macOS → search "MCP"):

// Example: Microsoft Graph MCP (user-level settings)
{
    "mcp": {
        "servers": {
            "microsoft-graph": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-server-graph"]
            }
        }
    }
}

Each MCP server has its own installation instructions: check the extension marketplace for details.

GitHub Copilot Settings

For Alex to work fully, ensure these Copilot settings are enabled:

Setting	Value	Why
github.copilot.chat.agent.enabled	true	Enables agent mode (tools, file edits)
chat.agent.maxRequests	50 or higher	Allows complex multi-step tasks
github.copilot.chat.followUps	"always"	Shows suggested follow-up actions

Project Structure Recognition

When you open an Alex project, VS Code should automatically detect:

1. .github/copilot-instructions.md: loaded as system instructions for Copilot
2. .github/hooks.json: lifecycle hooks that fire automatically
3. .github/instructions/*.instructions.md: context-specific rules loaded via applyTo patterns
4. .github/skills/*/SKILL.md: domain skills available to all agents

If skills or instructions aren't being picked up, check that the chat.agentSkillsLocations paths in your workspace settings include .github/skills.