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IDE and MCP Setup

After completing the base setup in Getting Started, connect FineCode to your IDE and AI tooling.

For the full support overview across CLI, CI, git hooks, IDEs, and MCP clients, see Supported Development Environments.

VSCode setup

Install the FineCode VSCode extension.

The extension:

  • Starts the FineCode LSP server when you open a workspace
  • Shows diagnostics inline
  • Provides code actions and quick fixes
  • Supports formatting on save
  • Exposes FineCode actions in the sidebar
  • Integrates with the native VS Code Testing panel (discover and run tests)

Requirements

  • FineCode installed in .venvs/dev_workspace (see Setup)
  • python -m finecode prepare-envs run at least once

Configuration

The extension auto-discovers .venvs/dev_workspace/. No extra extension-side project configuration is required.

Testing integration

The Testing panel (beaker icon) is populated automatically when the workspace loads. It is driven by two actions from finecode_extension_api:

  • ListTestsAction — discovers tests and builds the file → class → function tree
  • RunTestsAction — executes tests and reports pass/fail/skip/error per test case

To use the Testing panel, you need handlers registered for both actions. The fine_python_test preset provides pytest-based handlers for both. If you are already using fine_python_recommended, testing support is included — no extra preset needed, since fine_python_recommended already pulls in fine_python_test.

Other IDEs and editors

FineCode already provides an LSP server, but the only packaged IDE integration documented and tested today is the VSCode extension above.

If you want to integrate FineCode into another IDE or editor, treat that as a custom LSP-client integration for now. The server architecture and client protocol are documented here:

Additional first-party IDE integrations are planned, but VSCode is the recommended path today.

MCP setup for AI clients

FineCode exposes an MCP server so any MCP-compatible client can invoke FineCode actions directly.

If you use VS Code and the FineCode VSCode extension, prefer the extension-based integration for Copilot (recommended below). Manual MCP configuration is a fallback for setups without the extension.

At a minimum, your client should launch:

.venvs/dev_workspace/bin/python -m finecode start-mcp

Client configuration format depends on the MCP client.

Example: Claude Code

Create .mcp.json in the workspace root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "finecode": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": ".venvs/dev_workspace/bin/python",
      "args": ["-m", "finecode", "start-mcp", "--workdir=."]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code discovers this file and prompts for approval on first use.

When the FineCode VSCode extension is installed, it registers FineCode MCP servers for Copilot automatically.

No manual MCP configuration is required.

Example: VS Code Copilot fallback (only without FineCode VSCode extension)

Use this only if you are not using the FineCode VSCode extension.

Create .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace root:

{
  "servers": {
    "finecode": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": ".venvs/dev_workspace/bin/python",
      "args": ["-m", "finecode", "start-mcp", "--workdir=${workspaceFolder}"]
    }
  }
}

Note: VS Code uses the top-level servers key in mcp.json.

Manual server startup is mainly for debugging and custom integration development. See LSP and MCP Architecture.