Peacock MCP Server

What is Peacock MCP Server about?

Provides an MCP server that retrieves the official Peacock extension documentation and exposes a tool (fetch_peacock_docs) allowing AI agents to answer queries about VS Code accent colors and theming.

How to use Peacock MCP Server?

1. Installation – Add the server via VS Code Marketplace buttons, NPM, or Docker. The simplest method uses the built‑in command:

   {
     "mcp": {
       "servers": {
         "peacock-mcp": {
           "command": "npx",
           "args": ["-y", "@johnpapa/peacock-mcp"],
           "env": {}
         }
       }
     },
     "chat.mcp.discovery.enabled": true
   }
   

2. Running locally – Clone the repo, run npm install && npm run build, then start with:

   npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node build/index.js
   

3. Using in GitHub Copilot – Enable Agent mode, refresh the server list, and invoke the tool by asking natural questions such as “How do I set my VS Code accent colors?”.

Key features of Peacock MCP Server

• Fetch Peacock docs – Pulls the latest documentation directly from the Peacock website.
• Single‑purpose tool – fetch_peacock_docs accepts a prompt and returns a concise answer.
• Multi‑install options – NPM, Docker, VS Code Settings, CLI, and Smithery integration.
• Discoverable – Works with Copilot, Claude Desktop, and any MCP‑compatible client.

Use cases of Peacock MCP Server

• Assist developers in customizing VS Code colors without leaving the editor.
• Power AI‑driven assistants that can answer theming questions on the fly.
• Serve as a reference example for building custom MCP servers that wrap external documentation or APIs.

FAQ from the Peacock MCP Server

Q: Do I need an API key? A: No external API keys are required; the server uses publicly available documentation.

Q: Which command should I use for installation? A: Prefer the npx approach: npx -y @johnpapa/peacock-mcp.

Q: Can I run the server in a container? A: Yes, use the Docker badge commands which run docker run -i --rm mcp/peacock-mcp.

Q: How do I expose the server to all repositories? A: Add the server definition to the VS Code User Settings JSON under the mcp.servers block and enable chat.mcp.discovery.enabled.

Q: What if the response is filtered by the Responsible AI Service? A: Re‑run the query or rephrase the prompt; the server itself does not impose content filters.

Features • Tools • Setup • Configuring an MCP Host

MCP Server for the Peacock extension for VS Code, coloring your world, one Code editor at a time. The main goal of the project is to show how an MCP server can be used to interact with APIs.

Note: All data used by this MCP server is fetched from the official Peacock documentation.

🔧 Features

• Fetch Peacock docs: Get detailed info on Peacock.

🧰 Tools

1. fetch_peacock_docs 🔍🦸‍♂️

• Description: Fetches the Peacock for VS Code extension docs from its GitHub repository and answers questions based on the documentation
• Input:
  • prompt (query): The question about Peacock.
• Returns: Your answer!

🛠️ Setup

Install Peacock for VS Code HERE.

Running the MCP Server hosted in GitHub Copilot with VS Code Insiders

Note: If you already have the MCP server enabled with Claude Desktop, add chat.mcp.discovery.enabled: true in your VS Code settings and it will discover existing MCP server lists.

If you want to associate the MCP server with a specific repo, create a .vscode/mcp.json file with this content:

{
  "inputs": [],
  "servers": {
    "peacock-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      // "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@johnpapa/peacock-mcp"
        // "_git/peacock-mcp/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

If you want to associate the MCP server with all repos, add the following to your VS Code User Settings JSON:

"mcp": {
  "servers": {
    "peacock-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      // "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@johnpapa/peacock-mcp"
        // "/Users/papa/_git/peacock-mcp/dist/index.js"
        // "_git/peacock-mcp/dist/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}
"chat.mcp.discovery.enabled": true,

VS Code Manual Installation

Note: For quick installation, click the install buttons at the top of this README.

Using VS Code Settings

To manually install the Peacock MCP server in VS Code, follow these steps:

1. Open VS Code Settings (JSON) by pressing Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) and searching for "Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON)"
2. Add the following JSON to your settings file:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "peacock-mcp": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@johnpapa/peacock-mcp"],
        "env": {}
      }
    }
  },
  "chat.mcp.discovery.enabled": true
}

Using CLI Commands

For VS Code Stable:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"peacock-mcp","command":"npx","args":["-y","@johnpapa/peacock-mcp"],"env":{}}'

For VS Code Insiders:

code-insiders --add-mcp '{"name":"peacock-mcp","command":"npx","args":["-y","@johnpapa/peacock-mcp"],"env":{}}'

Installing via Smithery

To install Peacock MCP Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @johnpapa/peacock-mcp --client claude

Run the MCP Server Locally with MCP Inspector

If you'd like to run MCP Inspector locally to test the server, follow these steps:

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/johnpapa/peacock-mcp
   

2. Install the required dependencies and build the project.

   npm install
   npm run build
   

3. (Optional) To try out the server using MCP Inspector run the following command:

   # Start the MCP Inspector
   npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node build/index.js
   

   Visit the MCP Inspector URL shown in the console in your browser. Change Arguments to dist/index.js and select Connect. Select List Tools to see the available tools.

Using Tools in GitHub Copilot

1. Now that the mcp server is discoverable, open GitHub Copilot and select the Agent mode (not Chat or Edits).

2. Select the "refresh" button in the Copilot chat text field to refresh the server list.

3. Select the "🛠️" button to see all the possible tools, including the ones from this repo.

4. Put a question in the chat that would naturally invoke one of the tools, for example:

   How do I set my VS Code accent colors?
   

   Note: If you see "Sorry, the response was filtered by the Responsible AI Service. Please rephrase your prompt and try again.", try running it again or rephrasing the prompt.