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

VS Code installed - Download VS Code
MCP-compatible extension - Install from VS Code Marketplace
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
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+)
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

Continue Extension Setup

Installation

Open VS Code
Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
Search for "Continue"
Install the Continue extension
Reload VS Code

Configuration

Step 1: Add Claude Model

Click "Select model" dropdown at the bottom (next to Chat dropdown)
Click "+ Add Chat model"
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:

Click "MCP" in the Continue toolbar
Click "+ Add MCP Servers" to scaffold .continue/mcpServers/<name>.yaml
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
    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
    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 Setup

Installation

Search for "Cline" in Extensions
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

Open Cline (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Cline: Open Chat")
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

Start coding with infrastructure context
Check metrics before optimization
Validate changes against production data
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

Do you have any feedback for this page? If so, you can open a new issue on our netdata/learn repository.

Available Extensions​

Continue (Recommended)​

Cline​

Transport Support​

Prerequisites​

Continue Extension Setup​

Installation​

Configuration​

Step 1: Add Claude Model​

Step 2: Add Netdata MCP Server​

Usage​

Cline Extension Setup​

Installation​

Configuration​

JSON examples​

Usage​

Multiple Environments​

Workspace-Specific Configuration​

Environment Switching​

Advanced Usage​

Custom Commands​

Task Integration​

Snippets with Metrics​

Extension Comparison​

Troubleshooting​

Extension Not Finding MCP​

Connection Issues​

No Netdata Option​

Performance Problems​

Best Practices​

Development Workflow​

Team Collaboration​

Available Extensions

Continue (Recommended)

Cline

Transport Support

Prerequisites

Continue Extension Setup

Installation

Configuration

Step 1: Add Claude Model

Step 2: Add Netdata MCP Server

Usage

Cline Extension Setup

Installation

Configuration

JSON examples

Usage

Multiple Environments

Workspace-Specific Configuration

Environment Switching

Advanced Usage

Custom Commands

Task Integration

Snippets with Metrics

Extension Comparison

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Finding MCP

Connection Issues

No Netdata Option

Performance Problems

Best Practices

Development Workflow

Team Collaboration