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Connect Prowlo to VS Code

VS Code speaks remote MCP natively and handles OAuth for you. One command registers Prowlo against your user profile, and agent mode picks it up in every workspace — search your Dataset and pull live Reddit context without leaving the editor.

One command, no API key

VS Code connects straight to https://api.prowlo.com/mcp and opens a browser window to sign in the first time Prowlo is used. There is no bridge to install and nothing running on your machine.

Prerequisites

  • •Active Prowlo account with organization access
  • •VS Code 1.102 or newer (MCP support went generally available in that release)
  • •The code command on your PATH — run Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH from the Command Palette if it is missing

Setup Guide

1

Add the Prowlo server

Run this once. It writes the server into your VS Code user profile, so Prowlo is available in every workspace:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"prowlo","type":"http","url":"https://api.prowlo.com/mcp"}'

Prefer the UI? Open the Command Palette and run MCP: Add Server, choose HTTP, and paste the same URL.

2

Sign in with OAuth

Open the Chat view and switch it to Agent mode. The first time VS Code calls a Prowlo tool it opens a browser window for sign-in — approve it and the token is stored for you. No API key to copy or rotate.

3

Verify the connection

Run MCP: List Servers from the Command Palette — Prowlo should be running. You can also open the tools picker in agent mode and confirm prowlo is listed. Then ask:

Search my Prowlo dataset for posts about pricing

Workspace configuration

To share Prowlo with your team, commit a .vscode/mcp.json file at the repo root. Each teammate signs in with their own Prowlo account on first use.

{
  "servers": {
    "prowlo": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.prowlo.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

The key is `servers`, not `mcpServers`

VS Code's mcp.json uses a top-level servers object. Configs copied from Claude Desktop or Cursor use mcpServers and will be silently ignored here.

Connecting with an API key instead

OAuth needs a browser. In a headless dev container or a remote host without one, add an Authorization header. Generate a key at API Access — it is shown once.

{
  "servers": {
    "prowlo": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.prowlo.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer prowlo_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Never commit a key in a workspace .vscode/mcp.json. Use VS Code's inputs mechanism to prompt for it, or keep the key in your user profile config instead.

Troubleshooting

Prowlo doesn't appear in the tools picker

  • • Chat must be in Agent mode — Ask and Edit modes do not call MCP tools
  • • Run MCP: List Servers to check the server started
  • • Confirm the top-level key is servers, not mcpServers

Authentication failed

  • • Run MCP: List Servers, pick Prowlo, and restart it to re-trigger the sign-in flow
  • • On the API-key path, verify the key hasn't been revoked and starts with prowlo_
  • • Check that your trial or subscription is still active on Billing

Nothing happened when I ran the command

  • • The code CLI may not be installed — run Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH from the Command Palette
  • • On zsh and bash the JSON must stay inside single quotes, exactly as shown
  • • More help in the troubleshooting guide
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