Add your own MCP server to Test Companion

Add your own MCP server to Test Companion, such as a server your company runs, from the Add Server tab or by asking for it in chat.

You can connect Test Companion to an MCP server that is not in the catalog. For example, you can add the following servers:

• A server that your company hosts.
• A private npm package that your company publishes.

You add a server from the Add Server tab, or by asking for it in chat.

Test Companion connects to two kinds of server. A local server runs on your machine as a command, such as an npm package started with npx. A remote server is hosted at a URL, such as https://mcp.example.com/mcp. Both kinds get the same controls for tools, approvals, and sign-in after you add them.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following:

• Test Companion is installed in Visual Studio Code and you are signed in.
• For a local server, the command, its arguments, and the runtime the command needs. For example, npx needs Node.js on your PATH.
• For a remote server, its URL, and any header or token the server requires.

Connect a server from chat

Test Companion can also set up a server from a chat request, whether the server is local or remote. It finds the setup details and asks you only for what it cannot find, such as an API token.

To connect a server from chat:

1. In the Test Companion chat, ask for the server you want. For example:
   • Connect the Sentry MCP server.
   • Connect our Jenkins MCP server at https://jenkins.example.com/mcp-server/mcp.
2. Answer any questions, such as a request for an API token. Test Companion finds the URL and the sign-in type on its own.
3. Click Approve on the settings change.
4. Check the result in chat. A connected server reports its tool count. A server that needs sign-in shows an Authenticate button in the Installed tab.

Test Companion checks that a remote URL answers as an MCP server before it asks for your approval. Approval is always required, even for a server that passes the check. Plain http:// is allowed only for a server on your machine. If a server fails, the chat reports why, so you can correct the details and ask again.

Add a local server

To add a server that runs on your machine:

1. Open the MCP Servers view. Click ... (more options) on the Test Companion panel, then select MCP Servers.

   

2. Select the Add Server tab, then select Local.

   

3. Fill in the form. For each field, see Local form fields.
4. Click Add Server. Test Companion starts the server and switches to the Installed tab. The server shows a green dot and a badge with its tool count.

An npx server downloads its package the first time it starts. The first connection can therefore take longer than the request timeout of 60 seconds. If Test Companion reports that the server did not finish connecting in time, wait a minute and click Retry Connection.

If you already have the server entry in JSON, expand Advanced (optional) - raw JSON and paste it there instead. Test Companion then ignores the other form fields.

The entry needs a command key and can carry args and env keys, for example:

{
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "@your-org/mcp-server@latest"],
  "env": {
    "API_TOKEN": "your-token"
  }
}

Local form fields

The Local form takes the command that starts the server and the values the server needs at start:

Add a remote server

To add a server that is hosted at a URL:

1. Open the MCP Servers view and select the Add Server tab.

2. Select Remote.

   

3. Fill in the form. For each field, see Remote form fields.
4. Click Add Server. The form reads Connecting to server… for a few seconds. Test Companion then switches to the Installed tab. The server shows a green dot and a badge with its tool count.

A server that uses OAuth shows a yellow dot and an Authenticate button instead. Click Authenticate and finish the sign-in in your browser.

Remote form fields

The Remote form takes the server URL and any headers the server expects with each request:

Rules for a server entry

Test Companion checks every entry before it connects. An entry that fails a check is not saved, and the form shows the reason:

• A remote URL must use https://. Plain http:// works only for a server on localhost or 127.0.0.1.
• For a local npx or npm command, the only flags allowed are -y and --yes. Package specs that start with npm:, git+, or file: are refused.
• A local entry cannot set a working directory. It also cannot set PATH, NODE_OPTIONS, LD_PRELOAD, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, or any environment variable that starts with DYLD_.
• Server names must be unique.

Troubleshoot a server you added

Next steps

• Manage MCP servers in Test Companion: Control tools and auto-approval, restart, sign out, and delete servers.
• Connect an MCP server to Test Companion: Connect a server from the catalog.