Skip to main content

VS Code

Configure Visual Studio Code extensions to access your Netdata infrastructure through MCP.

Available Extensions​

The most popular open-source AI code assistant with MCP support.

Cline​

Autonomous coding agent that can use MCP tools.

Prerequisites​

  1. VS Code installed - Download VS Code
  2. MCP-compatible extension - Install from VS Code Marketplace
  3. The IP and port (usually 19999) of a running Netdata Agent - Prefer a Netdata Parent to get infrastructure level visibility. Currently the latest nightly version of Netdata has MCP support (not released to the stable channel yet). Your AI Client (running on your desktop or laptop) needs to have direct network access to this IP and port.
  4. nd-mcp program available on your desktop or laptop - This is the bridge that translates stdio to websocket, connecting your AI Client to your Netdata Agent or Parent. Find its absolute path
  5. Optionally, the Netdata MCP API key that unlocks full access to sensitive observability data (protected functions, full access to logs) on your Netdata. Each Netdata Agent or Parent has its own unique API key for MCP - Find your Netdata MCP API key

Continue Extension Setup​

Installation​

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
  3. Search for "Continue"
  4. Install the Continue extension
  5. Reload VS Code

Configuration​

Step 1: Add Claude Model​

  1. Click "Select model" dropdown at the bottom (next to Chat dropdown)
  2. Click "+ Add Chat model"
  3. 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​

  1. Click "MCP" in the top toolbar
  2. Click "+ Add MCP Servers"
  3. It creates the file in your current project's .continue/mcpServers/ directory as new-mcp-server.yaml. You might want to rename the file to something more descriptive like netdata.yaml after editing.
  4. Replace the content with: 
    name: Netdata MCP
    version: 0.0.1
    schema: v1
    mcpServers:
       - name: netdata
         command: /usr/sbin/nd-mcp
         args:
            - ws://YOUR_NETDATA_IP:19999/mcp?api_key=NETDATA_MCP_API_KEY
         env: {}
  5. Replace:
    • /usr/sbin/nd-mcp with your actual nd-mcp path
    • YOUR_NETDATA_IP with your Netdata instance IP/hostname
    • NETDATA_MCP_API_KEY with your Netdata MCP API key
  6. Save the file

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​

  1. Search for "Cline" in Extensions
  2. Install and reload VS Code

Configuration​

  1. Open Settings (Ctrl+,)
  2. Search for "Cline MCP"
  3. Add configuration:
{
  "cline.mcpServers": [
    {
      "name": "netdata",
      "command": "/usr/sbin/nd-mcp",
      "args": [
        "ws://YOUR_NETDATA_IP:19999/mcp?api_key=NETDATA_MCP_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Usage​

  1. Open Cline (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Cline: Open Chat")
  2. 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 .vscode/settings.json in your project:

{
  "continue.mcpServers": {
    "netdata-prod": {
      "command": "/usr/sbin/nd-mcp",
      "args": [
        "ws://prod-parent:19999/mcp?api_key=PROD_NETDATA_MCP_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Environment Switching​

Different projects can have different Netdata connections:

  • ~/projects/frontend/.vscode/settings.json → Frontend servers
  • ~/projects/backend/.vscode/settings.json → Backend servers
  • ~/projects/infrastructure/.vscode/settings.json → All servers

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​

FeatureContinueClineCodeiumCopilot 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​

  1. Start coding with infrastructure context
  2. Check metrics before optimization
  3. Validate changes against production data
  4. 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.