GitHub Copilot in IDEA cannot use MCP servers that require OAuth authorization

[Hendiaome]

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Problem

Currently, GitHub Copilot in IntelliJ IDEA does not support MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that require OAuth authorization. This limitation prevents users from accessing protected MCP resources that could significantly enhance the development experience.

Background

According to the MCP Specification 2025-06-18 Changelog, specifically item #3:

"Classify MCP servers as OAuth Resource Servers, adding protected resource metadata to discover the corresponding Authorization server. (PR #338)"

This change introduces OAuth support for MCP servers, allowing them to act as protected resources with proper authorization mechanisms.

Current Behavior

• GitHub Copilot can connect to and use public/open MCP servers
• When attempting to use MCP servers that require OAuth authentication, the connection fails
• No OAuth flow is initiated or supported
• Protected MCP resources remain inaccessible

Expected Behavior

• GitHub Copilot should support OAuth 2.0 authorization flow for MCP servers
• When connecting to a protected MCP server, it should:
  1. Discover the authorization server metadata
  2. Initiate the appropriate OAuth flow (Authorization Code, Client Credentials, etc.)
  3. Handle token acquisition and refresh
  4. Include proper authorization headers in MCP requests

Impact

This limitation significantly reduces the potential of MCP integration, as many enterprise and specialized MCP servers require authentication for security and access control purposes.

Environment

• IDE: IntelliJ IDEA
• GitHub Copilot Plugin Version: [Current Version]
• Operating System: macOS
• MCP Specification Version: 2025-06-18

Proposed Solution

Implement OAuth 2.0 support in GitHub Copilot's MCP client, including:

1. Authorization Server Discovery: Parse MCP server metadata to identify OAuth endpoints
2. OAuth Flow Support: Implement standard OAuth 2.0 flows (Authorization Code, Client Credentials)
3. Token Management: Handle access token storage, refresh, and expiration
4. Request Authorization: Include Bearer tokens in MCP requests to protected resources
5. User Experience: Provide intuitive OAuth authorization UI within the IDE

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[pouellet]

Interestingly, the plugin seems to be aware of the MCP OAuth authentication flow, but (at least for the Atlassian MCP server) cannot find the authentication provider. Atlassian does provide the authorization server definition (https://mcp.atlassian.com/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server) and the same MCP configuration works properly in VSCode and other MCP clients.

[2025-09-18 09:23:12.828][info]    [https://mcp.atlassian.com/v1/sse] No authentication provider found for authserver: https://mcp.atlassian.com

[shintasmith]

Has anyone gotten this to work yet?

[yuvallb]

Yes. See: microsoft/copilot-intellij-feedback#1462 (comment)
When the headers is wrapped with "requestInit" - it works (at least for me...)