Document OAuth support in MCP HTTP/SSE configuration reference

[Copilot]

The MCP configuration reference omitted the oauth field for HTTP/SSE servers, despite being supported in VS Code schema/runtime. This updates the docs to reflect the implemented transport auth shape and expected OAuth behavior.

• HTTP/SSE schema table updates

  • Added oauth to the HTTP and Server-Sent Events (SSE) servers field table with example shape.

• OAuth field contract

  • Added an oauth property table documenting clientId as required.
  • Added a note clarifying VS Code drives the OAuth flow automatically and opens a browser on first auth.

• Usable configuration example

  • Added a second <details> example block showing an HTTP MCP server configured with OAuth.

{
  "servers": {
    "slack": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.slack.com/mcp",
      "oauth": {
        "clientId": "…"
      }
    }
  }
}

Original prompt

The "HTTP and Server-Sent Events (SSE) servers" section in docs/copilot/reference/mcp-configuration.md is missing the oauth field, which is already implemented in VS Code (see mcpConfiguration.ts).

Changes needed in docs/copilot/reference/mcp-configuration.md

1. Add oauth row to the HTTP server configuration table

In the table under "### HTTP and Server-Sent Events (SSE) servers", add a new row after headers:

| oauth | No | OAuth configuration for authenticating with the server | {"clientId": "12348411142.11062036567072"} |

2. Add oauth field description

Below the table (after the note about Unix sockets/Windows named pipes), add:

The oauth object supports the following property:

Property	Type	Required	Description
clientId	string	Yes	The OAuth client ID to use when authenticating with the server.

[!NOTE]
When oauth is configured, VS Code handles the OAuth flow automatically. A browser window opens for authorization on the first connection to the server.

3. Add an example with OAuth after the existing remote server example

Add a second <details> block after the existing "Example remote server configuration" block:

<details>
<summary>Example HTTP server with OAuth</summary>

This example shows the configuration for an MCP server that uses OAuth for authentication. On first use, VS Code opens a browser window to complete the OAuth flow.

```json
{
    "servers": {
        "slack": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.slack.com/mcp",
            "oauth": {
                "clientId": "…"
            }
        }
    }
}

```

Source of truth

The schema is defined in the VS Code source at src/vs/workbench/contrib/mcp/common/mcpConfiguration.ts:

oauth: {
    type: 'object',
    description: localize('app.mcp.json.oauth', "OAuth configuration for authenticating with the server."),
    additionalProperties: false,
    minProperties: 1,
    properties: {
        clientId: {
            type: 'string',
            minLength: 1,
            description: localize('app.mcp.json.oauth.clientId', "The OAuth client ID to use when authenticating with the server.")
        }
    }
},

And the type is:

export interface McpServerTransportHTTPOAuth {
    readonly clientId?: string;
}

[digitarald]

@copilot /act-on-feedback

[Copilot]

@copilot /act-on-feedback

I reviewed the PR feedback and there are no additional actionable review comments to address at this time, so no further code changes were needed.