Mcp toggle

MCP Toggle

Toggle MCP servers on/off in the repo's .mcp.json and manage git skip-worktree so local changes stay ignored.

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Workflow

Step 1: Locate and read .mcp.json

Find .mcp.json at the git repo root:

view(<repo-root>/.mcp.json)

Parse the JSON structure. Servers live in two sections:

• mcpServers — enabled servers (active)
• _disabled — disabled servers (inactive, preserved for re-enabling)

Step 2: Check current git ignore state

git ls-files -v .mcp.json

• S prefix = skip-worktree is SET (local changes ignored) ✅
• H prefix = skip-worktree is NOT set (changes will show in git status) ⚠️

Step 3: Prompt the user

Use ask_user to present the current state and let the user choose what to toggle.

Build the form dynamically from the JSON:

• List each server from mcpServers as ✅ Enabled
• List each server from _disabled as ❌ Disabled
• Use a multi-select array field so the user can pick which servers should be enabled
• Servers NOT selected will be disabled
• Also include a boolean field for skip-worktree management

Example ask_user call:

ask_user({
  message: "Select which MCP servers should be ENABLED. Unselected servers will be disabled.\n\nCurrent skip-worktree: [SET/NOT SET]",
  requestedSchema: {
    properties: {
      enabledServers: {
        type: "array",
        title: "Enabled MCP Servers",
        description: "Check the servers you want enabled. Uncheck to disable.",
        items: {
          type: "string",
          enum: ["server1", "server2", "server3"]  // all servers from both sections
        },
        default: ["server1", "server2"]  // currently enabled ones
      },
      skipWorktree: {
        type: "boolean",
        title: "Ignore .mcp.json in git (skip-worktree)",
        description: "When enabled, local changes to .mcp.json won't appear in git status or get committed.",
        default: true
      }
    },
    required: ["enabledServers"]
  }
})

Step 4: Apply changes

Based on user selections, rebuild the .mcp.json:

1. Collect all server configs from both mcpServers and _disabled sections
2. Split by selection: selected servers go to mcpServers, unselected go to _disabled
3. Write the file using edit tool — replace the entire file content
4. If _disabled would be empty, omit it entirely

Target JSON structure:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "serverA": { ... },
    "serverB": { ... }
  },
  "_disabled": {
    "serverC": { ... }
  }
}

Step 5: Manage skip-worktree

Based on the user's skipWorktree selection:

# To ignore local changes (default after toggling):
git update-index --skip-worktree .mcp.json

# To stop ignoring (if user explicitly unchecks):
git update-index --no-skip-worktree .mcp.json

Step 6: Report results

Summarize what changed:

MCP Toggle complete:
  ✅ Enabled: serverA, serverB
  ❌ Disabled: serverC
  🔒 skip-worktree: SET

Note: Restart your Copilot CLI session or run /clear to pick up MCP server changes.

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Edge Cases

• No .mcp.json found: Tell the user and offer to create one
• No _disabled section: All servers are currently enabled — that's fine
• No mcpServers section: All servers are disabled — warn the user
• File not tracked by git: Skip the skip-worktree step (it only works on tracked files)
• User declines the form: Do nothing, report "No changes made"

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Important Notes

• The .mcp.json file must be valid JSON — use edit carefully to replace the full content
• After toggling, the user needs to restart their CLI session or run /clear for MCP changes to take effect
• The _disabled key is a convention used by this skill only — it's not part of the MCP spec
• Always preserve the full server configuration when moving between sections (don't lose any fields)