WhatsApp MCP in VS Code: Add Blueticks to GitHub Copilot Agent Mode

Short answer: create a bt_live_ key in Blueticks, add one blueticks entry under servers in your VS Code mcp.json, and start the server. The agent then has WhatsApp tools for reading chats and sending messages from your own number.

This page is the setup only. For what a coding agent can do with it, see Cursor on WhatsApp and Claude Code on WhatsApp. The steps below are the same idea in VS Code.

Can you connect VS Code to WhatsApp?

Yes, through MCP. VS Code reads MCP servers from an mcp.json file: .vscode/mcp.json in a workspace, or the user-profile file for all workspaces. Servers go under a top-level servers key, and a server can run as a local command (stdio) or be reached over HTTP, per the VS Code MCP configuration reference.

Blueticks ships @blueticks/mcp, an npm package that runs as a local stdio server. It reads your key from the BLUETICKS_API_KEY environment variable. It needs a Blueticks account with a WhatsApp number connected.

How do you set it up? Four steps

1. Create a key. Open the Blueticks API page, click Create key, and copy the bt_live_ value straight away. Blueticks shows it once.
2. Add the server. Create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace, or run MCP: Add Server from the Command Palette and choose the user profile:

{
  "servers": {
    "blueticks": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@blueticks/mcp"],
      "env": { "BLUETICKS_API_KEY": "bt_live_your_key_here" }
    }
  }
}

3. Start it. In the Command Palette, run MCP: List Servers, choose blueticks, then Start Server.
4. Check it. In Copilot's agent mode, ask: "Using Blueticks, list my five most recent WhatsApp chats." The agent should call a Blueticks tool and answer from your account.

The package, its environment variable and the key are documented in the MCP docs and the authentication docs.

Which tools does the agent get?

The package gives the agent tools for chats, contacts, groups, scheduled messages, audiences, campaigns, webhooks, the engine and utilities. The exact tool names depend on the package version, so let the agent list them. Reading chats and sending messages are the two it uses most. Everything the agent sends goes out from your own WhatsApp number, so read the agent's draft before you approve a send.

What about the hosted connector URL?

Blueticks also runs a hosted MCP endpoint at https://api.blueticks.co/mcp, which signs in with OAuth instead of a key. It is the route for Claude and ChatGPT, described on the hosted WhatsApp MCP page. We have not tested it from VS Code, so this page uses the key path that we did test with a standard MCP stdio client.

How do you keep the key safe?

Treat it as a password. Per the authentication docs, do not commit it to source control.

• Prefer the user-profile mcp.json over a workspace .vscode/mcp.json, because a workspace file is easy to commit by accident. If you use the workspace file, add it to .gitignore.
• Rotate it by creating a new key, switching over, then revoking the old one in the dashboard. A revoked key returns a 401 on every request.

FAQ

Does this work without GitHub Copilot?

Any VS Code feature that reads mcp.json and runs MCP servers can use it. The agent mode examples above assume Copilot.

Is there a free plan?

The API and the hosted connector allow 5 requests per 6 hours on the free plan, shared between them. Paid plans have no request limit. See the pricing page.

Where do I get help?

Start with the hosted WhatsApp MCP page and the MCP docs.