VS Code

Conifer models in the picker#

BYOK puts Conifer models in the same Chat model picker you already use. No Copilot plan is required.

1. Open the Command Palette and run Chat: Manage Language Models.
2. Add Models → choose the custom endpoint provider, name the group “Conifer”.
3. VS Code opens chatLanguageModels.json. Describe each model you want in the picker:

[
  {
    "name": "Conifer",
    "vendor": "customendpoint",
    "apiKey": "sk-conifer-…",
    "apiType": "chat-completions",
    "models": [
      {
        "id": "claude-haiku-4-5",
        "name": "Claude Haiku (Conifer)",
        "url": "https://api.conifer.build/v1/chat/completions",
        "toolCalling": true,
        "maxInputTokens": 200000,
        "maxOutputTokens": 8192
      }
    ]
  }
]

Save the file and pick the model from the Chat model picker like any other. Copy maxInputTokens and the capabilities from the catalog — VS Code budgets by the numbers you write here, so a window larger than the model’s real one gets you truncated turns.

The MCP server, for agent mode#

Create .vscode/mcp.json in the workspace. VS Code shows a Start action on the server entry, and the tools appear in agent mode:

{
  "inputs": [
    {
      "type": "promptString",
      "id": "conifer-key",
      "description": "Conifer API key",
      "password": true
    }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "conifer": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/use-conifer/bin/conifer-mcp.mjs"],
      "env": { "CONIFER_API_KEY": "${input:conifer-key}" }
    }
  }
}

The inputs block is worth keeping: VS Code prompts for the key once, stores it in its own secret storage, and the file you commit carries no credential. Build the server first — The MCP server has the one-time step and what each tool does.

Which one do you want?#

BYOK when you want to drive a session on a Conifer model. MCP when you want the session’s agent — whatever model drives it — to be able to consult the catalog: ask a cheaper model, compare candidates on a real prompt, check the balance. They stack; most setups end up with both.