Paperboy for GitHub Copilot
Copilot can call Paperboy from VS Code chat, or from the cloud agent working in a repository.
Set up
There are two places to configure this: VS Code for Copilot chat in your editor, and repository settings on GitHub for the Copilot cloud agent. Pick one or do both.
VS Code: set PAPERBOY_API_KEY in the environment of the machine that runs VS Code. The docs say HTTP header values can use ${NAME} references, and the variable must exist in the environment of the host that connects to the server.
VS Code: open the Command Palette and run MCP: Add Server. Choose HTTP (HTTP or Server-Sent Events), enter https://paperboyseo.com/mcp, enter the server ID paperboy, then select Global and Copilot Global.
VS Code: add the Authorization header. Run Chat: Open Customizations, select MCP Servers, select paperboy, edit its URL and headers, and click Save. Or paste the JSON above into ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json.
Cloud agent: as a repository administrator, go to Settings > Security > Secrets and variables > Agents, open the Secrets tab, click New repository secret, and add COPILOT_MCP_PAPERBOY_AUTH with the value Bearer pb_live_YOUR_KEY.
Cloud agent: go to Settings > Copilot > MCP servers, paste the repository JSON into the MCP configuration section, and click Save MCP configuration.
export PAPERBOY_API_KEY=pb_live_YOUR_KEYReplace pb_live_YOUR_KEY with a key from Settings, API keys, and never commit it. The MCP docs list every client we cover.
How to tell it worked
VS Code: ask a prompt that names the paperboy server and a low-impact action, expand the tool call in the conversation, and check that it came from paperboy and returned data. MCP: List Servers also shows server status and Show Output. Cloud agent: create an issue, assign it to Copilot, open the pull request, click View session, and expand the Start MCP Servers step to see the tools listed.
How to remove it
VS Code: run Chat: Open Customizations, select MCP Servers, open the ellipsis menu on paperboy and choose Uninstall (or delete only the paperboy entry from the config file). Cloud agent: delete the paperboy entry from Settings > Copilot > MCP servers and click Save MCP configuration.
What you get
Eight tools, the same engine as the dashboard. Reads are free. A pack is $20 for 100 credits; see how credits work.
get_sitesLists your sites with plan, publishing method and whether Search Console is connected. Every other call starts from a site id.
suggest_topicsReturns the next articles to write, each with the search data that is the reason for it.
write_articleStarts a fact-checked article and returns an id at once. The run takes a few minutes. It does not publish unless you pass publish: true.
get_articleReturns the article's status, its fact-check verdict and every source. Poll it after write_article until it reads published or needs_review.
check_claimsFact checks any public URL or pasted Markdown and returns each cited claim with the sources it was compared against.
publish_articlePublishes an article that passed the fact check to the site's publishing target. It changes the live site, so the agent should ask first.
get_performanceSearch Console clicks, impressions and average position for a site, by day and by article.
get_queriesThe queries a site, or one article, appears for in Search Console. This is where page-two keywords show up.
Try it
Plain requests. The tools each one uses are listed under it.
“Use the paperboy MCP server to find my page-two queries, then write an article for the best one.”
Uses get_queriessuggest_topicswrite_article
“Fetch my latest Paperboy article, run a claims check, and open a pull request that adds the cleaned markdown under content/blog.”
Uses get_articlecheck_claims
“Call Paperboy for the last 30 days of performance on my main site and tell me which articles are gaining clicks.”
Uses get_sitesget_performance
Why
There are two separate setups and they do not share files. VS Code reads a portable mcp-config.json or a .vscode/mcp.json. The Copilot cloud agent reads a JSON block in the repository settings and takes its key from an Agents secret whose name starts with COPILOT_MCP_.
The cloud agent uses the tools you list on its own and does not ask for approval, so list only the safe ones. The example on this page names six read and check tools and leaves out write_article and publish_article. Add them only if you want an unattended run to spend credits.
Compare
Same engine, two ways in. Pick the one that fits how you already work.
| Feature | Dashboard | GitHub Copilot | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where you work | paperboyseo.com/app: sites, calendar, fact checks | AI assistant that helps you write, understand, and ship software. | VS Code docs: Add MCP serversRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| How it connects | Sign in and paste your site address. The first article is free. | Remote MCP. In VS Code, type http servers with custom headers work (VS Code tries the HTTP Stream transport first and falls back to SSE). | VS Code docs: Add MCP serversRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| Does it publish without asking? | Your choice: autopilot, or approve each article by email. | No. write_article defaults to publish: false, and the tool descriptions tell the agent to ask first. | MCP docsPaperboy docs |
| Fact check | Every number and cited sentence is compared with the saved text of its source. An article that fails gets one rewrite, then is held for you. | The same engine and the same check. The verdict comes back to the agent: verified, or held with the reason. | How the check worksPaperboy docs |
| What it costs | Plans from $49 a month per site. The first article is free, no card. | Credits: 12 per article, 1 per topic suggestion, 2 per fact check. $20 buys 100. | CreditsPaperboy docs |
| Search Console | Optional read-only Search Console connection. It picks topics from your impressions and reports clicks per article. | get_performance and get_queries return the same read-only data, by day, by article and by query. | Security and dataPaperboy docs |
Facts about GitHub Copilot come from the pages linked in the Source column, read on the date shown. Tools change their docs, so confirm there if a step does not match.
Honest notes
Quirks of this client that can cost you an afternoon.
VS Code and the cloud agent use different files and key names. VS Code user config is ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json (portable mcpServers format) or .vscode/mcp.json (servers and inputs format). The cloud agent config is pasted into repository settings on GitHub and needs a tools list.
Servers that use ${input:...} variables, like the .vscode/mcp.json example, are not forwarded to Copilot harness sessions. For those sessions use the portable file with a braced ${NAME} environment reference. In VS Code a bare $NAME is treated as literal text.
The cloud agent uses configured tools autonomously and does not ask for approval. Header and env references must start with COPILOT_MCP_ and come from Agents secrets. The docs show whole-value references, so the secret holds the full Bearer value. Allowlist read-only Paperboy tools and add write_article or publish_article only if you want them unattended.
FAQ
Yes. Use type http with a url and a headers object. VS Code first tries the HTTP Stream transport and falls back to SSE. Reference the key with ${NAME} in the portable file or ${input:id} in .vscode/mcp.json.
A repository administrator goes to Settings > Copilot > MCP servers, adds the JSON in the MCP configuration section, and clicks Save MCP configuration. Secrets go under Settings > Security > Secrets and variables > Agents with a COPILOT_MCP_ prefix.
In VS Code you review tool approval requests as they appear. The cloud agent does not ask. The docs say it uses configured tools autonomously, so use the tools allowlist.
Servers that need ${input:...} variables are not forwarded to Copilot harness sessions. Move the key to an environment variable and use the portable mcpServers format.
The tools that read cost nothing. Suggesting topics costs 1 credit, writing a fact-checked article costs 12 credits (refunded if the run fails) and a fact check on its own costs 2 credits. A pack is $20 for 100 credits.
Only if you let it. write_article defaults to publish: false, so a finished article waits for a human, and the tool descriptions tell the agent to ask before publishing. You can also give the agent a read-only key.
Sources
Everything about GitHub Copilot comes from the pages below, read on Oct 29, 2026. Tools change their docs, so check there if a step does not match. If we got something wrong, write to hello@paperboyseo.com.
Keep going
Add the MCP server, ask for a topic, and read the fact check before anything goes live.
claude mcp add --transport http paperboy https://paperboyseo.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer pb_live_..."npx @paperboyseo/cli coming soonPrefer the dashboard? Write my first article free. Prefer to run it yourself? Self-host it (repo coming soon).