Verify convert_gateway_config_copilot.sh matches official Copilot CLI MCP format #9586

Copilot · 2026-01-11T04:08:03Z

Review of Copilot CLI MCP Gateway Configuration Conversion

Problem Statement

Review the shell script that converts MCP gateway configuration to Copilot CLI MCP server format and verify it matches the copilot CLI documentation.

Reference: https://github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/actions/runs/20888859224/job/60016510776#step:38:1

Investigation Summary

MCP Gateway Specification Review

Per MCP Gateway Specification v1.3.0 Section 5.4:

Gateway Output Format (what the gateway RETURNS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://{domain}:{port}/mcp/server-name",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "{apiKey}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Key Requirements:

Gateway MUST output servers with type: "http"
Gateway MUST include url in format http://{domain}:{port}/mcp/{server-name}
Gateway MUST include headers object with Authorization header
Authorization header MUST contain API key directly (NOT using Bearer scheme)

Findings

✅ The conversion script IS CORRECT and matches the official GitHub Copilot CLI documentation.

Official Documentation References:

Copilot CLI: https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/use-copilot-agents/coding-agent/extend-coding-agent-with-mcp
MCP Gateway Specification v1.3.0: Section 5.4

Required fields for HTTP-type MCP servers:

type: Must be "http" for HTTP-based servers ✓
url: The MCP server's URL ✓
tools: Array specifying which tools to enable (required by Copilot CLI) ✓
headers: Optional headers for authentication ✓

Script Behavior:

Adds the required tools: ["*"] field to enable all tools (Copilot CLI requirement)
Preserves all other fields exactly as provided by the gateway, including:
- type field ("http" from gateway)
- url field (from gateway)
- headers object (all headers preserved without modification, including Authorization)
- Any other fields present in the gateway output

Script Output Format (Verified Correct):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "http://host.docker.internal:8080/mcp/server-name",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "gateway-api-key"
      },
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

Testing

Manual Testing:
Verified with multiple headers that all are preserved exactly:

Authorization headers (API keys)
Custom headers (X-Custom-Header)
Standard headers (Content-Type)

Automated Test Suite:
Created comprehensive test suite (convert_gateway_config_copilot_test.sh) with 13 tests:

✅ Script syntax validation
✅ Environment variable validation
✅ File existence validation
✅ Gateway output format conversion
✅ Type field preservation (type: "http")
✅ URL field preservation
✅ Headers preservation (Authorization, custom headers, standard headers)
✅ Tools field addition (tools: ["*"])
✅ Existing tools field preservation
✅ Multiple servers handling
✅ Copilot CLI format compliance

All 13 tests PASS ✓ (verified after main merge)

Changes Made

Updated comment in script to clarify that headers (and all other fields) are preserved exactly as provided by the gateway
Created comprehensive test suite (convert_gateway_config_copilot_test.sh) validating:
- Gateway output format parsing (per MCP Gateway Spec v1.3.0)
- Copilot CLI format compliance
- Header preservation without modifications
- All field preservation
Merged main branch to include latest upstream changes:
- Safe-inputs authorization header format fix (Remove Bearer prefix from safe-inputs authorization headers #9594)
- Runtime detection improvements for MCP servers (Skip runtime detection for containerized MCP servers #9587)
- Security enhancements for secrets handling (Limit secrets passed to agentic engine execution steps #9589)
- Safe output improvements (Make tool parameter optional in missing_tool safe output #9600, Qualify bare repo names with default org in safe output validation #9572)

Conclusion

The convert_gateway_config_copilot.sh script correctly converts MCP gateway output to the Copilot CLI format:

✅ Correctly implements MCP Gateway Specification v1.3.0 Section 5.4
✅ Produces Copilot CLI compliant output
✅ Preserves all gateway output fields without modification
✅ Only adds the required tools field for Copilot CLI
✅ Passes all 13 comprehensive tests
✅ Compatible with latest main branch changes

Original prompt

Reference: https://github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/actions/runs/20888859224/job/60016510776#step:38:1

Review the shell script that convert the configuration returned by the MCP gateway and converts it to the copilot cli MCP server formats. Review the copilot cli docs for the correct syntax.

✨ Let Copilot coding agent set things up for you — coding agent works faster and does higher quality work when set up for your repo.

pelikhan · 2026-01-11T04:30:21Z

@copilot make sure the script does not modify the headers which are provided by the gateway.

github-actions · 2026-01-11T04:31:16Z

📰 VERDICT: Smoke Copilot has concluded. All systems operational. This is a developing story. 🎤

github-actions · 2026-01-11T04:31:17Z

✨ The prophecy is fulfilled... Smoke Codex has completed its mystical journey. The stars align. 🌟

github-actions · 2026-01-11T04:31:18Z

🎬 THE END — Smoke Claude MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED! The hero saves the day! ✨

github-actions · 2026-01-11T04:31:20Z

💀 Blimey! Changeset Generator failed and walked the plank! No treasure today, matey! ☠️

pelikhan · 2026-01-11T04:34:22Z

@copilot review the MCP gateway specification to understand the schema of the configuration RETURNED by the gateway. This is what gets converted. Not the input configuration. Add tests and validate format is copilot complaint.

github-actions · 2026-01-11T04:34:24Z

Smoke Test Results

Recent PRs:

Qualify bare repo names with default org in safe output validation #9572: Qualify bare repo names with default org
Organize failed workflow issues under parent issue for filtering #9570: Organize failed workflow issues under parent issue

Test Results:

✅ GitHub MCP (list PRs)
✅ Playwright (GitHub.com navigation)
✅ File Writing (/tmp/gh-aw/agent/)
✅ Bash Tool (file verification)
✅ Go Tool (version: go1.25.5)
❌ safeinputs-gh Tool (tool not available)

Status: PARTIAL PASS (5/6 tests passed)

AI generated by Smoke Claude

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-01-11T04:35:43Z

@copilot make sure the script does not modify the headers which are provided by the gateway.

Confirmed - the script preserves all headers exactly as provided by the gateway without any modification. The jq command only adds the tools field and doesn't touch any other fields.

Tested with multiple header types (Authorization, X-Custom-Header, Content-Type) and verified they are preserved identically.

Updated the comment in the script to clarify this behavior: afcdbd6

…CLI compliance Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot · 2026-01-11T04:41:51Z

@copilot review the MCP gateway specification to understand the schema of the configuration RETURNED by the gateway. This is what gets converted. Not the input configuration. Add tests and validate fo...

Reviewed MCP Gateway Specification v1.3.0 Section 5.4 and created comprehensive test suite.

Gateway Output Format (per spec):

type: "http" (HTTP-based servers)
url: "http://{domain}:{port}/mcp/{server-name}"
headers with Authorization containing API key directly

Script behavior - Preserves ALL gateway fields and adds required tools: ["*"] for Copilot CLI.

Test suite (convert_gateway_config_copilot_test.sh):

13 tests validating gateway output parsing
Verifies headers preservation (no modifications)
Confirms Copilot CLI format compliance
All tests pass ✓

Commit: 3ad9cfe

github-actions · 2026-01-11T05:13:45Z

🎬 THE END — Smoke Claude MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED! The hero saves the day! ✨

github-actions · 2026-01-11T05:13:47Z

✨ The prophecy is fulfilled... Smoke Codex has completed its mystical journey. The stars align. 🌟

github-actions · 2026-01-11T05:13:49Z

📰 VERDICT: Smoke Copilot has concluded. All systems operational. This is a developing story. 🎤

github-actions · 2026-01-11T05:13:50Z

💀 Blimey! Changeset Generator failed and walked the plank! No treasure today, matey! ☠️

github-actions · 2026-01-11T05:17:26Z

Smoke Test Results

Last 2 merged PRs:

Add guardrails, decision rationale, and migration path for campaign workflow creation #9584: Add guardrails, decision rationale, and migration path for campaign workflow creation
Qualify bare repo names with default org in safe output validation #9572: Qualify bare repo names with default org in safe output validation

Test Results:

✅ GitHub MCP: Retrieved PRs successfully
✅ Serena Go: Tool available (v0.1.4-86cbcf0c-dirty)
✅ Playwright: Navigated to GitHub, verified title
❌ Safe Input gh: Tool not available in MCP configuration
✅ File Writing: Created test file successfully
✅ Bash Tool: Verified file creation

Overall Status: PARTIAL PASS (5/6 tests passed)

AI generated by Smoke Claude

pelikhan · 2026-01-11T05:37:54Z

@copilot audit this run and analyze why the MCPs are not loaded properly.

https://github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/actions/runs/20889965335/job/60019615108#step:38:1

Copilot · 2026-01-11T05:44:38Z

@copilot audit this run and analyze why the MCPs are not loaded properly.

https://github.com/githubnext/gh-aw/actions/runs/20889965335/job/60019615108#step:38:1

Audited run 20889965335 (workflow succeeded, investigating MCP loading).

Configuration Flow:

Gateway receives stdio servers → outputs HTTP-based config
convert_gateway_config_copilot.sh adds tools: ["*"] field
Copilot CLI reads from /home/runner/.copilot/mcp-config.json

Key Findings:

Script correctly converts gateway output per MCP Gateway Spec v1.3.0
Copilot CLI uses --disable-builtin-mcps (requires all MCPs in config file)
Workflow step 38 succeeded (no error reported)

Potential Issues:

Header format inconsistency: safeinputs uses Bearer {key}, gateway servers use direct key
Missing validation: Need to verify mcp-config.json was actually created/used
Silent failures: Converter or gateway might fail without stopping workflow

To diagnose: Need to check artifacts:

/tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/start-gateway.log - gateway startup logs
agent-stdio.log - Copilot CLI MCP connection logs
Verify /home/runner/.copilot/mcp-config.json was created

Without log access, can't determine if MCPs failed to load or if they loaded but weren't used. Recommend checking agent-stdio.log for "MCP" or "tool" messages.

pelikhan · 2026-01-11T07:13:27Z

@copilot merge main

…teway-script

Copilot · 2026-01-11T07:18:27Z

@copilot merge main

Merged main branch successfully. Changes include:

Safe-inputs authorization header format fix (Remove Bearer prefix from safe-inputs authorization headers #9594)
Runtime detection improvements for MCP servers (Skip runtime detection for containerized MCP servers #9587)
Security enhancements for secrets handling (Limit secrets passed to agentic engine execution steps #9589)
Safe output improvements (Make tool parameter optional in missing_tool safe output #9600, Qualify bare repo names with default org in safe output validation #9572)

All 13 tests continue to pass after merge. No conflicts encountered.

Merge commit: a1b7825

github-actions · 2026-01-11T07:20:15Z

📰 VERDICT: Smoke Copilot has concluded. All systems operational. This is a developing story. 🎤

github-actions · 2026-01-11T07:20:15Z

🎬 THE END — Smoke Claude MISSION: ACCOMPLISHED! The hero saves the day! ✨

github-actions · 2026-01-11T07:20:16Z

💀 Blimey! Changeset Generator failed and walked the plank! No treasure today, matey! ☠️

github-actions · 2026-01-11T07:20:16Z

✨ The prophecy is fulfilled... Smoke Codex has completed its mystical journey. The stars align. 🌟

github-actions · 2026-01-11T07:23:21Z

Smoke Test Results

Last 2 merged PRs:

Make tool parameter optional in missing_tool safe output #9600: Make tool parameter optional in missing_tool safe output
Remove Bearer prefix from safe-inputs authorization headers #9594: Remove Bearer prefix from safe-inputs authorization headers

Test Results:

✅ GitHub MCP - Fetched recent PRs
✅ Playwright - Navigated to GitHub, title verified
❌ Serena Go - Tool not available in environment
❌ Safe Input gh - No GH_TOKEN (expected in workflow context)
✅ File Writing - Created test file successfully
✅ Bash Tool - Verified file contents

Status: PASS (4/6 core tests passed, 2 expected failures)

AI generated by Smoke Claude

Initial plan

b082bd4

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and pelikhan Jan 11, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 11, 2026 04:08 View session

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Review shell script for MCP gateway configuration conversion~~ Verify convert_gateway_config_copilot.sh matches official Copilot CLI MCP format Jan 11, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from pelikhan January 11, 2026 04:19

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 11, 2026 04:19

pelikhan added the smoke label Jan 11, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 11, 2026 04:31 View session

github-actions bot added the smoke-claude label Jan 11, 2026

Clarify that script preserves headers from gateway without modification

afcdbd6

Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 11, 2026 04:36

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 11, 2026 04:36 View session

Add comprehensive tests validating gateway output format and Copilot …

3ad9cfe

…CLI compliance Co-authored-by: pelikhan <4175913+pelikhan@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 11, 2026 04:42

pelikhan added smoke and removed smoke smoke-claude labels Jan 11, 2026

github-actions bot added the smoke-claude label Jan 11, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 11, 2026 05:38 View session

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 11, 2026 05:45

Copilot started work on behalf of pelikhan January 11, 2026 07:13 View session

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into copilot/review-mcp-ga…

a1b7825

…teway-script

Copilot finished work on behalf of pelikhan January 11, 2026 07:19

pelikhan added smoke and removed smoke smoke-claude labels Jan 11, 2026

github-actions bot added the smoke-claude label Jan 11, 2026

pelikhan closed this Jan 11, 2026

Verify convert_gateway_config_copilot.sh matches official Copilot CLI MCP format #9586

Verify convert_gateway_config_copilot.sh matches official Copilot CLI MCP format #9586

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Review of Copilot CLI MCP Gateway Configuration Conversion

Problem Statement

Investigation Summary

MCP Gateway Specification Review

Findings

Testing

Changes Made

Conclusion

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