Administrators at enterprises and organizations can now govern the Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers available to their development teams through new registry and allowlist capabilities. The feature is rolling out in nightly and prerelease versions of JetBrains IDEs, Eclipse, and Xcode.

What's new

MCP registry

An MCP registry functions as a searchable catalog of Model Context Protocol servers. Within JetBrains IDEs, Eclipse, and Xcode, developers can now discover, browse, and deploy MCP servers directly from a registry interface embedded in their development environment, eliminating friction in the setup and discovery process.

Allowlist controls

Administrators gain enhanced control over which MCP servers their teams can access and utilize.

Note: These features are in early public preview and may evolve as we gather feedback. Current enforcement is based on MCP server name matching, with additional validation and more granular policy options planned for future releases.

For admins: Configure registry controls

Allowlist controls are restricted to Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise customers.

  1. Navigate to GitHub Enterprise settings via the new AI Controls tab and locate "MCP". Alternatively, access Organization settings → Policies → Copilot → Policies at the organization level.
  2. Activate MCP servers within Copilot.
  3. Input your MCP registry URL.
  4. Select your enforcement mode from the available options.

Two enforcement modes are available:

  • Allow all (default): Developers can use any MCP server. Registry servers appear as recommended.
  • Registry only: Developers can only run servers from your registry. Others are blocked at runtime.

For implementation details and registry format requirements, consult the MCP setup documentation.

For developers: MCP registry in your IDE

The developer experience depends on your organization's chosen policy:

  • Allow all: All servers function normally. Registry servers are prominently discoverable.
  • Registry only: Servers absent from the registry are blocked at runtime with a warning message.

Set up your MCP registry

JetBrains IDEs (nightly)

  1. Log in and launch Copilot chat, then select the MCP registry icon.
  2. Explore, add, or remove MCP servers from the registry.
  3. If needed, select Configure MCP Registry URL to specify a custom registry.

Eclipse (prerelease)

  1. In the Copilot chat panel header, select the MCP registry icon.
  2. Explore, add, or remove MCP servers from the registry.
  3. If needed, select Configure Registry URL to specify a custom registry.

Xcode (prerelease)

  1. Launch GitHub Copilot for Xcode, authenticate, and select Configure MCP server in the chat panel.
  2. Under MCP registry URL, select Browse MCP Servers… to view and administer servers.
  3. If needed, select Edit URL to specify a custom registry.

Installation

The feature is available in the latest nightly build of Copilot for JetBrains, and in prerelease versions of Copilot for Eclipse and Copilot for Xcode. Download from these sources:

  • GitHub Copilot for JetBrains IDEs (nightly)
  • GitHub Copilot for Eclipse (prerelease)
  • GitHub Copilot for Xcode (prerelease)

A current Copilot license is required to use these features.

Feedback is welcome through these channels:

  • GitHub Copilot for JetBrains IDEs
  • GitHub Copilot for Eclipse
  • GitHub Copilot for Xcode

Source: GitHub Blog