AI Coding Assistants Setup Guide

AI Coding Assistants Setup Guide

Complete guide for integrating the MCP Gateway & Registry with popular AI development tools.

Overview

The MCP Gateway automatically generates configuration files for various AI coding assistants, enabling seamless access to enterprise-curated MCP servers with proper authentication and governance.

Prerequisites

• MCP Gateway & Registry deployed and running
• Authentication credentials generated via ./credentials-provider/generate_creds.sh
• Access to the AI coding assistant of your choice

Supported AI Development Tools

VS Code MCP Extension

Microsoft's popular editor with native MCP support.

Setup:

# Copy generated configuration
cp .oauth-tokens/vscode-mcp.json ~/.vscode/settings.json

# Alternative: Merge with existing settings
cat .oauth-tokens/vscode-mcp.json >> ~/.vscode/settings.json

Configuration Format:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "mcpgw": {
        "url": "https://your-gateway.com/mcpgw/mcp",
        "headers": {
          "Authorization": "Bearer eyJ...",
          "X-User-Pool-Id": "us-east-1_vm1115QSU",
          "X-Client-Id": "5v2rav1v93...",
          "X-Region": "us-east-1"
        },
        "transport": "streamable-http"
      }
    }
  }
}

Roo Code Plugin - Enterprise Showcase

Roo Code demonstrates the power of enterprise governance for AI development tools.

Setup:

# Copy Roo Code configuration
cp .oauth-tokens/mcp.json ~/.vscode/mcp_settings.json

Alternative Setup Options:

# Option 1: Direct copy (recommended)
cp .oauth-tokens/mcp.json ~/.vscode/mcp_settings.json

# Option 2: Create symbolic link for automatic updates
ln -sf "$(pwd)/.oauth-tokens/mcp.json" ~/.vscode/mcp_settings.json

Enterprise Use Case:

Enterprise Tool Catalog

• Curated MCP servers approved by IT
• Consistent across all developer environments
• Centralized authentication and governance
• Real-time health monitoring

AI Assistant in Action

• Natural language tool discovery
• Secure execution of enterprise tools
• Complete audit trail for compliance
• Seamless developer experience

Key Enterprise Benefits:

Centralized Control

• IT teams manage approved MCP servers across all development environments
• Consistent tool availability regardless of developer setup
• Rapid deployment of new tools to entire organization

Secure Authentication

• All tool access routes through enterprise identity systems (Amazon Cognito)
• No individual API key management required
• Automatic token refresh and rotation via Token Refresh Service

Usage Analytics & Compliance

• Track which developers use which tools and when
• Generate compliance reports for audit requirements
• Monitor tool adoption and usage patterns across teams

Developer Productivity

• Zero configuration required for approved tools
• Instant access to new enterprise tools as they're approved
• Same experience across VS Code, Cursor, Claude Code, and other assistants

Claude Code

Anthropic's coding assistant with standardized MCP configurations.

Setup:

# Claude Code uses similar JSON format
cp .oauth-tokens/vscode-mcp.json ~/.claude-code/mcp-config.json

Features:

• Natural language interaction with MCP tools
• Context-aware tool suggestions
• Integrated code generation and tool execution

Cursor

AI-first code editor with advanced MCP integration.

Setup:

# Cursor configuration (similar to VS Code)
cp .oauth-tokens/vscode-mcp.json ~/.cursor/mcp-settings.json

Advanced Features:

• Multi-file context for tool operations
• Predictive tool suggestions based on code context
• Integrated diff view for tool-generated changes

Cline (formerly Claude Dev)

Autonomous coding agent compatible with VS Code.

Setup:

# Cline uses VS Code-style configuration
cp .oauth-tokens/vscode-mcp.json ~/.vscode/settings.json

Autonomous Capabilities:

• Goal-directed tool usage
• Multi-step task execution
• Error handling and retry logic

Custom MCP Clients

For custom applications or other MCP clients:

Use Raw Authentication:

# Access authentication details directly
cat .oauth-tokens/ingress.json

Example Integration:

import json
import mcp
from mcp.client.sse import sse_client

# Load authentication from generated file
with open('.oauth-tokens/ingress.json') as f:
    auth = json.load(f)

headers = {
    'Authorization': f'Bearer {auth["access_token"]}',
    'X-User-Pool-Id': auth['user_pool_id'],
    'X-Client-Id': auth['client_id'],
    'X-Region': auth['region']
}

# Connect to MCP server
async with sse_client('https://gateway.com/mcpgw/sse', headers=headers) as (read, write):
    async with mcp.ClientSession(read, write) as session:
        await session.initialize()
        tools = await session.list_tools()

Configuration Management

Automatic Token Refresh

The MCP Gateway includes an Automated Token Refresh Service that provides continuous token management:

# Start the token refresh service (runs in background)
./start_token_refresher.sh

# Service automatically:
# - Monitors token expiration (1-hour buffer by default)
# - Refreshes tokens before they expire
# - Updates all MCP client configurations
# - Generates fresh configs for all AI assistants

Key Benefits:

• Zero Downtime: Tokens refresh automatically before expiration
• Continuous Operation: AI assistants never lose access due to expired tokens
• Multiple Client Support: Updates configurations for VS Code, Roo Code, Claude Code, etc.
• Background Operation: Runs as a service with comprehensive logging

Manual Configuration Updates

If you need to manually regenerate configurations:

# Regenerate all configurations
./credentials-provider/generate_creds.sh

# Copy updated configurations to AI assistants
./scripts/update-ai-assistants.sh  # Custom script you can create

For AI assistants using symbolic links (recommended setup), configuration updates are automatic since they point to the live .oauth-tokens/ files.

Environment-Specific Configurations

Development Environment:

# Generate development configurations
ENVIRONMENT=dev ./credentials-provider/generate_creds.sh
cp .oauth-tokens/dev-* ~/.vscode/

Production Environment:

# Generate production configurations  
ENVIRONMENT=prod ./credentials-provider/generate_creds.sh
cp .oauth-tokens/prod-* ~/.vscode/

Troubleshooting

Authentication Issues

Token Expired:

If using Token Refresh Service (recommended):

# Check if token refresh service is running
ps aux | grep token_refresher

# Restart token refresh service if needed
./start_token_refresher.sh

# Check service logs
tail -f token_refresher.log

Manual token refresh:

# Regenerate credentials
./credentials-provider/generate_creds.sh
# Update AI assistant configurations

Permission Denied:

# Check user permissions in Cognito
aws cognito-idp admin-list-groups-for-user \
  --user-pool-id YOUR_POOL_ID \
  --username YOUR_USERNAME

# Verify scope configuration
cat auth_server/scopes.yml

Configuration Issues

Tools Not Appearing:

# Verify MCP server health
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer TOKEN" \
  https://your-gateway.com/server-name/sse

# Check AI assistant logs
tail -f ~/.vscode/logs/mcp.log

Connection Failures:

# Test gateway connectivity
./tests/mcp_cmds.sh ping

# Verify SSL certificates (if using HTTPS)
openssl s_client -connect your-gateway.com:443

Best Practices

Security

1. Credential Storage

   • Store generated configurations in secure locations
   • Use environment-specific credentials
   • Regularly rotate authentication tokens

2. Access Control

   • Follow principle of least privilege
   • Regularly review user permissions
   • Monitor tool usage for anomalies

3. Network Security

   • Use HTTPS in production environments
   • Restrict network access to authorized IP ranges
   • Monitor for unauthorized access attempts

Development Workflow

1. Team Onboarding

   # Create onboarding script
   #!/bin/bash
   ./credentials-provider/generate_creds.sh
   cp .oauth-tokens/vscode-mcp.json ~/.vscode/settings.json
   echo "MCP Gateway configured successfully!"
   

2. Tool Discovery

   • Use natural language queries: "find tools for database operations"
   • Explore available tools through web interface
   • Share useful tool combinations with team

3. Automation

   # Automate configuration updates
   crontab -e
   # Add: 0 9 * * * /path/to/update-mcp-config.sh
   

Enterprise Deployment Considerations

Scale Considerations

• Large Teams (100+ developers): Consider load balancing and caching
• Global Teams: Deploy regional gateways for reduced latency
• High Security: Use private networking and enhanced monitoring

Compliance & Governance

• Audit Requirements: Enable comprehensive logging
• Data Residency: Deploy in compliant regions
• Access Reviews: Implement periodic permission audits

Cost Optimization

• Resource Management: Monitor gateway resource usage
• Tool Usage: Analyze tool usage patterns for optimization
• License Management: Track per-developer tool usage

Support & Resources

• Configuration Reference - Complete configuration options
• Authentication Guide - Identity provider setup
• Troubleshooting Guide - Common issues and solutions
• API Reference - Programmatic management
• GitHub Discussions - Community support