Howto: Connect VS Code and GitHub Copilot to your cPanel using Meridian and cPanel MCP

How to connect VS Code and GitHub Copilot to your cPanel account (cPanel MCP)

Connect GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code to your Hoopla Hosting cPanel account using cPanel Meridian and WebPros MCP. Once connected, Copilot's agent can check your hosting account, look up DNS and email settings, and deploy supported Node.js apps to AI App Hosting.

Before you start

• An active Hoopla Hosting web hosting account using the cPanel Meridian theme. (In cPanel, click Try new Meridian Theme at the top of the page.)
• A free WebPros account (you can create one during Step 1).
• Visual Studio Code (keep it up to date) with GitHub Copilot signed in. MCP tools are used from Copilot Chat in Agent mode.
• If you use Copilot through a work or school account, your organisation's admin may need to allow MCP servers.

Step 1: Get your connection details from cPanel Meridian

1. Log in to cPanel from our client area.
2. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner and open Profile → Connections.
3. In the MCP Connection section, click Link WebPros Account, then sign in to WebPros and approve the link.
4. Copy the Client ID that Meridian displays.

The MCP server address is https://mcp.webpros.com/api/mcp

Keep your Client ID private. Don't paste it into support tickets, forums, screenshots or public Git repositories.

Step 2: Add the server to VS Code

Option A: use the command palette (easiest)

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (Mac).
2. Run MCP: Add Server.
3. Choose HTTP.
4. Enter the URL https://mcp.webpros.com/api/mcp
5. Name it webpros-mcp.
6. Choose Global (all projects) or Workspace (this project only).

Option B: edit mcp.json

Run MCP: Open User Configuration (or create .vscode/mcp.json in your project) and add:

{
  "servers": {
    "webpros-mcp": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.webpros.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Note that VS Code uses "servers", not "mcpServers" like some other tools.

Step 3: Start the server and sign in

1. In mcp.json, click Start above the webpros-mcp entry (or run MCP: List Servers, select it and choose Start).
2. VS Code asks to authenticate. If it says the server does not support automatic client registration and asks for a Client ID, paste the Client ID from Meridian. Leave the Client Secret empty unless Meridian gave you one.
3. Your browser opens. Sign in to WebPros and approve access, then allow the browser to return to VS Code.
4. The server should now show as Running.

If you entered the wrong Client ID, click the Accounts (person) icon at the bottom left, choose Manage Dynamic Authentication Providers, remove the WebPros entry and start the server again.

Step 4: Test the connection

Open Copilot Chat, switch the mode to Agent, and click the tools icon to check the webpros-mcp tools are ticked. Then try a read-only request:

Using the webpros-mcp tools, check my cPanel account and list the available websites and deployment targets. Do not make any changes.

Other useful questions:

• "List the email accounts on my cPanel."
• "Show me the DNS records for mydomain.co.nz."
• "What PHP version is my site running?"

Copilot asks you to Allow each tool call. Read each request before you approve it, especially anything that changes or deletes data.

Step 5: Deploy a Node.js app (optional)

If your project is a Node.js app and AI App Hosting is enabled on your account, ask Copilot:

Using webpros-mcp, deploy the Node.js application in this workspace to my cPanel Meridian AI App Hosting account on app.mydomain.co.nz. Confirm the target domain before making changes, then give me the live HTTPS address.

Note: MCP deployment currently supports Node.js apps using AI App Hosting, not WordPress or traditional PHP sites. For deploying from GitHub instead, see Deploy an AI Website from GitHub to cPanel.

Disconnecting

• In VS Code: run MCP: List Servers, select webpros-mcp and stop or remove it. Remove the saved sign-in under Accounts → Manage Dynamic Authentication Providers.
• In cPanel: go to Profile → Connections and unlink or revoke the WebPros / MCP connection. This stops access straight away.

Security tips

• Copilot acts with your cPanel account's permissions. Don't turn on auto-approve for cPanel tools.
• Take a backup (cPanel → Backup) before asking for big changes.
• Revoke the connection if you stop using it or think it has been misused.

Need help?

See our AI tools troubleshooting FAQ in the AI Enabled Web Hosting section, or open a support ticket and our team will help.