Add the Telegram MCP server to VS Code

Config last verified Jun 1, 2026

The exact config to run Telegram in VS Code — paste it in, restart, and the tools load.

Prerequisites

VS Code installed.
TELEGRAM_API_ID — Your Telegram API ID from my.telegram.org.
TELEGRAM_API_HASH — Your Telegram API hash from my.telegram.org.
TELEGRAM_SESSION_STRING — Telethon session string authorizing your Telegram user account.

Setup

1. Open `.vscode/mcp.json`

2. Add this configuration

Add to .vscode/mcp.json

.vscode/mcp.json

json

{
  "servers": {
    "telegram": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from",
        "git+https://github.com/chigwell/telegram-mcp",
        "telegram-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "TELEGRAM_API_ID": "<TELEGRAM_API_ID>",
        "TELEGRAM_API_HASH": "<TELEGRAM_API_HASH>",
        "TELEGRAM_SESSION_STRING": "<TELEGRAM_SESSION_STRING>",
        "TELEGRAM_EXPOSED_TOOLS": "<TELEGRAM_EXPOSED_TOOLS>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Heads up

VS Code uses the `servers` key (not `mcpServers`) and requires `type`.

3. Restart VS Code and confirm the Telegram tools load.

Gotchas

VS Code uses the `servers` key (not `mcpServers`) and requires `type`.

VS Code is the exception to every other client: its top-level key is "servers", not "mcpServers", and each entry needs an explicit "type" (for example "http" or "stdio"). Secrets are not inlined; instead you declare an "inputs" array and reference each value as ${input:id}, so VS Code prompts for it once and never writes it to disk. Remote servers connect natively with OAuth.

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