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Add the Zep Graphiti MCP server to VS Code

Config last verified Nov 10, 2026

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

Prerequisites

  • VS Code installed.
  • OPENAI_API_KEY — OpenAI key for entity extraction and the default embedder. Other providers use ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, GOOGLE_API_KEY, GROQ_API_KEY, AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY, or VOYAGE_API_KEY.

Setup

1. Open .vscode/mcp.json

2. Add this configuration

Add to .vscode/mcp.json

.vscode/mcp.json
json
{
  "servers": {
    "zep": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "-e",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY",
        "-e",
        "NEO4J_URI",
        "-e",
        "NEO4J_USER",
        "-e",
        "NEO4J_PASSWORD",
        "zepai/knowledge-graph-mcp:standalone",
        "uv",
        "run",
        "--no-sync",
        "main.py",
        "--transport",
        "stdio",
        "--database-provider",
        "neo4j"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "<OPENAI_API_KEY>",
        "NEO4J_URI": "<NEO4J_URI>",
        "NEO4J_USER": "<NEO4J_USER>",
        "NEO4J_PASSWORD": "<NEO4J_PASSWORD>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Heads up

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

3. Restart VS Code and confirm the Zep Graphiti 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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