Agent access

A coding agent can edit your website's files, but it also needs permission to configure your Version Compare account. Agent access lets it set up sites and goals on your behalf, without sharing your personal sign-in.

It connects through . You create a named access token and configure it in the agent client. The client must support configured tokens; entering the server address alone does not authorise it. There is no automatic browser sign-in or approval flow.

An agent can set up sites, allowed websites, and goals. It can also create named integration keys and revoke individual keys when you approve those actions. It cannot manage members or issue its own account access tokens.

  1. Open Agent access and create a labelled token. It is shown once, expires after 30 days, and can be revoked at any time.
  2. Keep the vca_ token in the environment of your agent process as VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN. Never put it in a prompt, website, URL, or committed configuration.

Use the section for your client. Merge its example into your existing configuration, keeping your other settings and servers.

Codex

Configuration: ~/.codex/config.toml.

Add this table to your user configuration. Codex CLI and the IDE extension share it. Set VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN in the environment before starting the client; bearer_token_env_var reads its value without storing it in this file. Do not run codex mcp login for this server.

[mcp_servers.version_compare]
url = "https://version.compare/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN"

Run codex mcp list to confirm the configuration, then start Codex and open /mcp to check version_compare. Send the connection-check request below and inspect the tool result.

Codex MCP configuration

Claude Code

Configuration: .mcp.json in your project root.

Merge this entry into the project's mcpServers object. Claude Code expands ${VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN} in headers from its environment. Start claude with that variable available, and review the project-server approval when prompted. An explicitly configured Authorization header uses your token rather than OAuth.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "version_compare": {
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN}"
      },
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://version.compare/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Run claude mcp get version_compare, then open /mcp inside Claude Code to check the server and its tools. Send the connection-check request below and inspect the tool result.

Claude Code MCP configuration

OpenCode

Configuration: ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json.

Merge this entry into your user configuration, or into opencode.json at the project root. OpenCode expands {env:VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN} from its environment. oauth: false disables automatic OAuth for this token-authenticated server.

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "version_compare": {
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer {env:VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN}"
      },
      "oauth": false,
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://version.compare/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Start OpenCode with VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN available. Run opencode mcp list to check version_compare, then send the connection-check request below in a session and inspect the tool result. Do not run opencode mcp auth for this server.

OpenCode remote MCP and OAuth opt-out · OpenCode configuration locations

Gemini CLI

Configuration: ~/.gemini/settings.json.

Merge this entry into your settings. Gemini CLI uses httpUrl for Streamable HTTP and expands ${VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN} from its environment.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "version_compare": {
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN}"
      },
      "httpUrl": "https://version.compare/mcp",
      "oauth": {
        "enabled": false
      }
    }
  }
}

Start gemini with VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN available. Open /mcp to check that version_compare is connected and list_sites is available. Send the connection-check request below and inspect the tool result; do not use /mcp auth.

Gemini CLI MCP transport and headers · Gemini CLI settings and variable expansion

Cursor

Configuration: ~/.cursor/mcp.json.

Merge this entry into your global configuration, or .cursor/mcp.json at the project root. Cursor connects directly using url and headers; it expands ${env:VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN} in the header. Fully quit and relaunch Cursor with that environment variable available. Remote servers cannot use envFile. Do not add an OAuth auth object.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "version_compare": {
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN}"
      },
      "url": "https://version.compare/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Open Customize in the sidebar and enable version_compare. In Agent chat, make its tools available, send the connection-check request below, approve the read-only tool call if prompted, and inspect the tool result.

Cursor MCP locations, headers, and interpolation

VS Code / GitHub Copilot

Configuration: ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json (or $COPILOT_HOME/mcp-config.json).

For the Copilot harness, merge this portable configuration into your personal MCP file. It uses mcpServers and ${VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN}, not the servers and ${env:NAME} syntax of .vscode/mcp.json. Supply the token in the environment of the host making the connection, including the remote host or container for remote sessions. Fully restart VS Code after changing its environment. Copilot does not forward servers requiring VS Code input prompts and cannot read a prompted token from VS Code SecretStorage into this header.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "version_compare": {
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${VERSION_COMPARE_TOKEN}"
      },
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://version.compare/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Select Copilot in the Session Target dropdown. Open Chat: Open Customizations from the Command Palette, then MCP Servers, and check version_compare. Make its tools available under Tools, send the connection-check request below, and expand the list_sites tool call to inspect the returned result.

VS Code connection and first-call checks · Copilot portable configuration and secret handling

Check the connection

After checking your client's server status, send this request without including your token:

Use the version_compare MCP server to call list_sites with {}. Report the returned sites, or that the list is empty. Do not create or change anything.

A returned site list, including an empty list, confirms the connection. If access is refused, check that the client has the current token in its environment.

Give the agent the copyable setup prompt or plain-text instructions. It should list and inspect your existing setup before changing anything, agree your versions and goal, and verify with real visits.

A token belongs to the issuing member's account. Revoking it, removing that member, or its expiry ends access. Use a separate labelled token for each agent environment.