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VS Code Remote MCP Connection Issues

TL;DR

Resolve common VS Code Remote MCP errors — API key authentication failures, OAuth sign-in issues, and Atlan extension registration problems.

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When connecting VS Code to the Atlan Remote MCP server, you may encounter issues related to API key validity, OAuth session state, or extension registration. This page covers the most common issues and how to fix them.

VS Code MCP API key authentication error​

Error

Authentication failed: The provided API key is invalid or does not have the necessary permissions.

Cause​

The API key is invalid, expired, or lacks the required permissions in Atlan.

Solution​

  1. In Atlan, go to Admin Settings → API access → Tokens and verify the key is active.
  2. Generate a new API key if the existing one is expired or revoked.
  3. Update the key in your mcp.json and restart VS Code.

VS Code MCP OAuth sign-in failure​

Error

Sign in failed. We could not authenticate you with the connected service. Please try again.

Cause​

Expired or stale Atlan session in the browser prevents the OAuth flow from completing.

Solution​

Log out of Atlan in the browser, log back in, restart VS Code, then retry the OAuth flow.

Atlan extension not registering MCP server in VS Code​

warning

No MCP servers configured. The Atlan MCP server may not have been registered during extension activation.

Cause​

Extension may not have registered the MCP server automatically on first activation, or the step was skipped.

Solution​

Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux) and run Atlan: Setup MCP Server.

See also​

Need help​

If you need assistance after trying these steps, contact Atlan Support.