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Public Signal Labs

Setup guide

Use Public Signal in GitHub Copilot in VS Code

Research Instagram creators from Copilot chat in VS Code.

Connection address (MCP URL)

https://publicsignallabs.com/mcp

This address is public and is not a secret. You never need to open it in a browser: your app pastes it in during setup.

Before you start

For VS Code users with GitHub Copilot. No coding required beyond following the guided setup.

  • VS Code with GitHub Copilot set up and working.
  • Permission to add MCP servers: organization or workspace policies can restrict them. If adding is blocked, ask your administrator.
  • A Public Signal account whose credits you want research to use.
  • This guide covers GitHub Copilot inside VS Code only: not Microsoft 365 Copilot, not the hosted coding agent, and not the separate Copilot CLI.

Effort: About 10 minutes. Take it one step at a time; nothing here runs research or spends credits until you send the first request yourself.

Steps

  1. Start the guided Add Server flow

    Open the Command Palette with Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS. Run MCP: Add Server and choose the remote HTTP server option.

    You should now see: VS Code asks for the server URL.

  2. Enter the Public Signal address

    Paste the connection address from this guide, name the server public-signal, and choose the user or workspace configuration where you want it available. Leave optional OAuth client fields empty; Public Signal supports automatic registration.

    Manual fallback: open MCP: Open User Configuration from the Command Palette and add the public-signal entry below under servers, keeping your other entries intact. This is VS Code's schema, not the mcpServers schema used by some other apps.

    VS Code configuration

    {
  "servers": {
    "public-signal": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://publicsignallabs.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

    You should now see: VS Code lists Public Signal as an added MCP server.

  3. Approve the browser sign-in

    Run MCP: List Servers from the Command Palette, select public-signal, and start it if needed. Review VS Code's trust prompt, then allow the browser sign-in. Use the Public Signal account whose credits you want to use and approve the request.

    You should now see: VS Code shows the Public Signal server as connected.

  4. Try one lookup in Copilot chat

    Open Copilot Chat in Agent mode. Open Configure Tools, select the Public Signal tools, and send the bounded first request from this guide when you are ready. Live research uses your Public Signal credits.

    You should now see: You receive a short profile summary with a source link.

Your first request

Copy the request below and send it in your app when you are ready. It asks for exactly one profile, so you can confirm the connection without starting a large search. Running it uses Public Signal credits, and your app may have its own usage charges.

First request (copy, then send in your app)

Using Public Signal, look up the public Instagram profile @natgeo. Summarize its bio and follower count, and include its profile link. Use only one profile lookup; do not fetch follower lists or expand the research.

Keep it switched on

  • MCP servers can be enabled per workspace: if the tools vanish in a new folder, check the server list there.
  • Copilot's agent mode and chat may expose tools differently; confirm Public Signal tools are attached before a large task.

Next, bring your own campaign brief and ask for a small evidence-backed shortlist. Build your first creator shortlist walks through that.

If something goes wrong

  • Add Server is missing or blocked: An organization or workspace policy may disable MCP servers. Check with your administrator, or research in your Public Signal workspace instead.
  • It asks for a client ID: Do not invent one. The client-ID field belongs to an optional advanced object for manually registered apps. Go back, add a plain remote HTTP server with just the URL, and let the automatic browser sign-in handle registration.
  • It keeps asking me to sign in: Finish the approval in the same browser where you are signed in to Public Signal, using the account whose credits you want, then return to VS Code.
  • I connected it, but nothing happens: Confirm the server is started and enabled for the current workspace and that Copilot lists its tools in the chat session.

Still stuck? Get connection help covers the common cases across every app, or write to support@publicsignallabs.com.

Remove the connection

  • Run MCP: List Servers from the Command Palette and stop public-signal. Open the configuration you chose during setup and remove only that entry from servers.
  • Use any available logout or clear-authentication control as well. Removing configuration alone does not establish revocation; contact support if needed. Disconnecting does not restore used credits.

Good to know

  • Signing in lets your app use Public Signal on your behalf. Your Public Signal password is not shared with the app.
  • Research uses your Public Signal credits. Your AI app may have its own plan or usage charges, and hosted-agent chats also consume credits for model inference.
  • Public Signal uses browser sign-in, not API keys or manually pasted access tokens. Use automatic registration where offered; do not invent a client ID or secret.
  • Prefer to skip setup entirely? Open the agent and research here instead.