Build Bitbucket-Powered Applications in GitHub Copilot with CData Code Assist MCP

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that integrates directly into Visual Studio Code and other IDEs. With support for MCP, GitHub Copilot can connect to local tools and enterprise data sources, enabling natural language interaction with live systems during development.

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting LLM clients to external services through structured tool interfaces. MCP servers expose capabilities such as schema discovery and live querying, allowing AI agents to retrieve and reason over real-time data safely and consistently.

In this article, we guide you through installing the CData Code Assist MCP for Bitbucket, configuring the connection to Bitbucket, connecting the Code Assist MCP add-on to GitHub Copilot, and querying live Bitbucket data from within Visual Studio Code.

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio Code is installed on your machine
• GitHub Copilot Chat extension is enabled in Visual Studio Code
• CData Code Assist MCP for Bitbucket has been installed

Step 1: Download and install the CData Code Assist MCP for Bitbucket

1. To begin, download the CData Code Assist MCP for Bitbucket
2. Find and double-click the installer to begin the installation
3. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation

When the installation is complete, you are ready to configure your Code Assist MCP add-on by connecting to Bitbucket.

Step 2: Configure the connection to Bitbucket

1. After installation, open the CData Code Assist MCP for Bitbucket configuration wizard

   NOTE: If the wizard does not open automatically, search for "CData Code Assist MCP for Bitbucket" in the Windows search bar and open the application.

   
2. In MCP Configuration > Configuration Name, either select an existing configuration or choose to create a new one
3. Name the configuration (e.g. "cdata_bitbucket") and click OK

4. Enter the appropriate connection properties in the configuration wizard

   For most queries, you must set the Workspace. The only exception to this is the Workspaces table, which does not require this property to be set, as querying it provides a list of workspace slugs that can be used to set Workspace. To query this table, you must set Schema to 'Information' and execute the query SELECT * FROM Workspaces>.

   Setting Schema to 'Information' displays general information. To connect to Bitbucket, set these parameters:

   • Schema: To show general information about a workspace, such as its users, repositories, and projects, set this to Information. Otherwise, set this to the schema of the repository or project you are querying. To get a full set of available schemas, query the sys_schemas table.
   • Workspace: Required if you are not querying the Workspaces table. This property is not required for querying the Workspaces table, as that query only returns a list of workspace slugs that can be used to set Workspace.

   Authenticating to Bitbucket

   Bitbucket supports OAuth authentication only. To enable this authentication from all OAuth flows, you must create a custom OAuth application, and set AuthScheme to OAuth.

   Be sure to review the Help documentation for the required connection properties for you specific authentication needs (desktop applications, web applications, and headless machines).

   Creating a custom OAuth application

   From your Bitbucket account:

   1. Go to Settings (the gear icon) and select Workspace Settings.
   2. In the Apps and Features section, select OAuth Consumers.
   3. Click Add Consumer.
   4. Enter a name and description for your custom application.
   5. Set the callback URL:
      • For desktop applications and headless machines, use http://localhost:33333 or another port number of your choice. The URI you set here becomes the CallbackURL property.
      • For web applications, set the callback URL to a trusted redirect URL. This URL is the web location the user returns to with the token that verifies that your application has been granted access.
   6. If you plan to use client credentials to authenticate, you must select This is a private consumer. In the driver, you must set AuthScheme to client.
   7. Select which permissions to give your OAuth application. These determine what data you can read and write with it.
   8. To save the new custom application, click Save.
   9. After the application has been saved, you can select it to view its settings. The application's Key and Secret are displayed. Record these for future use. You will use the Key to set the OAuthClientId and the Secret to set the OAuthClientSecret.
   
5. Click Connect to authenticate with Bitbucket through OAuth
6. Click Save & Test to finalize the connection

This process creates a .mcp configuration file that GitHub Copilot will reference when launching the Code Assist MCP add-on. Now with your Code Assist MCP add-on configured, you are ready to connect it to GitHub Copilot.

Step 3: Connect the Code Assist MCP add-on to GitHub Copilot

1. Download and install Visual Studio Code and enable the GitHub Copilot Chat extension

Option 1: Manually add the MCP configuration

1. Open or create the mcp.json file:
   • For global configuration: %%APPDATA%%/Roaming/Code/User/mcp.json
   • For project-specific configuration: /.vscode/mcp.json
2. Add the JSON code shown below and save the file

{
  "servers": {
    "cdata_bitbucket": {
      "command": "C:\Program Files\CData\CData Code Assist MCP for Bitbucket\jre\bin\java.exe",
      "args": [
        "-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8",
        "-jar",
        "C:\Program Files\CData\CData Code Assist MCP for Bitbucket\lib\cdata.mcp.bitbucket.jar",
        "cdata_bitbucket"
      ]
    }
  }
}

NOTE: The command value should point to your Java 17+ java.exe executable, and the JAR path should point to the installed CData Code Assist MCP add-on .jar file. The final argument must match the MCP configuration name you saved in the CData configuration wizard (e.g. "cdata_bitbucket").

Option 2: Copy the MCP configuration from the CData Code Assist MCP for Bitbucket UI

1. After saving and testing your connection in the configuration wizard, click Next
2. Select Github Copilot from the AI MCP Tool dropdown
3. Follow the MCP Client Instructions to create the required configuration file
4. Copy the displayed JSON code and paste it into your configuration file

Step 4: Query live Bitbucket data in GitHub Copilot

1. Launch Visual Studio Code and open the GitHub Copilot Chat interface. Select the tool icon to enable the configured Code Assist MCP add-on
2. Ask questions about your Bitbucket data using natural language. For example:

   "List all tables available in my Bitbucket data data connection."

   
3. Start building with natural language prompts:

   For my project, data from the Issues is very important. Pull data from the most important columns like Title and ContentRaw.
   

GitHub Copilot is now fully integrated with CData Code Assist MCP for Bitbucket and can use the MCP tools to explore schemas and execute live queries against Bitbucket.

Build with Code Assist MCP. Deploy with CData Drivers.

Download Code Assist MCP for free and give your AI tools schema-aware access to live Bitbucket data during development. When you're ready to move to production, CData Bitbucket Drivers deliver the same SQL-based access with enterprise-grade performance, security, and reliability.

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