Copilot Chat reads .vscode/mcp.json under servers, with type http. That is the Google Trends path. Cline is a different file.
Google Trends reaches VS Code through Trends MCP in .vscode/mcp.json, not through Cursor’s transport field and not through Cline’s Remote Server block. Command Palette, MCP: Add Server, or a committed workspace file under servers. type must be http. url must be https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp. Then Copilot Chat can call get_top_trends with type Google Trends and get_growth with source google search. Default board limit is 25.
The generic VS Code page is Trends MCP for VS Code. The ranked shortlist is best MCP servers for VS Code. This page is the source combo those URLs do not use as the H1. Official VS Code MCP docs get cited for the schema. They do not install a Google Trends board.
{
"servers": {
"trends-mcp": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.trendsmcp.ai/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}
The key is a tmcp_live_ token from the account page. Prefer ${input:api-token} or user MCP settings over a live token in git. VS Code expands ${env:VARNAME} and ${input:id}. Bare ${VARNAME} is sent as a literal string. Reload the window. Workspace trust and restricted mode can hide MCP.
Claude.ai www OAuth does not belong here. VS Code is Bearer on the api host. Cursor’s object lives in ~/.cursor/mcp.json under mcpServers. The Cursor Google page is Google Trends MCP for Cursor. Copying that file into .vscode is the usual empty-tools restart.
Cline’s Remote Server JSON uses url and headers without type. That block belongs in Cline. Copilot Chat will not read it.
Copilot is trained to answer “what is trending” from memory. Memory is a cutoff. Name TrendsMCP and pass exact strings.
get_top_trends(type="Google Trends", limit=25)
get_growth(keyword="vscode mcp", source="google search", percent_growth=["30D", "3M"])
Type Google Trends is the live board, no keyword. Source google search is weekly history, about five years where the pipeline has points. Sending google trends as a source is invalid_source. Category boards use Google Trends by Category plus an official category. offset pages past the default 25. Max limit 200.
A proving turn: one board page, one growth call. Two requests. Paging four limit 50 slices is four requests before any keyword. Free plan 100 requests per month. Starter $19 / 1,000. Pro $49 / 5,000. Business $199 / 25,000. Pricing. Copilot Chat has no Trends MCP quota bar. The 429 arrives as a tool error. Copilot may retry a failed call, so a wrong source string can cost two or three requests. Pin the strings in a saved prompt snippet.
Ghost-text completions are not a tool loop. If a completion “knows” a topic is trending, that guess came from weights. Use Copilot Chat.
An untrusted folder may disable MCP. Opening a random zip should not fire a production key. Use a throwaway key for untrusted work. Enterprise allowlists must permit api.trendsmcp.ai.
Agent Host sessions may not read .vscode/mcp.json directly. Microsoft’s Copilot docs describe forwarding plus portable files such as workspace .mcp.json. Confirm against VS Code MCP docs (accessed 26 August 2026) before assuming the workspace file is enough for every Copilot surface.
Browser Copilot on github.com does not see this JSON. Teams that only review in the browser still need VS Code Chat, or another host, for Google Trends tool calls.
VS Code is a weak cron. Nightly boards belong on REST. POST https://api.trendsmcp.ai/api with the same key. The API contract without VS Code chrome is Google Trends API. Empty series: not_found or data_unavailable. Low-volume growth: quote both index values. The official Google Trends API Alpha is a different credential.
Copilot Chat is the caller this page means. Inline completions are not. Cline is not. Continue and other chat extensions may read MCP on their own rules. If Chat cannot see tools, confirm the MCP view shows the server started, Copilot is the selected participant, and the folder is trusted.
A proving turn for a language or framework decision: get_top_trends type Google Trends if the category is unknown, then get_growth on google search for two exact phrases. Three requests. Adding npm is a fourth source-plus-keyword pair and belongs when the object is a package, not a search phrase. Pin the distinction in a snippet. Copilot will otherwise send react to google search and React to npm in ways that look similar and are not.
User-level MCP config is the better home for the Bearer token. Workspace .vscode/mcp.json is the better home for the server name the team shares. Mixing a production key into a public template is a leak. Restricted mode in VS Code can also hide MCP until the workspace is trusted. That failure looks like “Google Trends MCP does not work” when the editor is protecting the folder.
Nightly Google Trends still belongs on REST. A Chat session that only runs when someone opens VS Code is not a monitor. POST https://api.trendsmcp.ai/api with mode get_top_trends or get_growth from n8n. The same key works. The IDE does not need to be open.
Official VS Code docs teach servers and type. They do not rank a trend index. This page exists so the combo title matches the query those docs siphon. The Cursor combo, different file, is Google Trends MCP for Cursor.
FAQ