Build Google Cloud Storage-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 Google Cloud Storage, configuring the connection to Google Cloud Storage, connecting the Code Assist MCP add-on to GitHub Copilot, and querying live Google Cloud Storage 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 Google Cloud Storage has been installed

Step 1: Download and install the CData Code Assist MCP for Google Cloud Storage

1. To begin, download the CData Code Assist MCP for Google Cloud Storage 👁 Downloading the CData Code Assist MCP add-on installer
   
2. Find and double-click the installer to begin the installation
3. Run the installer and follow the prompts to complete the installation 👁 Completing the CData Code Assist MCP add-on installation
   

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

Step 2: Configure the connection to Google Cloud Storage

1. After installation, open the CData Code Assist MCP for Google Cloud Storage configuration wizard 👁 The CData Code Assist MCP add-on configuration wizard
   

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

   👁 Opening the CData Code Assist MCP add-on configuration wizard (Google Sheets is shown).
   
2. In MCP Configuration > Configuration Name, either select an existing configuration or choose to create a new one 👁 Creating a new configuration
   
3. Name the configuration (e.g. "cdata_googlecloudstorage") and click OK 👁 Naming the configuration
   

4. Enter the appropriate connection properties in the configuration wizard

   Authenticate with a User Account

   You can connect without setting any connection properties for your user credentials. After setting InitiateOAuth to GETANDREFRESH, you are ready to connect.

   When you connect, the Google Cloud Storage OAuth endpoint opens in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions, then the OAuth process completes

   Authenticate with a Service Account

   Service accounts have silent authentication, without user authentication in the browser. You can also use a service account to delegate enterprise-wide access scopes.

   You need to create an OAuth application in this flow. See the Help documentation for more information. After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

   • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH.
   • OAuthJWTCertType: Set this to "PFXFILE".
   • OAuthJWTCert: Set this to the path to the .p12 file you generated.
   • OAuthJWTCertPassword: Set this to the password of the .p12 file.
   • OAuthJWTCertSubject: Set this to "*" to pick the first certificate in the certificate store.
   • OAuthJWTIssuer: In the service accounts section, click Manage Service Accounts and set this field to the email address displayed in the service account Id field.
   • OAuthJWTSubject: Set this to your enterprise Id if your subject type is set to "enterprise" or your app user Id if your subject type is set to "user".
   • ProjectId: Set this to the Id of the project you want to connect to.

   The OAuth flow for a service account then completes.

   👁 Configuring the Code Assist MCP add-on connection
   
5. Click Connect to authenticate with Google Cloud Storage through OAuth
6. Click Save & Test to finalize the connection 👁 Saving and testing the Code Assist MCP add-on configuration
   

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:
2. Add the JSON code shown below and save the file

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

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_googlecloudstorage").

Option 2: Copy the MCP configuration from the CData Code Assist MCP for Google Cloud Storage UI

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

Step 4: Query live Google Cloud Storage 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 👁 Enabling the CData Code Assist MCP add-on in GitHub Copilot
   
2. Ask questions about your Google Cloud Storage data using natural language. For example:

   "List all tables available in my Google Cloud Storage data data connection."

   👁 Querying live data from GitHub Copilot
   
3. Start building with natural language prompts:

   For my project, data from the Buckets is very important. Pull data from the most important columns like Name and OwnerId.
   

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

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 Google Cloud Storage data during development. When you're ready to move to production, CData Google Cloud Storage Drivers deliver the same SQL-based access with enterprise-grade performance, security, and reliability.

Visit the CData Community to share insights, ask questions, and explore what's possible with MCP-powered AI workflows.