[✨ Triage] dotnet/aspire#12394 by mitchdenny - Enable Aspire MCP server on GitHub Coding Agent #1601
Description
Triage for dotnet/aspire#12394.
Repo filter: area-dashboard issues.
MihuBot version: 87d9df.
Ping MihaZupan for any issues.
This is a test triage report generated by AI, aimed at helping the triage team quickly identify past issues/PRs that may be related.
Take any conclusions with a large grain of salt.
Tool logs
dotnet/aspire#12394: Enable Aspire MCP server on GitHub Coding Agent by mitchdenny
[Tool] Searching for MCP server GitHub coding agent, Aspire MCP server CLI, proxy MCP server dashboard, multiple apphosts MCP server, self-signed certificates VSCode MCP stdio (IncludeOpen=True, IncludeClosed=True, IncludeIssues=True, IncludePullRequests=True, Repository=dotnet/aspire)
[Tool] Found 62 issues, 228 comments, 40 returned results (14283 ms)
Here are the related issues and discussions for triaging issue #12394 "Enable Aspire MCP server on GitHub Coding Agent":
Highly Relevant Issues & PRs
Issue #10957 (Aug 2025) - "Add built-in MCP server (preview) to dashboard with streaming HTTP and minimal tool surface"
- Summary: This issue is the foundational proposal for the MCP server in Aspire, describing its streaming HTTP transport, authentication, and minimal toolset. The discussion includes scenarios for troubleshooting, app topology, and resource commands. Comments discuss exposing tools for IDEs, streaming logs, and resource properties.
- Relevance: Directly related to the MCP server's implementation and its integration with tools/agents. The need for CLI-based MCP server and proxying requests is a logical extension of this work.
- Key Comments:
- Desire to expose resource properties and environment variables for debugging.
- Interest in making MCP relevant for IDEs and external tools.
- Several comments support expanding the tool surface and making MCP more extensible.
PR #12148 (Oct 2025) - "Add dashboard MCP server"
- Summary: Implements the MCP server in the dashboard, with API key auth, endpoint configuration, and UI for MCP details. Discussion covers configuration defaults, template updates, and endpoint selection.
- Relevance: This PR is the current implementation of the dashboard-hosted MCP server, which the issue suggests may be incompatible with the GitHub coding agent's expectations. The comments discuss configuration, endpoint defaults, and future extensibility.
- Key Comments:
- mitchdenny(issue author) raises the need for MCP server extensibility and resource-specific tools.
- JamesNKconfirms extensibility is not a V1 feature but could be considered in future.
- Discussion about defaulting MCP endpoint to dashboard endpoint for backward compatibility.
- mitchdennycreates issue #12394 to track the limitation of the current approach.
PR #12178 (Oct 2025) - "Configure GitHub MCP in mcp.json"
- Summary: Adds GitHub MCP configuration to mcp.json. No comments, but the PR is directly about configuring MCP for GitHub workflows.
- Relevance: Directly related to enabling MCP server for GitHub Coding Agent scenarios.
Issue #12066 (Oct 2025) - "Using Aspire MCP server with VS Code"
- Summary: Describes the problem of VS Code refusing to connect to the Aspire MCP server due to self-signed certificates. Discusses workarounds (HTTP, disabling TLS errors) and the need for VS Code product improvements.
- Relevance: The issue you're triaging mentions that enabling CLI-based MCP server and stdio mode might help with VS Code certificate issues. This issue provides context and technical details about the problem.
PR #11889 (Oct 2025) - "Add initial support for custom certificate trust"
- Summary: Implements custom certificate trust support, allowing override of dev cert trust and explicit trust per resource. Includes APIs for certificate authority collections and integration with containers/executables.
- Relevance: Custom certificate trust is relevant for scenarios where self-signed certificates cause issues (e.g., VS Code, GitHub agent). The discussion includes how trust is configured and limitations on different platforms.
Issue #12063 (Oct 2025) - "Support using Aspire MCP with non-local clients"
- Summary: Discusses challenges and requirements for using MCP servers with online clients (e.g., chatgpt.com), including authentication and exposing local MCP servers securely.
- Relevance: Related to agent scenarios and the need for proxying MCP requests.
Related Technical/UX Issues
Issue #10534 (Jul 2025) - "When running two AppHosts Aspire.Hosting.Dcp reports a proxy error when both AppHosts have the same .AddContainer"
- Summary: Discusses problems with Aspire's proxying model when multiple AppHosts use the same container resource, leading to port conflicts and proxy errors. Comments detail the networking/proxying architecture and experimental solutions.
- Relevance: The need to support multiple apphosts with a single MCP server is mentioned in #12394. This issue provides background on Aspire's proxying and networking challenges.
PR #10576 (Jul 2025) - "Use proxied endpoints for aspire dashboard"
- Summary: Changes dashboard endpoint binding to use DCP proxies and random ports, reducing port conflicts.
- Relevance: Related to proxying and endpoint management, which is relevant for MCP server deployment and agent compatibility.
Issue #8911 (Apr 2025) - "When multiple app-hosts detected run, add, and publish should prompt for disambiguation."
- Summary: CLI throws error when multiple apphosts are detected; proposal to prompt for disambiguation.
- Relevance: Multiple apphost support is mentioned in #12394 as a requirement for MCP server.
Issue #6854 (Dec 2024) - "Full access to Aspire from the Command Line"
- Summary: Requests CLI commands for starting/stopping resources and reading logs, to improve developer workflow and avoid full restarts.
- Relevance: CLI-based MCP server would enable similar workflows for agents.
Certificate Trust and Proxying
Issue #7443 (Feb 2025) - "Excited to finally try out Aspire but SSL error running starter project"
- Summary: Users report SSL errors due to self-signed certificates, especially on corporate machines with proxies. Extensive discussion of workarounds and environment variables.
- Relevance: Self-signed certificate issues are a blocker for agent/CLI scenarios.
Issue #7756 (Feb 2025) - "Feature: Injection of a certificate into container"
- Summary: Requests ability to inject CA certificates into containers to support proxy scenarios.
- Relevance: Certificate trust and proxying are key for agent compatibility.
Issue #7627 (Feb 2025) - "Allow configuring/overriding dashboard and other endpoint certificates (BYO SSL)"
- Summary: Requests ability to override dashboard certificates for secure container communication.
- Relevance: Related to certificate management for MCP server endpoints.
Issue #11679 (Sep 2025) - "Custom Certificate Trust API Proposal"
- Summary: Proposes APIs for custom certificate trust, including developer cert trust and CA bundles.
- Relevance: Underpins the certificate trust features discussed in other issues/PRs.
Other MCP/Agent/CLI Related
PR #9506 (May 2025) - "Repo MCP tools"
- Summary: Adds an MCP tool to the repo for automation, starting with a process killer for Aspire CLI.
- Relevance: Shows early work on MCP tools for automation and agent scenarios.
Issue #10630 (Jul 2025) - "Mcp aspire template project"
- Summary: Requests an Aspire template with MCP server/client and inspector for local dev.
- Relevance: Related to MCP server extensibility and agent scenarios.
Summary of Conclusions
- The current MCP server implementation is dashboard-hosted (PR #12148), but agent workflows (like GitHub Coding Agent) may require a CLI-hosted MCP server with proxying to the dashboard (as described in #12394).
- There is active work on MCP server configuration, extensibility, and endpoint management (PR #12178, #10957).
- Self-signed certificate issues are a major blocker for agent scenarios, especially with VS Code and NodeJS clients (#12066, #7443, #11889, #11679).
- Supporting multiple apphosts and proxying requests is a known challenge (#10534, #8911).
- There is interest in enabling stdio mode and CLI-based MCP server for better agent/IDE integration (#12394, #6854, #10630).
- Certificate trust APIs and container injection are being actively developed to address proxy/cert issues (#11889, #7756, #7627).
Recommendations
- Consider enabling MCP server via Aspire CLI, with proxying to dashboard, as a feature request and potential workaround for agent/IDE scenarios.
- Track the certificate trust and proxying work, as it is critical for agent compatibility.
- Monitor MCP server extensibility and configuration improvements for future agent workflows.
If you need a deeper dive into any specific issue or PR, let me know!