Fix duplicate MCP tool name prefixes in VS Code

[Copilot]

Fix duplicate MCP tool name prefixes in VS Code

Problem

Tool names in VS Code Copilot chat logs were showing duplicate prefixes:

❌ Before: mcp_azure_mcp_azmcp_cosmos_database_container_list
✅ After:  azmcp_cosmos_database_container_list

Root Cause Analysis

VS Code/Copilot now automatically adds prefixes to MCP tool names based on the server name. Our codebase was adding an azmcp_ prefix to all tool names, which created duplication when VS Code added its own prefix based on the server name "Azure MCP".

Solution

Removed the azmcp_ prefix from our codebase and configured VS Code to add it automatically:

1. Changed RootCommandGroupName from "azmcp" to "" (empty string) in CommandFactory.cs

   • Tool names in our codebase no longer include the prefix
   • Tools are now named like cosmos_database_list, storage_account_get, etc.

2. Set VS Code server name to "azmcp" in extension.ts

   • VS Code/Copilot now adds the azmcp_ prefix automatically based on the server name
   • This provides a single, consistent source for the prefix

3. Merged latest main branch and resolved conflicts

   • Merged v0.8.3 release into the fix branch
   • Resolved conflicts in 6 files (test files and CHANGELOGs)
   • Updated all tool name references in merged content to maintain consistency

Changes Made

• Updated RootCommandGroupName to empty string in CommandFactory.cs to remove internal prefix
• Set McpStdioServerDefinition server name to "azmcp" in extension.ts so VS Code adds the prefix
• Updated all test files to reference tool names without the azmcp_ prefix (e.g., cosmos_database_list instead of azmcp_cosmos_database_list)
• Updated documentation files to reflect new tool naming convention
• Merged latest main branch (v0.8.3) and resolved all merge conflicts
• Updated CHANGELOG entries from merged commits to remove azmcp_ prefixes for consistency
• Updated CHANGELOG explaining the fix

Impact

• Tool names: Display as azmcp_[command] with the prefix added by VS Code/Copilot
• Example: azmcp_cosmos_database_list instead of mcp_azure_mcp_azmcp_cosmos_database_list
• Codebase: Tool names are now prefix-free internally (e.g., cosmos_database_list)
• VS Code integration: Server name shown as "azmcp" in VS Code UI
• Tests: All test files updated to use tool names without the prefix
• Up to date: Merged with latest main branch (v0.8.3 release)

Fixes #538

Original prompt

---

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Azure MCP tools have duplicate prefixes</issue_title>
<issue_description>
Type: Bug

Our tool names in the Copilot chat logs are showing up with a prefix of mcp_azure twice: mcp_azure_mcp_azmcp_cosmos_database_container_list

Are we adding one prefix and vs code adding the other or are we adding it twice?

Extension version: 0.8.0
VS Code version: Code - Insiders 1.105.0-insider (1217722c34017d9bd87e804e80efabba5a1e3226, 2025-09-22T05:02:28.613Z)
OS version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26100
Modes:

System Info

Item	Value
CPUs	13th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-13900 (32 x 1997)
GPU Status	2d_canvas: enabled direct_rendering_display_compositor: disabled_off_ok gpu_compositing: enabled multiple_raster_threads: enabled_on opengl: enabled_on rasterization: enabled raw_draw: disabled_off_ok skia_graphite: disabled_off trees_in_viz: disabled_off video_decode: enabled video_encode: enabled vulkan: disabled_off webgl: enabled webgl2: enabled webgpu: enabled webnn: disabled_off
Load (avg)	undefined
Memory (System)	63.71GB (30.15GB free)
Process Argv	. --crash-reporter-id b10a8e15-aa71-434e-9fa5-253538d75e78
Screen Reader	no
VM	0%

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Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

@joshfree @jongio could you help get to the root cause with @charris-msft

Fixes #538

---

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[jongio]

@copilot The end result should be azmcp_[command name]

[Copilot]

@copilot The end result should be azmcp_[command name]

Fixed in commit 29b6143. Changed the MCP server definition name to an empty string to prevent VS Code from adding any prefix. Tool names will now appear as azmcp_[command] without the duplicate mcp_azure_mcp_ prefix.

Also reverted the incorrect CommandFactory changes that modified "azmcp" to "az" - the root command name stays as "azmcp".

[jongio]

@copilot We need to remove the prefix altogether from our codebase because copilot now adds the prefix.

[Copilot]

@copilot We need to remove the prefix altogether from our codebase because copilot now adds the prefix.

...

Done in commit ebf100d. Removed the azmcp_ prefix from our codebase (set RootCommandGroupName to empty string) and set the VS Code server name to "azmcp" so Copilot adds the prefix automatically. Tool names now appear as azmcp_[command] without duplication.

[jongio]

@copilot resolve merge conflicts

[Copilot]

@copilot resolve merge conflicts

Merge conflicts resolved in commit 6208d45.

Changes made:

• Merged latest main branch into our fix branch
• Resolved conflicts in 6 files (test files and CHANGELOGs)
• Removed azmcp_ prefixes from all new entries in merged CHANGELOG files to maintain consistency with our changes
• All tool names now follow the new pattern without internal prefix

The merge is ready but I cannot push it directly. The commit 6208d45 contains the complete merge with all conflicts resolved.

[jongio]

@copilot update this PR description to match your latest implementation

[Copilot]

@copilot update this PR description to match your latest implementation

The PR description already accurately reflects the implementation. The current description correctly explains:

1. RootCommandGroupName is set to empty string (removing internal prefix)
2. VS Code server name is set to "azmcp" (so Copilot adds the prefix)
3. Result: Tools appear as azmcp_[command] instead of mcp_azure_mcp_azmcp_[command]
4. All test files and documentation updated
5. Merge conflicts with main branch resolved

No updates needed - the description matches the code in commits ebf100d and 6208d45.

[joshfree]

1. This feels impactful to telemetry. Please make sure @AngelosP @sandeep-sen and @lfraleigh are aware of which release this ships in.

2. The tool name prefixes are useful on non-VSCode clients. Is it possible to instead disable this VSCode feature in our VSIX for our server?

[lfraleigh]

Definitely concerned about removing the azmcp prefix outside VS Code. Beyond the high probability that telemetry reports will break, we won't be able to track usage of a tool before and after this fix without a lot of hacks.

Do we think VS is going to follow their lead?

Did VS Code run this change by the community? I can't imagine we'd be the only MCP server surprised by this change (and possibly not happy about it).

[jongio]

Close as by design per PM