Home · Setup · VS Code

MCP Barcode in VS Code

QR codes and barcodes drawn locally: SEPA payment codes, WiFi, vCard, Code 128, EAN-13. It draws a QR code from text or a URL, a WiFi join code, a vCard, an EPC069-12 SEPA payment code checked against the shared business profile's IBAN, and Code 128, EAN-13, EAN-8 or UPC-A with the check digit computed or verified. No network call of any kind.

In agent mode, `barcode_create` and `qr_create` are tools the agent can reach mid-task the same way it reaches a file write, so "generate a Code 128 for every SKU in this CSV and save the SVGs next to it" is a loop the agent can run without a script written for the occasion.

What you get in VS Code

You say	Tool
Make a QR code for this URL.	`qr_create`
Put a payment QR code on invoice INV-2026-0007.	`invoice_payment_qr`
Give this SKU a Code 128 barcode.	`barcode_create`

The first Code 128 table transcription was missing one row, silently shifting 67 of 107 values to their neighbour: a clean-looking barcode that scanned as the wrong string. Comparing against an independent encoder caught it; every table is now pinned against that comparison in the test suite.

Install it in VS Code

The file is .vscode/mcp.json, and the key inside it is servers.

Scope	Path
This workspace	`<workspace>/.vscode/mcp.json`
Every workspace	`the user profile mcp.json, opened by the MCP: Open User Configuration command`

// .vscode/mcp.json  (the key is "servers")
{
  "servers": {
    "barcode": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@theluckystrike/mcp-barcode"]
    }
  }
}

Or from a terminal:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"barcode","command":"npx","args":["-y","@theluckystrike/mcp-barcode"]}'

VS Code asks you to confirm you trust the server and its capabilities before it starts. Nothing runs until you answer.

The npm publish of @theluckystrike/mcp-barcode is pending; until then use the .mcpb bundle or a clone and build from the latest release.

No install: the hosted endpoint

The same server runs at https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/barcode over MCP streamable HTTP, no install. Mint a free token with curl https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/token, or use a Pro key. It has no filesystem, so a file comes back as a one-hour download link.

{
  "servers": {
    "barcode": {
      "url": "https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/barcode",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <token>" }
    }
  }
}

VS Code notes worth knowing first

The top-level key is "servers", not "mcpServers". A config pasted from a Claude Desktop or Cursor README parses cleanly, contributes no servers, and gives you no error to read, which makes it the most expensive one-word mistake here. Alongside it an "inputs" array holds secrets. The newer Agent Host reads a workspace .mcp.json instead.

Free: 20 codes a calendar month, every symbology and QR kind, SVG output. Pro is $19 once, verified offline.

Questions

Why does my mcp.json do nothing?

The key is servers, not mcpServers. A config copied from a Claude Desktop README parses cleanly and contributes nothing. Rename it. On the newer Agent Host, use a workspace .mcp.json instead.

Do I have to edit the file at all?

No. code --add-mcp takes the server object on the command line, and MCP: Add Server in the palette asks whether the target is Workspace or Global.

Where do the MCP Barcode tools show up?

In Chat, behind the tools picker, once the server has started. Adding or changing one raises a prompt asking you to confirm you trust it; if the picker is empty, that prompt is usually still waiting.

MCP Barcode in detail · The same server in Cursor and Windsurf · Every server in VS Code · Guides · VS Code docs