VS Code with the Continue extension is one of the most-used AI coding setups. It supports MCP servers natively, which means you can hand your editor a shorten_url tool the same way you hand Cursor, Windsurf, or Claude Code one.
If you work in VS Code + Continue, here is how to get KooLink into the same context where you are already writing code.
Add KooLink to Continue
Continue reads MCP servers from your VS Code MCP config (or the Continue settings). Add this:
{
"mcpServers": {
"koolink": {
"url": "https://mcp.kool.ink",
"type": "streamable-http"
}
}
}
Reload the Continue extension. KooLink is loaded. The assistant now has a shorten_url tool in its tool list.
There is no API key to mint, no account to create, no free-tier cap. It is free and unlimited.
What it looks like in practice
You are in a coding session in VS Code, the assistant is helping you write a README or a commit message, and there is a long URL you want a clean slug for:
Shorten the deploy URL for the README badge and the commit message. Generate a kool.ink link for this issue thread.
The assistant calls shorten_url and hands you back a kool.ink/xyz link. You do not switch to a browser, you do not break your flow, and the link is in the same code review context as everything else.
Why an MCP server fits the VS Code workflow
Three reasons make an MCP-integrated shortener a natural fit for an editor-first workflow.
Context. When you are in VS Code, the editor is your context. A browser tab is a hard break. A tool the assistant already has is not.
Composability. Once the assistant has shorten_url, you can fold it into a larger workflow — a commit, a PR description, a README update — without manual paste cycles.
No state. No API key to mint or rotate, no environment variable per project. The MCP server is the auth.
Where else it works
The same https://mcp.kool.ink URL works in any MCP-native client:
- Cursor — IDE agent
- Windsurf — IDE agent
- Zed — IDE agent
- Claude Desktop / Claude Code — desktop agent
- Any other MCP client that supports streamable-http transport
And in your terminal without any agent:
npx @koolink/koolink https://example.com/very/long/path
# → https://kool.ink/xyz
Bottom line
VS Code + Continue is MCP-native. KooLink is the only widely-used shortener that ships a hosted MCP server. The setup is one config block, and the assistant can shorten a URL the same way it can call any other tool.