MCP Server for External AI Tools¶

Prerequisites: Complete the Installation Steps first. You need VS Code with ABAP FS installed and configured with at least one SAP system connection.

Note: ABAP FS has 40+ AI tools. When using GitHub Copilot in VS Code, all tools are available natively once a SAP system is connected — no MCP server needed. The MCP server is only for external AI clients.

What Is This and Why Would You Need It?¶

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI tools call external services. ABAP FS exposes its 39 SAP tools (search, read code, run tests, query data, etc.) via a local MCP server so that AI assistants outside of VS Code can use them.

Note: MCP now supports both reading and writing ABAP code. See Write Support for details.

Use this if you work with AI tools like Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Windsurf and want them to have the same SAP access that GitHub Copilot has inside VS Code. Also applies to AI agents plugins for vscode like Cline/Continue/Roo code/... unless they support the virtual filesystem API AFAIK only copilot does at the moment

Don't need this if you only use GitHub Copilot in VS Code — tools are already available there natively.

┌─────────────────┐     MCP Protocol      ┌──────────────────┐     VS Code API     ┌─────────────┐
│  Cursor/Claude  │ ◄───────────────────► │  MCP Server      │ ◄─────────────────► │  ABAP FS    │
│  Desktop/etc.   │    localhost:4847     │  (in VS Code)    │                     │  Tools      │
└─────────────────┘                       └──────────────────┘                     └─────────────┘

VS Code must remain open. The MCP server runs inside VS Code — closing VS Code stops the server.

Setup¶

1. Start the MCP Server¶

Press Ctrl+Shift+P and run: ABAP FS: Start MCP Server

That's it — the server starts immediately on the default port (4847). A notification confirms it's running.

If you have GitHub Copilot installed, ABAP FS will ask whether you actually need the MCP server (Copilot already has native access to all tools). You can choose to start anyway or cancel.

2. (Optional) Change Port or Add API Key¶

Running the command automatically enables autoStart — VS Code will start the MCP server on every launch going forward. You don't need to touch settings for that.

If you need to change the port or secure the server with an API key:

Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,) and search for abapfs.mcpServer:

Setting	Description
`abapfs.mcpServer.port`	Default `4847` — change if there's a port conflict
`abapfs.mcpServer.apiKey`	Optional. Recommended on shared machines to prevent unauthorized SAP access

Or add directly to your settings.json:

{
  "abapfs.mcpServer.port": 4847,
  "abapfs.mcpServer.apiKey": "your-secret-key"
}

2. Connect to Your SAP System¶

Use the command ABAP FS: Connect to an SAP system (Ctrl+Shift+P to open the Command Palette). The MCP server needs an active SAP connection to serve tool requests.

3. Configure Your AI Tool¶

Add the following to your AI tool's MCP configuration. The URL is the same for all clients:

Cursor — ~/.cursor/mcp.json or project .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "abap-fs": {
      "url": "http://localhost:4847/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop — see Claude's documentation for the config file location, then add the same block.

Other MCP clients — use the Streamable HTTP endpoint: http://localhost:4847/mcp

With API Key Authentication¶

If you set abapfs.mcpServer.apiKey, clients must send it as a Bearer token:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "abap-fs": {
      "url": "http://localhost:4847/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer your-secret-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Without a matching key, requests return 401 Unauthorized. The /health endpoint is always accessible without authentication.

4. Verify¶

In your AI tool, ask something SAP-related, for example:

"Search for classes containing 'USER'"
"Show me the code for CL_ABAP_TYPEDESCR"
"Run unit tests for ZCL_MY_CLASS"

Available Tools¶

All 40 ABAP FS tools are exposed, including:

Tool	What It Does
`search_abap_objects`	Search for objects by name pattern
`get_abap_object_lines`	Read source code
`find_where_used`	Where-used analysis
`run_unit_tests`	Execute ABAP unit tests
`run_atc_analysis`	Run ATC code checks
`execute_data_query`	Run SQL queries against SAP tables
`manage_transport_requests`	Read transport data
`abap_activate`	Activate ABAP objects
`replace_string_in_abap_object`	Edit ABAP source code (find & replace)
`get_abap_diagnostics`	Get syntax errors/warnings for a file

Write Support¶

MCP clients can now edit ABAP source code directly. The workflow:

Get the file URI — call get_abap_object_workspace_uri with object name/type/connection
Read current code — call get_abap_object_lines or search_abap_object_lines
Edit — call replace_string_in_abap_object with the URI, old text, and new text
Verify — call get_abap_diagnostics with the same URI to check for syntax errors

Edits are immediately synced to SAP (ABAP FS handles locking, saving, and unlocking automatically). There is no keep/undo UI — changes are applied directly.

Limitations¶

VS Code must stay open — the server runs inside VS Code
Active SAP connection required — tools need a connected system
Webview outputs appear in VS Code — results from tools like data queries or Mermaid diagrams open as VS Code panels, not in the external tool
No navigation features — Go to Definition, Find References, and hover documentation require the VS Code ABAP FS integration
Debugging requires VS Code — the ABAP debugger is VS Code-specific

Troubleshooting¶

Server not starting¶

Run ABAP FS: Start MCP Server from the Command Palette to start it manually
If you previously chose "Disable MCP", re-run the command — it will start and re-enable auto-start
Open the VS Code Output panel (Ctrl+Shift+U) and select "ABAP FS" for error messages
Try a different port if 4847 is already in use (abapfs.mcpServer.port in settings)

Tools not working¶

Confirm VS Code is connected to an SAP system
Check that the startup notification appeared when VS Code launched
Verify the URL in your AI tool's config matches the configured port

401 Unauthorized¶

Check that Authorization: Bearer <key> is configured in your MCP client
Confirm the key in the client exactly matches abapfs.mcpServer.apiKey in VS Code settings