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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.

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.

Warning: MCP access is read-only. See Limitations 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. Enable the MCP Server

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

Setting Description
abapfs.mcpServer.autoStart Set to true to start automatically on VS Code launch
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 (Ctrl+Shift+P → "Open User Settings (JSON)"):

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

Reload VS Code after changing settings. A notification confirms the server is running: "MCP Server running on port 4847"

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 39 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

Limitations

  • VS Code must stay open — the server runs inside VS Code
  • Active SAP connection required — tools need a connected system
  • Read-oriented — external AI tools cannot write to the adt:// virtual filesystem; the AI can suggest edits but you must apply them manually in VS Code
  • 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 ABAP syntax checking — ABAP code is treated as plain text in external tools
  • 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

  • Confirm abapfs.mcpServer.autoStart is true in settings
  • 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

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