VS Code + Short URL MCP

You wrote a technical blog that includes 7 or 8 external links—GitHub Issues, Stack Overflow, RFC documents... each URL is about seventy to eighty characters long.

Posting it in WeChat groups or DingTalk? The links break directly, making it hard to click accurately. Putting it on a PPT? It takes up half the screen.

The previous method: open a bit.ly tab, paste each one, shorten it, and then copy it back. Now you can just tell Copilot in VS Code one sentence, and Short URL MCP will handle everything for you without switching windows.

Step 1: Obtain API Key

Open the Ace Data Cloud application list, go to the available applications, and copy the API Key.

Get Ace Data Cloud API Key

Step 2: Install the Plugin

  1. Open the VS Code extension marketplace (Cmd+Shift+X)
  2. Search for Short URL MCP, or directly search for the extension ID: acedatacloud.mcp-shorturl
  3. Click Install, and reload the window as prompted after installation

Step 3: Fill in the API Key

  1. Press Cmd+Shift+P, execute: Short URL MCP: Set Ace Data Cloud API Key
  2. Paste the API Key and press enter to save (saved in VS Code SecretStorage / system keychain)

If you want to change the Key, you can execute Short URL MCP: Clear Ace Data Cloud API Key and set it again.

Step 4: Verify Connection

  1. Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode
  2. Directly make a request and mention shorturl, for example: Use shorturl to help me complete this task
  3. The first call will automatically go to this plugin and use the API Key you saved

Advanced: Manual mcp.json (Optional)

If you prefer manual configuration, you can also write .vscode/mcp.json in your project:

{
  "servers": {
    "shorturl": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://shorturl.mcp.acedata.cloud/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:acedata-api-key}"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "acedata-api-key",
      "type": "promptString",
      "description": "Ace Data Cloud API Key",
      "password": true
    }
  ]
}

Use Cases

API Document Sharing

You wrote an API documentation and need to send the link to your frontend colleagues. The original address is a long Notion link with parameters:

> Shorten this link: https://www.notion.so/workspace/API-Documentation-v2-Final-Review-abc123def456...

shorturl_create generates a short link https://surl.id/xxx, neat and tidy.

Batch Links in Release Notes

You are writing release notes and have referenced 5 GitHub PR links and 3 Issue links. Let Copilot help you process them one by one:

> Help me convert all these links into short links:
> https://github.com/org/repo/pull/142
> https://github.com/org/repo/pull/145
> https://github.com/org/repo/issues/89

QR Code Friendly

Short links generate smaller and easier-to-scan QR codes—especially when placed on PPTs or posters. The shorter the URL, the lower the density of the QR code, and the higher the scanning success rate.

Tool List

Tool Description
shorturl_create Generate short links
shorturl_batch_create Batch generate short links (up to 10 at a time)

Other Editor Configurations

  • Cursor — .cursor/mcp.json, similarly configure under mcpServers
  • Claude Code — terminal command line configuration, see Claude Code + Short URL MCP Tutorial
  • Claude Desktop — macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json; Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json