Supported IDEs and AI coding agents

The installer deploys the Agentic Contexts to every supported AI coding agent. It adapts only the folder names, the file formats and the MCP configuration file to what each agent reads. The concepts, such as skills, agents, instructions and MCP servers, are the same everywhere. Two contexts depend on STM32CubeIDE for Visual Studio Code and are available only with --ide vscode, as described in Contexts that need VS Code.

You choose the target with two options of the cube agentic-ai commands:

  • --agentic-system selects the AI coding agent: github-copilot, claude-code or cursor. It decides where skills, agents, instructions, the routing skill and the MCP configuration file are written, because the agent is the MCP client that reads them.

  • --ide selects the editor that hosts the agent: vscode, cursor or none for a terminal session without an editor. It decides which editor extensions the installer proposes. It changes the MCP file only for GitHub Copilot in VS Code.

Supported combinations

Six combinations are supported. The installer rejects any other pair with the error TARGET_COMBINATION_NOT_SUPPORTED, for example --ide cursor with --agentic-system github-copilot. The option --canonical writes only the portable .cube-ai/ layout and skips this check.

Here, supported means that the installer accepts the target and writes its documented configuration. It does not mean every agent and editor combination has been integration-tested. See Known limitations for the current validation coverage.

AI coding agent and editor

Options

MCP configuration file

Skills, agents and instructions

Project instruction file

GitHub Copilot in VS Code

--ide vscode --agentic-system github-copilot (default)

.vscode/mcp.json

.github/

.github/copilot-instructions.md

GitHub Copilot CLI, no editor

--ide none --agentic-system github-copilot

.mcp.json

.github/

.github/copilot-instructions.md

Claude Code CLI, no editor

--ide none --agentic-system claude-code

.mcp.json

.claude/

CLAUDE.md

Claude Code extension in VS Code

--ide vscode --agentic-system claude-code

.mcp.json

.claude/

CLAUDE.md

Cursor editor

--ide cursor --agentic-system cursor

.cursor/mcp.json

.cursor/ (rules as .cursor/rules/*.mdc)

AGENTS.md

Cursor CLI, no editor

--ide none --agentic-system cursor

.cursor/mcp.json

.cursor/ (rules as .cursor/rules/*.mdc)

AGENTS.md

The project instruction file is the file that the agent reads at the start of every session. The installer proposes the statement that routes STM32 requests to the routing skill, and you add it to that file.

For agent-specific VS Code extension prerequisites, see Prerequisites.

The installer deploys contexts into a project or workspace, not into the user home directory. Select contexts for each project independently. Only the context bundles are installed at machine scope. Project locks record the versions and services deployed in that project. See Supported contexts and versions for the current bundle versions.

The default target is GitHub Copilot in VS Code. To use another combination, pass both options on the setup, project-add and project-deploy commands. For example, for the Claude Code CLI:

cube agentic-ai project-add <bundle> <project> --ide none --agentic-system claude-code

Contexts that need VS Code

The STM32Cube Build Context and the STM32 DAP Debug Context need STM32CubeIDE for Visual Studio Code. The installer deploys them only when --ide vscode is used, whatever the AI coding agent. With --ide none, --ide cursor or --canonical, the installer does not install them. setup lists them as unavailable, and a project-add or setup command that names one of them fails with an error. All other contexts are available in the six combinations.

Combination

Build

DAP Debug

Other contexts

GitHub Copilot in VS Code

Yes

Yes

Yes

Claude Code extension in VS Code

Yes

Yes

Yes

GitHub Copilot CLI, Claude Code CLI

No

No

Yes

Cursor editor, Cursor CLI

No

No

Yes

How each agent reads the deployed files

GitHub Copilot

  • Copilot in VS Code reads the MCP servers from .vscode/mcp.json, under the key servers. See the VS Code MCP servers documentation.

  • Copilot CLI does not read .vscode/mcp.json. It reads .mcp.json from the working directory up to the repository root, under the key mcpServers. It also reads .github/mcp.json, but only inside a Git repository, so the installer writes .mcp.json. See the Copilot CLI MCP documentation.

  • Skills are read from .github/skills/. See the GitHub documentation on agent skills.

Claude Code

Cursor

  • The Cursor editor and the Cursor CLI share the same project files. Both read .cursor/mcp.json, under the key mcpServers. See the Cursor MCP documentation and the Cursor CLI MCP documentation.

  • Skills are read from .cursor/skills/<name>/SKILL.md and subagents from .cursor/agents/. See the Cursor skills documentation and the Cursor subagents documentation.

  • Cursor loads rules only from .cursor/rules/*.mdc. The installer converts each instruction to a rule: an instruction that applies to every file becomes an always-on rule, and an instruction with a file pattern becomes a rule that Cursor attaches when matching files are in the context. See the Cursor rules documentation.

Approve the MCP servers before first use

Each agent asks you to approve project MCP servers before it starts them. The installer cannot do this step for you.

Combination

What to do

GitHub Copilot in VS Code

Trust the workspace, then start the servers from .vscode/mcp.json.

GitHub Copilot CLI

Start copilot in the project folder and accept the folder trust prompt. In non-interactive mode (copilot -p), set the environment variable GITHUB_COPILOT_PROMPT_MODE_WORKSPACE_MCP=true. The command copilot mcp list does not list the project servers, so do not use it to check them.

Claude Code CLI, Claude Code extension in VS Code

Start claude in the project folder and approve the servers from .mcp.json when prompted. claude mcp list shows Pending approval until you do.

Cursor editor, Cursor CLI

Enable the servers in the Cursor settings, or run agent mcp enable <server>. For scripts, use the option --approve-mcps.

Note

If you start Copilot CLI from the terminal of a VS Code window that has the project folder open, Copilot CLI connects to that window and does not load the project .mcp.json. Run Copilot CLI from a terminal outside VS Code, or use Copilot Chat in VS Code.

One target per project

A project has one target. After you deploy a context, the installer rejects a command that asks for another --ide, --agentic-system or --canonical with the error TARGET_CHANGED_IN_DEPLOYED_PROJECT, and it changes nothing. To move a project to another target, remove each deployed context with project-remove, then deploy again with the new target.

Not supported

The installer does not provide native configuration for agents or editors outside the six combinations above. For another agentic system, --canonical writes the portable .cube-ai/ layout. You must adapt it manually for that agent. This is not an additional native or integration-tested target. A pairing outside the table is rejected unless --canonical is used.

For the exact behavior of each option, see the installer user manual.