Merge pull request #2364 from alexyaang/alexyaang-interactive-connector-sign-in

Add persistent browser auth to connector canvas

Author: codemillmatt

.github/plugin/marketplace.json

@@ -244,8 +244,8 @@
     {
       "name": "connector-namespaces",
       "source": "extensions/connector-namespaces",
-      "description": "Browse, connect, and open MCP connectors from an Azure Connector Namespace.",
-      "version": "1.1.2"
+      "description": "Interactive GitHub Copilot canvas for discovering, connecting, and managing hosted MCP servers from Azure Connector Namespace.",
+      "version": "1.2.0"
     },
     {
       "name": "context-engineering",

extensions/connector-namespaces/.github/plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "connector-namespaces",
-  "description": "Browse, connect, and open MCP connectors from an Azure Connector Namespace.",
-  "version": "1.1.2",
+  "description": "Interactive GitHub Copilot canvas for discovering, connecting, and managing hosted MCP servers from Azure Connector Namespace.",
+  "version": "1.2.0",
   "author": {
     "name": "Alex Yang",
     "url": "https://github.com/alexyaang"

extensions/connector-namespaces/README.md

@@ -1,84 +1,84 @@
-# MCP Connectors — Copilot CLI Canvas Extension
-
-A GitHub Copilot CLI **canvas extension** that lets you browse and add MCP
-connectors from an Azure **Connector Namespace** directly inside a Copilot CLI
-session. Search by name or category, sign in to a connector, then restart the
-session to make its tools available to the agent.
-
-> The canvas talks to public Azure Resource Manager (`management.azure.com`)
-> using the signed-in Azure CLI account. The extension does not register its own
-> Entra application or persist Azure credentials.
-
-## Prerequisites
-
-- **GitHub Copilot CLI** (the host that loads canvas extensions).
-- **Azure CLI**, signed in with `az login`. The extension asks Azure CLI for a
-  short-lived ARM access token and refreshes it through the same broker.
-- **An Azure subscription with a Connector Namespace** — resource type
-  `Microsoft.Web/connectorGateways` (API version `2026-05-01-preview`). This is
-  a preview resource provider; you must have access to it for the catalog to
-  load. Without it the extension installs fine but has nothing to show.
+# MCP Connectors
+
+A GitHub Copilot app canvas extension for discovering and connecting hosted MCP
+servers from [Azure Connector Namespace](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/connector-namespace/connector-namespace-overview).
+It brings the Microsoft and partner connector catalog, guided browser sign-in,
+and connected-server management into the Copilot side panel.
+
+## Features
+
+- **Connector catalog** - browse and search Microsoft and partner MCP servers
+  available in your namespace.
+- **Guided Azure setup** - sign in from the canvas, then choose a subscription
+  and Connector Namespace.
+- **Browser-based connection flow** - complete each connector's authentication
+  or consent without leaving the setup experience.
+- **My MCPs** - see which servers are connected and ready to add to Copilot.
+- **Namespace playground** - open any connected server in the Connector
+  Namespace playground with **Sandbox**.
+- **Persistent setup** - retain the selected namespace and restore Azure sign-in
+  securely across app restarts.
 
 ## Install
 
-Install it from the public Awesome Copilot repository:
+Open the GitHub Copilot app, go to **Settings > Plugins**, search for
+`connector-namespaces`, and select **Install**.
 
-```
-install_extension https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/extensions/connector-namespaces
-```
+You can also open the
+[MCP Connectors gallery page](https://awesome-copilot.github.com/extension/connector-namespaces/)
+and select **Install in GitHub Copilot app**.
 
-For a reproducible install, swap `main` for a reviewed commit SHA from this
-repository.
+## Requirements
 
-The destination **scope** is chosen at install time:
+- Access to an Azure subscription with a Connector Namespace. If you do not
+  have one, follow the
+  [Connector Namespace creation guide](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/connector-namespace/create-connector-namespace).
+- Permission to view the namespace and create its connections and hosted MCP
+  server configurations.
+- A browser for Microsoft Entra sign-in and connector consent.
+- An operating-system secure credential store. Windows and macOS provide one by
+  default. Linux and WSL require a Secret Service-compatible keyring, such as
+  GNOME Keyring, with `libsecret` available. Unencrypted token storage is
+  intentionally disabled.
 
-- **user** (default) — installs globally for you at
-  `$COPILOT_HOME/extensions/connector-namespaces/`. The usual choice for a
-  personal tool.
-- **project** — installs into the current repo.
-- **session** — scoped to a single CLI session.
+Connector Namespace is currently an Azure preview service and availability can
+vary by region.
 
 ## Usage
 
-1. Open the **MCP Connectors** canvas from Copilot CLI.
-2. The canvas loads subscriptions from your signed-in Azure CLI account. Pick an
-   Azure **subscription** and a **Connector Namespace**. The choice is saved for
-   future sessions (change it any time via **Change namespace**).
-3. Browse or filter the connector catalog, then **Connect**. A browser tab
-   opens for Microsoft sign-in; complete it and the canvas updates on its own.
-4. Connected connectors move into **My MCPs**. Use **Sandbox** on a tile to open
-   that server directly in the namespace MCP playground.
-5. Restart the Copilot CLI session so the agent can load the connected tools.
-
-The extension registers the native `connector_namespaces_open_playground` tool,
-so GitHub Copilot can open a named connector from **My MCPs** without installing
-an additional Agent Skill.
-
-## How it works
-
-- `extension.mjs` — entry point; declares the canvas, `open_sandbox` action, and
-  native `connector_namespaces_open_playground` tool.
-- `server.mjs` — a loopback HTTP server (bound to `127.0.0.1` only) that serves
-  the canvas UI and the JSON/OAuth endpoints the iframe calls.
-- `armClient.mjs` — thin ARM client (token brokered by Azure CLI, public ARM
-  base only, SSRF-guarded path segments).
-- `catalog.mjs` — fetches and curates the connector list for a namespace.
-- `install.mjs` — the connect/install pipeline (managed-API connection, consent,
-  rollback on cancel, and native HTTPS MCP config registration).
-- `renderer.mjs` — all canvas HTML/CSS/client JS.
-- `sandbox.mjs` — builds namespace playground links and resolves named My MCPs.
-- `state.mjs` — saved namespace and connector state.
-
-## Privacy & security
-
-- ARM tokens come from `az account get-access-token`, stay in process memory,
-  and are never logged or written by the extension. Azure CLI owns sign-in and
-  credential storage.
-- All servers bind to loopback (`127.0.0.1`) and are never exposed externally.
-- ARM requests go only to `https://management.azure.com/`; path segments are
-  validated to prevent SSRF-style host smuggling.
-- The minted gateway API key is stored in the selected Copilot MCP config and
-  sent to its validated HTTPS endpoint as the `X-API-Key` header.
+1. Open the **MCP Connectors** canvas in the GitHub Copilot app.
+2. Select **Sign in to Azure** and complete Microsoft Entra authentication in
+   your browser.
+3. Choose an Azure subscription and Connector Namespace.
+4. Browse or search the catalog, then select **Connect** on an MCP server.
+5. Complete the connector's sign-in or consent flow when prompted.
+6. Confirm the server appears under **My MCPs**.
+7. Restart the GitHub Copilot app so the new tools become available to the
+   agent.
+
+Use **Sandbox** on a connected server to inspect it in the Connector Namespace
+playground. Use **Change namespace** to switch subscriptions or namespaces.
+
+## Authentication and privacy
+
+Azure sign-in and connector sign-in are separate:
+
+- **Azure sign-in** lets the canvas discover and manage Connector Namespace
+  resources. Access and refresh tokens are stored in the operating system's
+  encrypted credential store. To select that encrypted cache entry after an app
+  restart, the extension separately saves a non-secret authentication record
+  containing the authority, client ID, account ID, tenant ID, and username under
+  `~/.copilot/extensions/connector-namespaces/artifacts/azure-auth-record.json`,
+  with user-only permissions where supported. Raw tokens are never written to
+  extension files.
+- **Connector sign-in** grants an individual MCP server access to its backing
+  service. The resulting connection is managed by Connector Namespace.
+
+The canvas serves its interface from loopback only (`127.0.0.1`). Azure
+management requests are restricted to `https://management.azure.com/`.
+The gateway API key that lets Copilot reach a connected server is stored in the
+user-scoped GitHub Copilot MCP configuration and sent only to that server's
+configured HTTPS endpoint.
 
 ## License
 

extensions/connector-namespaces/armClient.mjs

@@ -1,62 +1,17 @@
-// ARM API client — fetches real connector data with Azure CLI credentials.
+// ARM API client — fetches real connector data with interactive Azure credentials.
 
-import { exec, execFile } from "node:child_process";
 import { constants as fsConstants, promises as fs } from "node:fs";
-import { homedir, platform } from "node:os";
-import { basename, delimiter, dirname, isAbsolute, join, resolve, sep } from "node:path";
-import { promisify } from "node:util";
+import { platform } from "node:os";
+import { basename, isAbsolute, join, resolve, sep } from "node:path";
+import { getToken } from "./auth.mjs";
+
+export { getToken };
 
 const API_VERSION = "2026-05-01-preview";
 const RG_API_VERSION = "2021-04-01";
 const MSI_API_VERSION = "2023-01-31";
 const SUBS_API_VERSION = "2020-01-01";
 
-const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
-const execAsync = promisify(exec);
-const ARM_RESOURCE = "https://management.azure.com/";
-const EXPIRY_SKEW_MS = 5 * 60 * 1000;
-const LEGACY_AUTH_CACHE = join(
-    process.env.COPILOT_HOME || join(homedir(), ".copilot"),
-    "extensions",
-    "connector-namespaces",
-    "artifacts",
-    "auth-cache.json",
-);
-
-let s_auth = null; // { token, expiresAt }
-let s_authInFlight = null;
-let s_legacyAuthCacheRemoved = false;
-
-export function parseAzureCliToken(stdout) {
-    let data;
-    try {
-        data = JSON.parse(stdout);
-    } catch {
-        throw new Error("Azure CLI returned invalid token JSON.");
-    }
-    const token = data?.accessToken;
-    const epochSeconds = Number(data?.expires_on);
-    const expiresAt = Number.isFinite(epochSeconds) && epochSeconds > 0
-        ? epochSeconds * 1000
-        : Date.parse(data?.expiresOn);
-    if (typeof token !== "string" || token.length === 0 || !Number.isFinite(expiresAt)) {
-        throw new Error("Azure CLI returned an incomplete ARM token.");
-    }
-    return { token, expiresAt };
-}
-
-async function removeLegacyAuthCache() {
-    if (s_legacyAuthCacheRemoved) return;
-    try {
-        await fs.unlink(LEGACY_AUTH_CACHE);
-    } catch (error) {
-        if (error?.code !== "ENOENT") {
-            throw new Error(`Could not remove the legacy connector credential cache at ${LEGACY_AUTH_CACHE}: ${error.message}`);
-        }
-    }
-    s_legacyAuthCacheRemoved = true;
-}
-
 function windowsSystemExecutable(name) {
     const systemRoot = process.env.SystemRoot;
     if (systemRoot && isAbsolute(systemRoot)) return join(systemRoot, "System32", name);
@@ -92,29 +47,6 @@ async function trustedExecutablePath(path, expectedName, workspaceRoot = process
     return candidate;
 }
 
-async function resolveWindowsAzureCli() {
-    const trustedCwd = homedir();
-    const { stdout } = await execFileAsync(
-        windowsSystemExecutable("where.exe"),
-        ["az.cmd"],
-        { cwd: trustedCwd, encoding: "utf8", windowsHide: true, timeout: 10_000, maxBuffer: 64 * 1024 },
-    );
-    for (const path of stdout.split(/\r?\n/).map((line) => line.trim())) {
-        if (/[%]/.test(path)) continue;
-        const candidate = await trustedExecutablePath(path, "az.cmd");
-        if (candidate) return candidate;
-    }
-    throw new Error("Azure CLI was not found outside the current workspace.");
-}
-
-export async function resolvePosixAzureCli(pathValue = process.env.PATH || "", workspaceRoot = process.cwd()) {
-    for (const directory of pathValue.split(delimiter)) {
-        const candidate = await trustedExecutablePath(resolve(directory || workspaceRoot, "az"), "az", workspaceRoot);
-        if (candidate) return candidate;
-    }
-    throw new Error("Azure CLI was not found outside the current workspace.");
-}
-
 export async function resolveSystemExecutable(name, workspaceRoot = process.cwd()) {
     const candidates = platform() === "win32"
         ? [windowsSystemExecutable(name)]
@@ -126,41 +58,6 @@ export async function resolveSystemExecutable(name, workspaceRoot = process.cwd(
     throw new Error(`Could not resolve the trusted system executable ${name}.`);
 }
 
-async function acquireToken() {
-    await removeLegacyAuthCache();
-    try {
-        const windows = platform() === "win32";
-        const azureCli = windows ? await resolveWindowsAzureCli() : await resolvePosixAzureCli();
-        const options = { cwd: homedir(), encoding: "utf8", windowsHide: true, timeout: 60_000, maxBuffer: 1024 * 1024 };
-        const { stdout } = windows
-            ? await execAsync(
-                `"${azureCli}" account get-access-token --resource https://management.azure.com/ --output json --only-show-errors`,
-                { ...options, shell: windowsSystemExecutable("cmd.exe") },
-            )
-            : await execFileAsync(
-                azureCli,
-                ["account", "get-access-token", "--resource", ARM_RESOURCE, "--output", "json", "--only-show-errors"],
-                options,
-            );
-        s_auth = parseAzureCliToken(stdout);
-        return s_auth.token;
-    } catch (error) {
-        const detail = String(error?.stderr || error?.message || "").trim();
-        throw new Error(
-            `Azure CLI authentication failed. Install Azure CLI and run "az login" before opening the canvas.${detail ? ` ${detail}` : ""}`,
-        );
-    }
-}
-
-export async function getToken() {
-    if (s_auth && s_auth.expiresAt - EXPIRY_SKEW_MS > Date.now()) return s_auth.token;
-    if (s_authInFlight) return s_authInFlight;
-    s_authInFlight = acquireToken().finally(() => {
-        s_authInFlight = null;
-    });
-    return s_authInFlight;
-}
-
 /**
  * List all enabled Azure subscriptions the user has access to.
  */
@@ -170,9 +67,13 @@ export async function getToken() {
 let s_subsCache = null; // { subs, expiresAt }
 const SUBS_TTL_MS = 30 * 60 * 1000;
 
-export async function listSubscriptions() {
+export function invalidateSubscriptionsCache() {
+    s_subsCache = null;
+}
+
+export async function listSubscriptions({ forceRefresh = false } = {}) {
     const now = Date.now();
-    if (s_subsCache && s_subsCache.expiresAt > now) return s_subsCache.subs;
+    if (!forceRefresh && s_subsCache && s_subsCache.expiresAt > now) return s_subsCache.subs;
     const token = await getToken();
     const url = `https://management.azure.com/subscriptions?api-version=${SUBS_API_VERSION}`;
     const raw = await paginateAll(url, token);