RedNote MCP for VS Code: Setup & Config

What you can do with RedNote in VS Code

A focused Xiaohongshu note-access bridge with keyword search and reusable browser authentication.

• Search Xiaohongshu notes by keyword from an assistant.
• Reuse an initialized login session across MCP interactions.

Before you start: RedNote in VS Code

• Node.js 16 or later
• npm 7 or later
• Playwright browser environment
• A manually initialized Xiaohongshu login session
• An MCP-compatible client

The README begins with npx playwright install. Its global setup runs npm install -g rednote-mcp followed by rednote-mcp init for browser login. Cookies are saved to ~/.mcp/rednote/cookies.json. The --stdio flag is required in the documented Cursor configuration. No required environment variables are stated.

RedNote VS Code configuration

1. Choose VS Code configuration scope

   For RedNote MCP, open Workspace: .vscode/mcp.json. Merge into servers; preserve existing inputs.

2. Add RedNote MCP to VS Code

   Use the RedNote-MCP entry below in servers. Keep RedNote MCP's documented stdio connection fields and your other VS Code entries.

3. Check RedNote MCP in VS Code

   RedNote MCP: Start in VS Code’s MCP controls; inspect output and trust prompts.

{
  "servers": {
    "RedNote-MCP": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "rednote-mcp",
        "--stdio"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

RedNote tools available to VS Code

RedNote's stored tool list documents 1 tool; compare it with VS Code's connected tool list, because the stored list is not a live check.

login

Look for login among VS Code's agent-mode tools after starting RedNote through the MCP controls.

Initialize authentication from an MCP client; the README does not detail its parameters.

RedNote: full stored tool descriptions

Troubleshooting RedNote in VS Code

• Make npx rednote-mcp (Node.js/npm) available in the workspace, container, or remote environment hosting RedNote MCP. Start through VS Code's MCP controls; inspect output and trust prompts.
• RedNote MCP uses stdio here: VS Code must keep the configured process running; protocol output belongs on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
• Known limitation: Initial login must be completed manually in a browser.
• Known limitation: Saved cookies are sensitive and need periodic renewal.
• Known limitation: Comment retrieval by URL is not yet implemented.
• General VS Code troubleshooting lives in the /clients/vscode guide.

Frequently asked questions