Editor primer

Use MCP in Cursor

Direct answer

Cursor loads MCP servers from ~/.cursor/mcp.json for every workspace, or from .cursor/mcp.json in a project. Open Settings, Tools & MCP, then New MCP Server to edit the file. Remote servers need a url. Local servers need command and args. Reload Cursor and check that the server shows as connected before you prompt.

The two files

Global config lives at ~/.cursor/mcp.json and applies to every workspace. Project config lives at .cursor/mcp.json in the repo root and wins for that repo. Cursor documents both. If a server should not leak into other work, put it in the project file.

Settings, Tools & MCP

Open Cursor Settings, then Tools & MCP. New MCP Server opens the JSON file. After a reload, each server shows a connected state and the tool names it registered. That panel is how you confirm an install from this directory actually loaded.

url versus command

Remote servers (Context7, GitHub, Figma, Notion, Linear, Supabase, Sentry, Stripe) use a url. Local servers (Playwright, Firecrawl) use command andargs, and often env for keys. Cursor warns before it starts a stdio server because that process runs as you.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "url": "https://mcp.context7.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

How to verify

The server row in Tools & MCP is on, not red.
Tool chips appear under the server name.
A prompt that names the tool gets a tool call, not a hallucination.

Tool budget

Cursor will connect several servers. The agent still has a limited tool list (often described as about 40). Ten servers is already a lot if each one exposes a wide surface. Turn off servers you are not using this hour.

FAQ

Where is Cursor's mcp.json?

Global: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Project: .cursor/mcp.json in the repo root. Project entries override the global file for that workspace.

How do I add an MCP server in the UI?

Settings, Tools & MCP, New MCP Server. Cursor opens mcp.json. You can also create the file yourself.

What is the difference between url and command?

url is a remote HTTP or SSE server. command plus args is a local stdio process Cursor spawns. Stdio runs as your user; Cursor warns before it starts.

Why do some tools never get called?

Cursor exposes a limited tool budget (often discussed as about 40). Install fewer servers, or turn some off in Tools & MCP, if the agent ignores the new one.

Does this site install servers for me?

No. Each server page gives the JSON to paste. Cursor still has to load the file.