# Cursor IDE MCP Setup: mcp.json Location, Format & 20+ Server Examples (2026)

> Cursor IDE MCP config lives in ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json in your project. Full mcp.json format, where to find the file on Mac and Windows, and copy-paste examples for Playwright, GitHub, Notion, Linear and 20+ more MCP servers.

**Source:** https://mcpplaygroundonline.com/blog/cursor-mcp-setup-guide  
**Author:** Nikhil Tiwari  
**Published:** 2026-01-12  
**Updated:** 2026-05-28  
**Category:** Tutorial  
**Reading time:** 10 min read

---

✓ Quick Answer

**Cursor IDE MCP config file location:** Cursor reads MCP servers from `~/.cursor/mcp.json` for global servers (available in every project) and `.cursor/mcp.json` inside a project folder for project-scoped servers.

```
# macOS / Linux (global)
~/.cursor/mcp.json

# Windows (global)
%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json

# Per-project (any OS)
<project-root>/.cursor/mcp.json
```

Want to verify the server works before adding it to Cursor? Use the free [MCP tester](/mcp-tester) — paste your URL and check tools/list in seconds.

📖 TL;DR - Quick Setup

1.  Open Cursor Settings → **Tools & MCP**
2.  Click **"Add new MCP server"**
3.  Fill in: Name, Type, URL (or command), and Headers
4.  Click **Install** → Restart Cursor

Cursor IDE has built-in support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing you to extend Claude's capabilities with custom tools and integrations. This guide shows you how to configure MCP servers in Cursor.

Table of Contents

1.  [Why Use MCP in Cursor?](#why-mcp)
2.  [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
3.  [Method 1: UI Setup](#setup)
4.  [Method 2: JSON Config](#json-setup)
5.  [Popular Configurations](#configs)
6.  [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)

## Why Use MCP in Cursor?

With MCP servers, Cursor's AI can:

**🗄️ Database Access** Query external databases and APIs

**📁 File Management** Read/write files beyond workspace

**🔗 Service Integrations** GitHub, Notion, Slack, and more

**🎭 Browser Automation** Playwright for testing & scraping

## Prerequisites

⚡

**Cursor IDE** v1.0 or later

🟢

**Node.js 18+** For npm servers

🐍

**Python 3.10+** For Python servers

## Method 1: Add via Cursor Settings UI

### Step 1: Open MCP Settings

🍎 **macOS**

`Cmd + , → Tools & MCP`

🪟 **Windows**

`Ctrl + , → Tools & MCP`

### Step 2: Fill in Server Details

Click **"Add new MCP server"** and fill in the form:

Field

Description

Example

**Name**

A unique identifier for your server

`github`, `supabase`

**Type**

Connection type for the server

`command` or `streamableHttp`

**Command/URL**

The command to run or HTTP endpoint

`npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github`

**Headers**

Authentication headers (for HTTP type)

`Authorization: Api-Key your_key`

### Step 3: Click Install & Restart

After filling in the details, click **Install**. Then restart Cursor completely for changes to take effect.

**✅ Tip:** For HTTP-based servers, use `streamableHttp` type. For local CLI servers, use `command` type.

## Method 2: Configure via JSON File

For project-specific servers or bulk configuration, create a `.cursor/mcp.json` file in your project root:

```
{
 "mcpServers": {
 "filesystem": {
 "command": "npx",
 "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/folder"]
 }
 }
}
```

**📁 File Location:** `<project-root>/.cursor/mcp.json` — This method is great for sharing MCP configs with your team via version control.

## Popular Cursor MCP Configurations

Here are ready-to-use configurations for both UI and JSON methods:

🐙 **GitHub Integration** Repos, Issues, PRs

UI Form Values

-   **Name:** `github`
-   **Type:** `streamableHttp`
-   **URL:** `https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/`
-   **Headers:** `Authorization: Bearer ghp_your_token`

GitHub's official MCP server is now hosted remotely — the old `@modelcontextprotocol/server-github` npm package is no longer maintained.

JSON Config (.cursor/mcp.json)

```
"github": {
 "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/",
 "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ghp_your_token" }
}
```

⚡ **Supabase Database** Database, Auth, Storage

UI Form Values

-   **Name:** `supabase`
-   **Type:** `command`
-   **Command:** `npx -y @supabase/mcp-server-supabase@latest`
-   **Env:** `SUPABASE_URL=https://xxx.supabase.co`

JSON Config (.cursor/mcp.json)

```
"supabase": {
 "command": "npx",
 "args": ["-y", "@supabase/mcp-server-supabase@latest"],
 "env": { 
 "SUPABASE_URL": "https://xxx.supabase.co", 
 "SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY": "xxx" 
 }
}
```

🎭 **Playwright** Browser Automation

UI Form Values

-   **Name:** `playwright`
-   **Type:** `command`
-   **Command:** `npx -y @playwright/mcp@latest`

JSON Config (.cursor/mcp.json)

```
"playwright": {
 "command": "npx",
 "args": ["-y", "@playwright/mcp@latest"]
}
```

### HTTP-based MCP Server Example

For servers that use HTTP/SSE transport (like many cloud-hosted MCP servers):

🌐 **HTTP Server Example** streamableHttp type

UI Form Values

-   **Name:** `my-cloud-server`
-   **Type:** `streamableHttp`
-   **URL:** `https://api.example.com/mcp`
-   **Headers:** `Authorization: Api-Key your_api_key`

## Restart & Verify

**⚠️ Important:** You must completely quit and reopen Cursor after installing a server. MCP servers only load at startup.

### Verify MCP Connection

To check if your MCP servers are working:

1.  Open the Cursor chat (`Cmd+L` on Mac, `Ctrl+L` on Windows)
2.  Ask Claude: _"What MCP tools do you have available?"_
3.  You should see tools from your configured servers listed

**✅ Success:** If configured correctly, you'll see the server listed under "Installed MCP Servers" in Settings → Tools & MCP.

## Using MCP Tools in Cursor

Once configured, simply ask Claude to use the tools naturally:

Example Prompts

-   "Read the README file from my GitHub repo"
-   "Query the users table in my Supabase database"
-   "Take a screenshot of https://example.com"

## Troubleshooting

**❌ MCP server not appearing +**

-   Verify your JSON syntax is valid (use a JSON validator)
-   Make sure you completely restarted Cursor
-   Check that Node.js is installed: `node --version`

**❌ "Command not found" error +**

Use the full path to npx. Find it with:

`which npx # macOS/Linux where npx # Windows`

**❌ Tools not working properly +**

-   Verify API keys/tokens are correct
-   Check that the API key has required permissions
-   Test the server with [MCP Playground](/mcp-test-server) first

Ready to test your MCP servers?

[Test MCP Server →](/mcp-test-server) [Browse 10000+ Servers](/mcp-registry)

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Where does Cursor store MCP config? +**

Cursor stores MCP configuration in `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (global) or `.cursor/mcp.json` (per project). You can also manage servers from the UI via **Settings → Tools & MCP**. The format is the same as Claude Desktop's `claude_desktop_config.json`.

**Can I use the same config as Claude Desktop? +**

Yes! Cursor uses the same JSON format as Claude Desktop. You can copy your `mcpServers` configuration directly between them.

**How many MCP servers can I add? +**

You can add as many MCP servers as you need. Each server runs as a separate process. Just add them as additional entries in your `mcpServers` configuration.

**Do MCP servers work with all Cursor features? +**

MCP servers work with Cursor's chat feature (Cmd+L / Ctrl+L). Claude will automatically use the tools when relevant to your requests. They're not available in autocomplete or inline edits.

---

_Canonical page: https://mcpplaygroundonline.com/blog/cursor-mcp-setup-guide — MCP Playground (mcpplaygroundonline.com), the free browser-based tool for testing MCP servers and building AI agents._