How to Add MCP to Cursor

To add MCP to Cursor, install a server from the Cursor Marketplace, or put it in mcp.json as a local command or a remote URL. ToolRouter’s documented path is one click, or npx -y toolrouter-mcp in .cursor/mcp.json. After a restart, the agent can call catalog skills the same way Claude or ChatGPT would, except the host is Cursor.

Cursor’s own MCP documentation is the client reference. The Model Context Protocol is the protocol. ToolRouter is a hosted catalog on that protocol. This page is the Cursor-specific install, not a rewrite of the Claude connector guide.

What Cursor supports#

Cursor lists three transports:

According to Cursor’s MCP docs, tools, prompts, resources, roots, elicitation, and MCP Apps UI are supported. Tool approval follows Cursor’s Run Mode. You can disable a server from Customize without deleting the file.

Two file locations, also from Cursor:

• Project: .cursor/mcp.json in the repo (shareable with the team if you commit it).
• Global: ~/.cursor/mcp.json on macOS/Linux, %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json on Windows.

If the same name exists in both, the project file wins.

Grok Bot is not Cursor. Grok Bot rejects local npx and wants public HTTPS. See How to add MCP to Grok Bot and Grok Bot vs Grok. Do not copy a Bot plugin flow into Cursor, or a Cursor stdio block into Grok Bot.

Install ToolRouter automatically#

Use the deeplink from Connect Cursor:

Install ToolRouter in Cursor

Cursor writes the server and connects. You need Node.js 18+ because npx runs locally.

Install with mcp.json (local)#

Create .cursor/mcp.json in the project root, or the global file if you want the catalog in every workspace:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "toolrouter": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "toolrouter-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Cursor. Tools should appear under Available Tools. No API key in the file. ToolRouter creates the account on first use.

Cursor interpolates ${env:NAME}, ${userHome}, and ${workspaceFolder} in command, args, env, url, and headers. Put secrets in the environment, not in a committed JSON file.

Install as a remote URL#

If you would rather not run npx on the laptop (locked-down machine, or you already use HTTPS everywhere else):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "toolrouter": {
      "url": "https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

That is the same URL grok.com and ChatGPT Developer mode use. Claude’s current custom-connector URL is https://api.toolrouter.com/mcp/anthropic (Connect Claude); do not mix that path into Cursor unless you are following a Claude-specific instruction.

Enterprise teams can allowlist commands and URLs from the Cursor dashboard. If MCP is blocked, that policy is the first thing to check, not ToolRouter.

The prompt to type#

Once the server shows as connected:

Audit this URL for SEO and list the top three fixes:
https://example.com/pricing

Or:

Scrape https://example.com/pricing into a table of plan names and prices.

Cursor routes those to catalog tools such as SEO Analysis or Web Scraper when ToolRouter is enabled. Ask in plain English. Toggle the server off from Customize if you want a session without extra tools.

For a broader catalog, open the live tools page. Do not hard-code a count; it moves.

When ToolRouter is not the answer#

• You only needed a local filesystem or GitHub MCP from the Cursor Marketplace. Install that plugin.
• Your admin allowlist does not include npx or api.toolrouter.com. Ask them first.
• You are on Grok Bot. Use the plugin flow.

Connect ToolRouter, restart Cursor, and ask for the job in the agent chat.