cursor-sdk-mcp
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that lets MCP clients such as Claude Code invoke the Cursor SDK and use Cursor Agent capabilities as tools for local and cloud coding workflows.
What it does
The server speaks MCP over stdio and exposes these tools:
| Tool | Description | | --- | --- | | cursor_whoami | Verify the configured Cursor API key and return the authenticated identity. | | cursor_list_models | List the Cursor models available to the account. | | cursor_run_agent | Compatibility alias for a local Cursor Agent run against one cwd. | | cursor_run_local_agent | Run a local Cursor Agent against one or more working directories with optional Cursor MCP settings, inline MCP servers, subagents, sandboxing, and auto-review. | | cursor_run_cloud_agent | Run a Cursor Cloud Agent in a Cursor-hosted or self-hosted environment, optionally cloning repos and creating PRs. | | cursor_follow_up | Continue a previous agent conversation by agentId. | | cursor_get_agent | Fetch agent metadata. | | cursor_list_runs | List runs for an agent. | | cursor_get_run | Fetch one run by runId. | | cursor_cancel_run | Cancel one run by runId. | | cursor_list_artifacts | List artifacts produced by an agent. | | cursor_download_artifact | Download an artifact as base64 content. |
Under the hood it uses @cursor/sdk's local and cloud runtimes. Local agents read/write files on disk from this Node process. Cloud agents run in Cursor-hosted or self-hosted environments and can use Cursor account/team MCP configuration from cursor.com/agents.
Requirements
- Node.js >= 22.13 (required by
@cursor/sdk). - A Cursor API key. Create one at the Cursor Dashboard → API Keys (user key) or Team settings
(service account key).
Install & build
npm install
npm run build
Configure
Set your API key (see .env.example):
export CURSOR_API_KEY="your-cursor-api-key"
# Optional: default model id used when a tool call omits one (default: "auto")
export CURSOR_MCP_DEFAULT_MODEL="auto"
Use with Claude Code
Register the server with Claude Code (stdio):
claude mcp add cursor-sdk -- node /absolute/path/to/cursor-sdk-mcp/dist/index.js
Or add it to your MCP client config manually:
{
"mcpServers": {
"cursor-sdk": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/cursor-sdk-mcp/dist/index.js"],
"env": { "CURSOR_API_KEY": "your-cursor-api-key" }
}
}
}
Then ask Claude Code to, for example, "use the cursor agent to refactor src/auth.ts", and it will call cursor_run_local_agent or the compatibility cursor_run_agent.
Local agent usage
Use cursor_run_local_agent when the agent should work in local directories:
{
"prompt": "Refactor src/server.ts to split schemas into src/schemas.ts and run tests.",
"cwd": "/absolute/path/to/repo",
"model": "auto",
"mode": "agent",
"settingSources": ["project", "user", "plugins"],
"autoReview": true
}
settingSources controls which Cursor MCP/settings layers the local runtime loads from disk. You can also pass inline mcpServers, agents, and sandboxOptions for one-off tool wiring and safety. For local cursor_follow_up, lifecycle, and artifact calls, pass the same cwd used to create the agent so the SDK can find persisted local agent state.
Cloud agent usage
Use cursor_run_cloud_agent when the agent should run in Cursor Cloud:
{
"prompt": "Add tests for the auth middleware and open a PR.",
"repos": [{ "url": "https://github.com/your-org/your-repo", "startingRef": "main" }],
"model": "auto",
"autoCreatePR": true
}
repos can be omitted for an empty workspace or a named cloud environment. Cloud agents can use inline MCP plus Cursor account/team MCP configured at cursor.com/agents. Use the lifecycle tools to inspect runs, cancel work, and fetch artifacts.
Cursor MCP and skills strategy
- Local agents use inline MCP unless
settingSourcesincludes project, user, or plugin settings. - Local stdio MCP servers may include
cwd; cloud stdio MCP servers must not includecwd. - Cloud agents use inline MCP plus user/team MCP from
cursor.com/agents. - OAuth MCP must already be authorized in Cursor before local reuse.
- Cursor skills can live in
.cursor/skills/,.agents/skills/,~/.cursor/skills/, or
~/.agents/skills/.
- Claude Code skills are separate from this integration and are not loaded by Cursor Agent through
this MCP server.
Development
npm run dev # run from source with hot reload (tsx)
npm run typecheck # type-check only
npm run lint # eslint
npm test # integration tests (fake Cursor backend, no network)
npm run demo # spawn the built server over stdio and call its tools
RUN_AGENT=1 npm run demo # additionally run a real Cursor Agent (needs CURSOR_API_KEY)
How it's structured
src/cursor.ts—CursorServiceinterface +CursorSdkService(the@cursor/sdkwrapper).src/server.ts— builds theMcpServerand registers the tools. Decoupled from the SDK via
CursorService so tests can inject a fake backend.
src/index.ts— entry point; wires the real service to aStdioServerTransport.tests/server.test.ts— connects an in-memory MCP client to the server and exercises every tool.examples/demo-client.ts— end-to-end demo over a real stdio transport.
License
MIT






