MCP Servers for Cursor: The Complete Guide

Why Cursor + MCP Is Powerful

Cursor is already an AI-powered editor. MCP servers make it even more capable by connecting it to databases, APIs, project management tools, and more — all accessible through natural language in the editor.

Setting Up MCP in Cursor

Method 1: Cursor Settings UI

1. Open Cursor
2. Go to Settings (Cmd+, on Mac, Ctrl+, on Windows)
3. Navigate to MCP in the sidebar
4. Click Add Server
5. Enter the server details (name, command, args)
6. Save and restart Cursor

Method 2: Configuration File

Create or edit .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

json{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "."]
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

For global configuration (applies to all projects), place the file at ~/.cursor/mcp.json.

Essential MCP Servers for Cursor

1. GitHub MCP Server

The most natural pairing. From Cursor, you can:

• Create and review pull requests
• Manage issues without leaving the editor
• Search code across repositories
• Create branches and commits

json"github": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
  "env": { "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_..." }
}

Usage: "Create a pull request for this branch with a summary of my changes."

2. PostgreSQL MCP Server

Query your development database from the editor:

json"postgres": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres", "postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb"]
}

Usage: "Show me the schema for the users table" or "Write a migration to add an email_verified column."

3. Memory MCP Server

Persistent context across Cursor sessions:

json"memory": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["@anthropic-ai/mcp-server-memory"]
}

Usage: "Remember that this project uses Tailwind CSS with a custom color palette defined in tailwind.config.ts."

4. Brave Search MCP Server

Research documentation, libraries, and solutions without leaving the editor:

json"brave-search": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["@anthropic-ai/mcp-server-brave-search"],
  "env": { "BRAVE_API_KEY": "your-key" }
}

Usage: "Search for the best React library for drag-and-drop lists in 2026."

5. Puppeteer MCP Server

Visual testing and web automation:

json"puppeteer": {
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["@anthropic-ai/mcp-server-puppeteer"]
}

Usage: "Take a screenshot of localhost:3000 and tell me if the layout looks broken."

Developer Workflows

Database-Driven Development

With PostgreSQL MCP connected:

1. Ask Cursor to inspect your schema
2. Have it write queries based on table structure
3. Generate TypeScript types from database schema
4. Write and test migrations
5. Seed development data

GitHub-Integrated Workflow

With GitHub MCP connected:

1. "What issues are assigned to me?"
2. Work on the code
3. "Create a PR for this branch. Title: Fix user auth redirect. Include a summary of the changes."
4. "Check if CI passed on my latest PR"

Research-Assisted Coding

With Brave Search connected:

1. "How do I implement WebSocket authentication in Next.js?"
2. "Find the documentation for the Stripe webhook verification API"
3. "What's the recommended way to handle file uploads in Node.js in 2026?"

Troubleshooting

Server not connecting:
- Check the Cursor MCP panel for error messages
- Run the npx command manually in terminal to see if it starts
- Verify environment variables are set correctly

Performance issues:
- Don't run too many servers simultaneously — 3-5 is usually the sweet spot
- Servers that watch file systems can be resource-intensive

Authentication failures:
- Regenerate tokens if they've expired
- Check that tokens have the required scopes (GitHub needs repo access, etc.)

Finding More Servers

Browse the full catalog of developer-focused MCP servers on a-gnt.com. Filter by "Developer Tools" to see servers built for coding workflows. Each listing includes Cursor-specific configuration.