TL;DR

Cursor is a VS Code fork with first-class MCP support. Configure servers at `.cursor/mcp.json` (per project) or `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (global) — same JSON shape as Claude Code. Cursor's visual MCP UI and composer integration make it the easiest graphical client for MCP newcomers.

AI Client

Best MCPs for Cursor

The AI-first code editor — a VS Code fork with deep Claude/GPT integration and MCP support

Official siteJSON config

Setup: add an MCP server to Cursor

1
Download Cursor from cursor.com and install
2
Open a project in Cursor, then create `.cursor/mcp.json` in the project root (or use ~/.cursor/mcp.json for global)
3
Add your MCP server config in the same `mcpServers` JSON shape as Claude Code
4
Open Cursor Settings → MCP and verify the server shows green. Tools appear in the agent's tool picker.
5
Use `@` or the composer's tool menu to invoke MCP tools directly in chat

Config file.cursor/mcp.json (per project) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global)

Config example

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "supabase": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@supabase/mcp-server-supabase@latest"],
      "env": {
        "SUPABASE_URL": "https://your-project.supabase.co",
        "SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY": "sbp_..."
      }
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Real secrets should never be committed — use environment variables or your editor's secrets manager.

Top 10 MCPs for Cursor

1🐙

GitHub

View MCP

Cursor's composer + GitHub MCP = full PR lifecycle without leaving the editor. Most popular install.

2🟢

Supabase

View MCP

Inspect your Supabase project schema, run queries, and migrate — all from the Cursor agent pane.

3🐘

Postgres

View MCP

For non-Supabase Postgres users. Cursor's inline preview of query results is great for DB exploration.

4💳

Stripe

View MCP

Quick billing answers and subscription edits without opening the Stripe dashboard.

5📐

Linear

View MCP

Open Linear issues from Cursor, push branch names that reference tickets, close tickets on merge.

6📝

Notion

View MCP

Read specs and ADRs inline. Cursor's chat UI makes Notion doc lookups feel seamless.

7▲

Vercel

View MCP

Debug failed deploys from Cursor — fetch logs, compare preview URLs, redeploy.

8🐛

Sentry

View MCP

Paste a stack trace or Sentry issue ID into Cursor; the MCP fetches context so Cursor proposes the fix.

9🔥

Firecrawl

View MCP

Scrape docs and third-party APIs directly into Cursor's context window. Game-changer for integrating unfamiliar SDKs.

10🎭

Playwright

View MCP

Cursor + Playwright MCP = AI writing and running E2E tests in the same session. Perfect for TDD.

What Cursor does well

Visual MCP UI — Settings → MCP shows server status, latency, and tool list without needing the terminal
Per-project `.cursor/mcp.json` makes it trivial to share MCP config with the team via git
Composer mode can pick and invoke MCP tools automatically based on the task
Model-agnostic — works with Claude, GPT, Gemini, or your own model via OpenAI-compatible API
Built-in MCP marketplace (browse community servers without leaving the editor)

Honest limitations

Some MCP features (like prompts and resources) are still catching up to Claude Code's coverage
Telemetry defaults to on — privacy-conscious users should disable it in settings
MCP performance can stutter on Windows with certain stdio servers (known issue, improving)

Frequently asked questions

What's the best MCP for Cursor?

GitHub MCP is the most-installed. After that: Supabase/Postgres for data, Linear for tickets, and Firecrawl for web scraping inside the editor. Start with these four and add more as you need them.

Where is Cursor's MCP config?

Per project: `.cursor/mcp.json` in the repo root. Global: `~/.cursor/mcp.json`. Project config overrides global. Same JSON shape as Claude Code, so you can often copy/paste between them.

Does Cursor support remote MCP servers?

Yes — use `url` instead of `command` in the config entry. Cursor handles SSE and stdio-over-HTTP. Good for team-shared MCPs hosted on your infra.

Can I share MCP config with my team?

Yes — commit `.cursor/mcp.json` to git. Use env vars for secrets (Cursor reads from your shell env or a `.env` in the repo). Team members run Cursor, the config loads automatically.

Does Cursor work with Claude models?

Yes — Cursor supports Claude, GPT, Gemini, and custom models. MCP servers are model-agnostic, so the same MCP works regardless of which model you've selected in Cursor's model picker.

Other clients

Claude Code

Anthropic's terminal-based AI coding agent with native MCP support

10 MCPs

Windsurf

Codeium's agentic IDE — a deeply AI-integrated editor with Cascade agent and MCP support

10 MCPs

VS Code with GitHub Copilot

Microsoft's flagship editor with Copilot Chat agent mode and native MCP support

10 MCPs

Install your first MCP on Cursor

Pick from the top 10 curated above, or browse the full marketplace of 100+ MCPs.

Browse Marketplace MCPs by Role

{ "mcpServers": { "supabase": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@supabase/mcp-server-supabase@latest"], "env": { "SUPABASE_URL": "https://your-project.supabase.co", "SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY": "sbp_..." } }, "github": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"], "env": { "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_..." } } } }

Top 10 MCPs for Cursor

1🐙

GitHub

View MCP

Cursor's composer + GitHub MCP = full PR lifecycle without leaving the editor. Most popular install.

2🟢

Supabase

View MCP

Inspect your Supabase project schema, run queries, and migrate — all from the Cursor agent pane.

3🐘

Postgres

View MCP

For non-Supabase Postgres users. Cursor's inline preview of query results is great for DB exploration.

4💳

Stripe

View MCP

Quick billing answers and subscription edits without opening the Stripe dashboard.

5📐

Linear

View MCP

Open Linear issues from Cursor, push branch names that reference tickets, close tickets on merge.

6📝

Notion

View MCP

Read specs and ADRs inline. Cursor's chat UI makes Notion doc lookups feel seamless.

7▲

Vercel

View MCP

Debug failed deploys from Cursor — fetch logs, compare preview URLs, redeploy.

8🐛

Sentry

View MCP

Paste a stack trace or Sentry issue ID into Cursor; the MCP fetches context so Cursor proposes the fix.

9🔥

Firecrawl

View MCP

Scrape docs and third-party APIs directly into Cursor's context window. Game-changer for integrating unfamiliar SDKs.

10🎭

Playwright

View MCP

Cursor + Playwright MCP = AI writing and running E2E tests in the same session. Perfect for TDD.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best MCP for Cursor?

GitHub MCP is the most-installed. After that: Supabase/Postgres for data, Linear for tickets, and Firecrawl for web scraping inside the editor. Start with these four and add more as you need them.

Where is Cursor's MCP config?

Per project: `.cursor/mcp.json` in the repo root. Global: `~/.cursor/mcp.json`. Project config overrides global. Same JSON shape as Claude Code, so you can often copy/paste between them.

Does Cursor support remote MCP servers?

Yes — use `url` instead of `command` in the config entry. Cursor handles SSE and stdio-over-HTTP. Good for team-shared MCPs hosted on your infra.

Can I share MCP config with my team?

Yes — commit `.cursor/mcp.json` to git. Use env vars for secrets (Cursor reads from your shell env or a `.env` in the repo). Team members run Cursor, the config loads automatically.

Does Cursor work with Claude models?

Yes — Cursor supports Claude, GPT, Gemini, and custom models. MCP servers are model-agnostic, so the same MCP works regardless of which model you've selected in Cursor's model picker.