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MCP Glossary

Cursor

TL;DR

Cursor is an AI-first code editor forked from VS Code, built by Anysphere. It provides in-editor chat, auto-complete, multi-file refactoring, and MCP server integration via `.cursor/mcp.json`. It's one of the most popular MCP hosts among developers.

In depth

Cursor is a fork of Visual Studio Code, rebuilt with AI as the first-class feature. Instead of bolting AI onto an editor via extensions, Cursor bakes it into the core: the chat panel, code completion (Cursor Tab), the command-K refactor, and multi-file agent mode (Composer) are all LLM-native.

Cursor was one of the earliest adopters of MCP. You configure servers per-workspace in `.cursor/mcp.json` or globally in `~/.cursor/mcp.json`. The editor spawns each server, discovers its tools, and exposes them to Composer and chat. A Stripe MCP means Cursor can query your Stripe data during a coding session; a Supabase MCP means schema inspection is one command away.

Cursor supports multiple LLM backends: Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, and open-source via Ollama. You can switch per-request based on the task. Composer (the agent mode) handles multi-file refactors and feature implementations autonomously, using MCP tools as its extended toolkit.

Anysphere also maintains Cursor Rules — project-level instructions that shape agent behavior. Combined with MCP, this makes Cursor extensible both in UX and in backend integrations.

Code example

// .cursor/mcp.json in workspace root
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "supabase": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@supabase/mcp-server"],
      "env": { "SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN": "sbp_..." }
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
    }
  }
}

Examples

  • 1
    Using Cursor Composer to refactor a component with MCP-powered tests
  • 2
    Opening a GitHub PR directly from Cursor via the GitHub MCP
  • 3
    Querying Supabase from Cursor chat without leaving the editor
  • 4
    Cursor scanning a design file via a Figma MCP during implementation
  • 5
    Cursor running `.cursor/mcp.json` with 10+ servers for a monorepo

What it's NOT

  • ✗Cursor is NOT a VS Code extension — it's a separate fork (share config via VS Code sync).
  • ✗Cursor is NOT free for heavy use — paid plans unlock advanced models and higher limits.
  • ✗Cursor is NOT cloud-only — most inference runs against your chosen LLM provider.
  • ✗Cursor Composer is NOT limited to one file — it handles multi-file edits natively.

Related terms

MCP HostClaude CodeWindsurfVS Code + GitHub CopilotModel Context Protocol (MCP)

See also

  • Cursor Docs
  • Cursor MCP

Frequently asked questions

Is Cursor better than VS Code + Copilot?

For AI-heavy workflows, generally yes — Composer and in-editor chat are more integrated. For pure editing, VS Code is comparable.

Does Cursor support MCP?

Yes — full MCP support via `.cursor/mcp.json`. One of the earliest MCP hosts.

Can I use Claude in Cursor?

Yes — Cursor supports Claude Sonnet 4, Claude Opus 4, GPT-4o, Gemini 2.5, and more. Switch per-request.

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