MCP: The Universal Connector
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that connects Cursor's AI agents to external tools, databases, and services. Think of it as USB for AI — build an MCP server once, connect it to any AI client.
How MCP Works in Cursor
- Cursor acts as the MCP Client
- MCP Servers expose tools, resources, and prompts
- When an agent needs data, it calls an MCP tool
- The server executes the request and returns results to the agent
Configuration
| Scope | Location | Use Case |
|---|
| Global | ~/.cursor/mcp.json | Tools available in all projects |
| Project | .cursor/mcp.json | Project-specific databases, APIs |
// .cursor/mcp.json example
{
"mcpServers": {
"postgres": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres"],
"env": { "DATABASE_URL": "postgresql://..." }
}
}
}
Popular MCP Servers
- Filesystem: Read/write files outside the project
- PostgreSQL/MySQL: Query databases directly from the AI
- GitHub: Create PRs, manage issues, review code
- Notion/Slack: Read docs, send notifications
- Brave Search: Web search from within the editor
Deep Dive: For a comprehensive MCP curriculum (9+ modules), visit the dedicated
MCP Academy covering server building, client integration, security, and enterprise deployment.