Best MCP servers for Cursor: picks and mcp.json setup

Setup, step by step

1. Step 1

   Install from the Cursor Marketplace

   Open Customize in Cursor and browse the Cursor Marketplace. Click Add to Cursor on a server, then sign in with OAuth if it asks. Community plugins and servers are listed on cursor.directory instead.

2. Step 2

   Or add servers to mcp.json

   Create ~/.cursor/mcp.json for servers you want in every project, or .cursor/mcp.json for one project. A remote server takes a url. A local server takes a command and args, which Cursor starts for you. This example adds Context7 and Playwright.

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "context7": {
         "url": "https://mcp.context7.com/mcp"
       },
       "playwright": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@playwright/mcp@latest"]
       }
     }
   }

3. Step 3

   Add a token where a server needs one

   GitHub's hosted server needs a personal access token in Cursor. Put it in a header, and keep the token out of the file with an environment variable reference if the file is shared.

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "github": {
         "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/",
         "headers": {
           "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_GITHUB_PAT"
         }
       }
     }
   }

4. Step 4

   Check that each server loads

   Open the Output panel with Cmd+Shift+U and pick MCP Logs. The log shows start-up, tool calls and errors such as a failed sign-in.

Which MCP servers are worth adding to Cursor?

These cover the jobs Cursor users hit most: docs, repos, browsers, search and a database. All are official servers from the vendor or project, checked on November 10, 2026.

• All-host list of MCP servers
• Best web search MCP servers

Should you use the Cursor Marketplace or mcp.json?

Use the marketplace when your server is there. Cursor reviews those plugins by hand, installs them in one click and runs the OAuth sign-in for you.

Use mcp.json for everything else and for team setups. A .cursor/mcp.json file in the repo gives every teammate the same servers. Cursor can fill in environment variables, your home folder and the workspace folder in command, args, env, url and headers, so secrets can stay in each person's shell.

Cursor supports stdio, SSE and Streamable HTTP. For OAuth servers that need a fixed client, such as Figma and Linear, add an auth object with a static CLIENT_ID.

Which Cursor Marketplace servers go beyond code?

The marketplace also lists data and web servers: Tavily, Semrush, Similarweb, Crunchbase, Bright Data, Apify and Browser Use, plus Sentry and Vercel for operations. Most connect to an account and plan at that vendor. Semrush, for example, needs a paid Semrush plan with API units.

Five data vendors means five sign-ups and five bills. That is where a single paid-API connection helps.

• Best MCP servers for SEO
• Best MCP servers for sales

How do you add paid APIs to Cursor with Locus Pro?

Add the Locus Pro MCP server once and Cursor can search, price and call paid APIs from one credit balance, with no key per vendor. The setup guide has the one-click link and the mcp.json entry. Locus also runs single-job servers, such as https://search.mcp.paywithlocus.com for web search, and each one needs its own sign-in.

Prices below are live catalog prices. Prices checked November 10, 2026. 1,000 credits equal $1. Search, describe and balance checks are free.

• If you only need free servers such as Context7 or Playwright, you do not need Locus Pro.
• Firecrawl's own keyless server also runs search, free within its daily limits.

• Add Locus to Cursor
• Browse the tool catalog

How do you keep Cursor MCP servers safe?

Cursor asks before it runs an MCP tool by default, and you can expand each call to see its arguments. MCP follows the same Run Modes as terminal commands. In Auto-review mode, allowlisted tools run at once and the rest go through a classifier.

Enterprise admins can set an MCP allowlist by command pattern for local servers and by URL pattern for remote ones, and can limit which tools run on their own. Local servers can also run with outbound network set to allow all, an allowlist or deny all.

How do you choose MCP servers for Cursor?

Add the 2 or 3 servers you would use every day, then stop. Each server adds tools that compete for the agent's attention.

• Coding in a fast-moving framework: Context7.
• Working from GitHub issues and pull requests: GitHub.
• Front-end work: Chrome DevTools for debugging, Playwright for test flows.
• Research while coding: Firecrawl or Exa, both keyless for light use.
• Paid data from several vendors, billed in one place: Locus Pro.