Hitchcode

You can run an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server to connect custom tools to Cursor IDE. It lets you expose your own data sources and actions to Cursor, so your agents can invoke them in a structured, low-latency way. This guide shows how to use an MCP server, how to install it, and what configuration options you’ll typically encounter.

How to use

You connect to an MCP server from Cursor by adding a new MCP server entry in the Features settings. Use one or more of the available endpoints to enable communication between Cursor and your server. When you connect, Cursor will send requests to the server over either the SSE (Server-Sent Events) transport or a local stdio transport, depending on how you run the server.

How to install

Prerequisites: you should have Node.js or Python installed depending on how you plan to run the server. You also need a way to run the MCP server locally or deploy it to a hosting service.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hitchcode_local": {
      "type": "http",
      "name": "hitchcode_local",
      "url": "http://localhost:8000/sse",
      "args": []
    },
    "hitchcode_heroku": {
      "type": "http",
      "name": "hitchcode_heroku",
      "url": "https://<your-app-name>.herokuapp.com/sse",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Additional notes

You can run the MCP server in multiple ways. A local SSE server typically runs on port 8000 and exposes an SSE endpoint at /sse. You can also deploy to a hosting service and use the corresponding URL in Cursor. If you run locally, make sure the port you choose is open and not blocked by a firewall.

Security and environment considerations

Define environment variables to customize how the server behaves. Common variables include the server port, host binding, and a debug flag. Ensure you do not expose sensitive credentials in client-side configurations.

Troubleshooting

If Cursor cannot reach the MCP server, verify that the URL is correct, the server is running, and the port is accessible from your network. Check server logs for startup messages and errors, and confirm the transport method matches what Cursor expects (SSE vs stdio).

Examples and quick-start templates

Use this ready-to-run configuration to connect Cursor to your local SSE server and a remote SSE endpoint. Adjust the URLs to match your deployment.

Smithery installation (optional)

If you want to install an MCP server template automatically for Cursor, you can use Smithery tooling to pull the example server package and prepare it for your environment.

Notes on deployment options

Choose the deployment approach that fits your workflow. Local development is convenient for testing, while hosting on a platform like Heroku makes it easy to share a stable endpoint with Cursor. The SSE endpoint is the recommended transport for remote servers.