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This guide walks you through connecting the ShingleAI MCP server to Cursor IDE, allowing Cursor’s AI to access your contacts, messages, and other business data while coding.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

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Configuration

Cursor supports MCP configuration at both the project and global level.

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Configuration File Locations

ScopeLocation
Project-specific.cursor/mcp.json in your project directory
Global (all projects)~/.cursor/mcp.json in your home directory

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Step 1: Create the configuration file

Choose either project-specific or global configuration based on your needs. 
mkdir -p .cursor
touch .cursor/mcp.json

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Step 2: Add ShingleAI server

Add the following configuration to your mcp.json file: 
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "shingleai": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.shingleai.com/sse"
            ],
            "env": {
                "MCP_HEADERS": "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_MCP_KEY"
            }
        }
    }
}
Replace YOUR_MCP_KEY with your actual MCP key.
If using project-specific configuration, add .cursor/mcp.json to your .gitignore to avoid committing your MCP key.
For better security, use environment variables: 
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "shingleai": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.shingleai.com/sse"
            ],
            "env": {
                "MCP_HEADERS": "Authorization: Bearer ${SHINGLEAI_MCP_KEY}"
            }
        }
    }
}
Set the environment variable in your shell profile: 
export SHINGLEAI_MCP_KEY=mcp_live_abc123...

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Step 4: Restart Cursor

After saving your configuration, restart Cursor for the changes to take effect.

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Alternative: UI Configuration

You can also configure MCP servers through Cursor’s settings UI:
  1. Open File > Preferences > Cursor Settings
  2. Navigate to the MCP section
  3. Add a new server with the ShingleAI configuration

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Verification

To verify the connection is working:
  1. Open Cursor’s AI chat (Cmd+L or Ctrl+L)
  2. Ask: “What ShingleAI tools do you have access to?”
  3. Cursor should list the available tools

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Example Usage

Once connected, you can use ShingleAI tools in your development workflow:
TaskExample Prompt
Find contact info”Look up the contact details for our main client”
Search communications”Find all messages about the API integration”
Review history”Show the conversation history with the design team”

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Troubleshooting

Possible causes:
  • Configuration file in wrong location
  • Invalid JSON syntax
  • Cursor not restarted
Solutions:
  1. Verify the configuration file path
  2. Validate your JSON syntax
  3. Completely restart Cursor (not just reload window)
Possible causes:
  • Invalid or expired MCP key
  • Environment variable not exported
Solutions:
  1. Verify your MCP key in the ShingleAI dashboard
  2. Ensure the environment variable is set in the shell that launched Cursor
  3. Try launching Cursor from terminal: cursor .
Possible causes:
  • Node.js not installed
  • PATH not configured correctly
Solutions:
  1. Install Node.js from nodejs.org
  2. Verify: npx --version
  3. If using a Node version manager, ensure it’s initialized in your shell
Cursor currently supports MCP tools but not MCP resources. This means you can call ShingleAI tools (like createContact, searchMessages) but cannot access read-only MCP resources that some servers provide.

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Next Steps

Available Tools

Explore all available MCP tools

Authentication

Configure tool permissions