Where does Cursor store MCP servers?

~/.cursor/mcp.json applies to every project on your machine. .cursor/mcp.json in a repository applies only inside that project and is shared with anyone who clones it. The file shape is identical.

Do I need a type field for a remote MCP server?

No. Cursor infers the transport from the presence of a url. Adding "type": "streamable-http" or similar is a common copy-paste error from another client’s docs and can stop the server loading.

Do I need an API key?

No. With OAuth the file is just the URL and each person signs in for themselves, so it is safe to commit. A key is only for machines where nobody can complete a browser sign-in; reference it with ${env:FISHOUT_API_KEY} so the file still holds no secret.

Cursor says the server failed to start. Where do I look?

The Output panel, with MCP Logs selected in the dropdown. That view carries the HTTP status and the response body, which is normally enough to tell a 401 from a malformed JSON file.

Can my whole team share one FishOut connection?

Commit a .cursor/mcp.json with just the URL and have each person sign in. Everyone gets the same tools under their own grant, and disconnecting one person does not affect anyone else.

MCP · Editor

Connect FishOut to Cursor (MCP setup)

Cursor reads MCP servers from a JSON file — one in your home directory for every project, one in the repository for a single project. A remote server is just its URL; Cursor handles the OAuth sign-in, so the file holds no secret.

Start free Read the MCP docs

Setup steps checked against Cursor's own documentation on 20 October 2026.

[01] CONNECT IT/ SETUP

Add FishOut to Cursor

https://mcp.fishout.ai/mcp, on every plan.

Create the config file

Put it at ~/.cursor/mcp.json to make FishOut available in every project, or at .cursor/mcp.json in a repository to scope it to that one. The top-level key is mcpServers. A remote server is a url — do not add a type field, which Cursor does not expect for remote entries.

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fishout": {
      "url": "https://mcp.fishout.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Open Cursor Settings → MCP. FishOut shows as needing login; choose it and your browser opens on FishOut. Sign in, pick the organization and projects, and approve. Cursor then lists the tools the server advertises, and you can switch individual ones off from the same screen.

Or use an API key

For a machine where nobody can complete a browser sign-in, create a key under Settings → API & MCP and send it as a header. Cursor interpolates ${env:NAME}, which keeps the key out of a file you might commit; restart Cursor after setting it.

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fishout": {
      "url": "https://mcp.fishout.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:FISHOUT_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Check it worked. Ask Cursor "list the FishOut tools you can use". If nothing appears, open the Output panel and choose MCP Logs from the dropdown — a bad header or a malformed file shows up there rather than in the chat.

[02] WORTH KNOWING FIRST/ LIMITS

Before it bites

Stated before you hit them.

A .cursor/mcp.json committed to a repository is shared with everyone who clones it. The OAuth version holds no secret; if you use a key, reference ${env:FISHOUT_API_KEY} rather than pasting it.

Adding a "type" field to a remote entry is the most common mistake in Cursor MCP configs. A url is the whole shape.

Environment variables are read when Cursor starts. If you use a key, setting it in a terminal that Cursor did not spawn will not reach it — restart the editor.

FishOut exposes 115 tools. Switch off the billing and agency ones in Settings → MCP if Cursor’s agent is slow to pick the right tool.

[03] WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE/ CURSOR

A question in Cursor

Invented brands; a real call.

Cursor · agentfishout · mcp

Is anyone complaining about the new export dialog? I am about to change it.

list_mentionsread-onlyarguments

{
  "filter": {
    "query": "export",
    "labels": [
      "complaint",
      "has-a-problem"
    ],
    "sort": "newest"
  },
  "limit": 10
}

r/productivityinkwell_and_co2d

The export dialog now defaults to PDF and I cannot change it

Reply nowComplaint

Blueskyplaintext.bsky.social4d

Exports lost my heading levels again

WatchHas a problem

Two complaints, both about defaults: the format resets to PDF, and heading levels are flattened on export. ExportDialog.tsx hard-codes format = "pdf" on line 42 — want me to persist the last choice instead?

[04] WATCH ANY PLATFORM/ SAME SERVER