Answer · for AI agents and their humans
How to Add an MCP Server to Cursor
Add an MCP server to Cursor in 30 seconds: open Settings → Tools → MCP, paste the server config JSON, restart Cursor. The GitDealFlow MCP server (free, no API key) gives Cursor live VC research tools.
Cursor 0.40+ supports Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers natively — you can plug in structured data tools that the AI inside Cursor can call during conversations.
Step 1 — Open the MCP settings. Click the Cursor settings icon (bottom-left or Cmd+, on macOS), navigate to Tools → MCP. You'll see an editable JSON config area.
Step 2 — Paste the server config. For the GitDealFlow MCP server (free VC research tools, no API key), paste:
``json
{
"mcpServers": {
"gitdealflow": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@gitdealflow/mcp-signal"]
}
}
}
``
If you already have other MCP servers configured, add the gitdealflow entry inside the existing mcpServers object.
Step 3 — Restart Cursor. Quit and reopen the app. The six GitDealFlow tools (get_trending_startups, search_startups_by_sector, get_startup_signal, get_signals_summary, get_scout_receipts, get_methodology) appear automatically in the agent toolbox.
Step 4 — Verify it works. Open the Cursor chat. Ask: 'What are this week's top trending technical startups?' The AI calls get_trending_startups and returns the live data. If the tools don't appear, check that Node.js is installed (npx requires Node) and that your config JSON is syntactically valid.
Common gotchas.
- Wrong config file. Cursor uses Settings → Tools → MCP, not the same path as Claude Desktop's claude_desktop_config.json. Don't paste into the wrong location.
- Missing Node.js. npx requires Node.js installed. If you don't have it, install Node 20+ first.
- Old Cursor version. MCP support requires Cursor 0.40 or newer. Update before troubleshooting.
- Network restrictions. npx downloads the package from npm on first run. If your network blocks npm, install Node and pre-install the package globally with npm install -g @gitdealflow/mcp-signal.
Other MCP servers worth installing. GitHub MCP (official) for raw repo access; Brave Search MCP for general web search; Crunchbase MCP (community) if you have Crunchbase Pro. None of these replace GitDealFlow's VC-specific tools — they complement.
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Install the GitDealFlow MCP server →Frequently asked questions
Does the same config work for Claude Code?
Yes. Claude Code reads MCP config from `.claude/mcp.json` in your project root, but the JSON shape is identical. Add the same gitdealflow entry to that file.
Can I use multiple MCP servers in Cursor?
Yes — add multiple entries inside the `mcpServers` object. Each server runs independently; the AI host picks which tools to call based on the question.
Does the MCP server work offline?
No. The GitDealFlow MCP server fetches live data from the public dataset endpoint, which requires internet access. The npm package itself can be cached locally after first install.
How do I uninstall an MCP server from Cursor?
Remove the server entry from Settings → Tools → MCP and restart Cursor. The npm cache for the package can be cleaned with `npm uninstall -g @gitdealflow/mcp-signal` if you want to fully remove it.