Claude Code MCP for Cursor

Use your existing Claude subscription ($20/month) with Cursor IDE instead of paying separate API costs.

🎯 What This Does

This MCP (Model Context Protocol) server bridges Claude Code CLI with Cursor IDE, allowing you to:

• ✅ Use your existing $20/month Claude subscription in Cursor
• ✅ Avoid separate pay-per-use API billing
• ✅ Keep your Claude usage within your monthly plan limits
• ✅ Get the same Claude experience directly in your IDE

💰 Cost Benefits

Method	Cost Structure	Monthly Estimate*
This MCP Bridge	$20/month (your existing plan)	$20
Direct API	Pay-per-token usage	$30-100+

*Estimates vary based on usage patterns

🔧 Prerequisites

1. Claude Code CLI installed and authenticated

   # Install Claude Code (if not already installed)
   curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
   
   # Verify it works
   claude chat "Hello"
   

2. Cursor IDE with MCP support

3. Node.js installed on your system

📦 Installation

Step 1: Clone this repository

git clone https://github.com/Blackpenguin46/Claude-Code-MCP-for-Cursor.git
cd Claude-Code-MCP-for-Cursor

Step 2: Set up the MCP server in your project

Copy the files to your project directory:

# Copy the MCP server to your project root
cp claude-mcp-server.js /path/to/your/project/

# Create the .cursor directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p /path/to/your/project/.cursor

# Copy the MCP configuration
cp mcp.json /path/to/your/project/.cursor/

Your project structure should look like:

your-project/
├── .cursor/
│   └── mcp.json
├── claude-mcp-server.js
└── (your other project files)

Step 3: Configure Cursor

1. Open Cursor
2. Go to Settings → Tools & Integrations → MCP Tools
3. You should see "claude-code" in the MCP Tools section
4. Make sure the toggle is enabled (green)
5. Verify it shows "1 tools enabled" (not "0 tools enabled")

If you see "0 tools enabled":

• Restart Cursor completely
• Check that files are in the correct locations
• Ensure claude-mcp-server.js is executable: chmod +x claude-mcp-server.js

🧪 Testing

Test that everything works:

1. Test Claude Code directly:

   claude chat "What is 2+2?"
   

2. Test the MCP server:

   cd your-project
   node claude-mcp-server.js
   

   Then paste this JSON and press Enter:

   {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":3,"method":"tools/call","params":{"name":"claude_chat","arguments":{"message":"What is 2+2?"}}}
   

   You should see a response like:

   {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":3,"result":{"content":[{"type":"text","text":"4"}]}}
   

3. Test in Cursor:

   • Open a chat in Cursor
   • Ask Claude a question
   • Verify the response comes from your Claude Code subscription

🔍 How It Works

graph LR
    A[Cursor IDE] --> B[MCP Server]
    B --> C[Claude Code CLI]
    C --> D[Your $20 Subscription]
    D --> E[Claude API]
    E --> D
    D --> C
    C --> B
    B --> A

1. Cursor sends chat requests to the MCP server
2. MCP Server translates requests to Claude Code CLI commands
3. Claude Code uses your existing subscription to contact Claude
4. Response flows back through the chain to Cursor

📁 File Descriptions

claude-mcp-server.js

The main MCP server that bridges Cursor and Claude Code. Handles:

• JSON-RPC protocol for MCP communication
• Spawning Claude Code processes
• Response cleaning and formatting
• Error handling and timeouts

.cursor/mcp.json

Cursor's MCP configuration file that tells Cursor how to connect to the server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "claude-code": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["claude-mcp-server.js"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

🚨 Troubleshooting

"0 tools enabled" in Cursor

• Ensure files are in correct locations
• Restart Cursor completely
• Check file permissions: chmod +x claude-mcp-server.js
• Verify Claude Code works: claude chat "test"

MCP server hangs or errors

• Test Claude Code independently first
• Check that you're authenticated with Claude Code
• Verify Node.js is installed and working
• Look at Cursor's developer console for errors

"Claude Code error" messages

• Ensure Claude Code is properly installed and authenticated
• Check your Claude subscription status
• Verify you haven't exceeded usage limits

🔄 Usage Patterns

Best Practices

• Development work: Perfect for code review, debugging, refactoring
• Documentation: Great for generating comments and documentation
• Learning: Ideal for understanding new codebases or technologies

What Counts Against Your Limits

• Each message sent through Cursor counts against your $20/month plan limits
• Same usage tracking as using Claude Code directly in terminal
• Monitor your usage in Claude's web interface

🎁 Benefits Over Direct API

Feature	MCP Bridge	Direct API
Cost Predictability	✅ Fixed $20/month	❌ Variable usage costs
Usage Limits	✅ Clear monthly limits	❌ Surprise bills possible
Setup Complexity	⚠️ Initial setup required	✅ Simple API key
Claude Code Integration	✅ Uses existing auth	❌ Separate billing

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

MIT License - feel free to use and modify as needed.

⚡ Quick Start Summary

# 1. Clone repo
git clone https://github.com/Blackpenguin46/Claude-Code-MCP-for-Cursor.git

# 2. Copy files to your project
cp claude-mcp-server.js /path/to/project/
mkdir -p /path/to/project/.cursor
cp mcp.json /path/to/project/.cursor/

# 3. Test
claude chat "Hello"  # Verify Claude Code works
node claude-mcp-server.js  # Test MCP server

# 4. Restart Cursor and check MCP Tools section

---

💡 Pro Tip: This setup is perfect for developers who use Claude regularly for coding tasks and want predictable monthly costs instead of surprise API bills!