getting-startedHowTo

Claude and Cursor MCP Config

Configure Claude Desktop and Cursor for local and hosted MCP servers using safe headers and env variables.

Quick Answer / TL;DR

Claude and Cursor MCP configuration maps a server name to either a local command or remote endpoint, plus the arguments, environment variables, and headers required to authenticate safely.

Key Takeaways

Keep names stable for users.
Use env variables for tokens.
Scope each server to one job domain.

Recommended config layout

A production client should avoid one giant server that can do everything. Split finance, source control, analytics, and internal APIs into separate MCP servers so permissions stay understandable.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "india-edge-api": {
      "url": "https://mcpserver.in/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${MCP_API_KEY}",
        "X-Data-Region": "in"
      }
    }
  }
}

Permission design

Give users readable names that describe the tool boundary. A server called payments-readonly is safer than a vague server called company-tools because the client can present clearer prompts before tool calls.

Server name	Permission boundary
payments-readonly	Read settlements and invoices only
repo-review	Read code and create review comments
support-desk	Search tickets and draft replies