# Cursor

## Prerequisites

* [<mark style="color:blue;">Cursor</mark>](https://www.cursor.com) installed on your machine
* The `ionoscloud-mcp` binary built and available. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Quick Start</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/quick-start.md)
* An <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud\_api</code> token. For least-privilege access, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Authentication</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/configuration/authentication.md#token-scope-by-product-area) to scope the token to only the tools you need.

## Add the MCP server

Add the server to `~/.cursor/mcp.json`:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ionoscloud": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp",
      "env": {
        "IONOS_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

To also enable Object Storage tools, add your Object Storage credentials:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ionoscloud": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp",
      "env": {
        "IONOS_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
        "IONOS_S3_ACCESS_KEY": "your-access-key",
        "IONOS_S3_SECRET_KEY": "your-secret-key"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

### Alternative: add the server from the Cursor UI

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Open the Add MCP server dialog

In Cursor, open **Settings** (⌘ + , on macOS) > **Features** > **MCP Servers** > **Add new MCP server**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Configure the server

Set **Type** to `stdio` (this tells Cursor to run the server as a local process) and **Command** to `/usr/local/bin/ionoscloud-mcp`.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Add credentials via mcp.json

The Cursor UI does not expose environment variables, so set `IONOS_TOKEN` (and optionally `IONOS_S3_ACCESS_KEY` / `IONOS_S3_SECRET_KEY`) in `~/.cursor/mcp.json` as shown in the JSON examples above.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Verify the connection

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Open a Cursor chat

Start a new chat in Cursor.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### Test the connection

Type: *List my* <code class="expression">space.vars.ionos\_cloud</code> *data centers.*

{% hint style="success" %}
**Result:** Cursor responds with a list of your data centers: names, locations, and IDs.
{% endhint %}

If Cursor responds that it cannot access that information, check [<mark style="color:blue;">Troubleshooting</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/troubleshooting.md).
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** All tools are registered at startup by default, so Compute Engine and Object Storage tools appear immediately. To reduce the startup tool count (for example, on clients with a tool-count cap), set `IONOS_MCP_LOAD_MODE=lazy` in the `env` block and call the `ionos_load_compute_tools` or `ionos_load_objectstorage_tools` sentinels on demand. For more information, see [<mark style="color:blue;">Selective Tool Loading</mark>](/cloud/ai/mcp-server/configuration/selective-tool-loading.md).
{% endhint %}

For full Cursor MCP documentation, see [<mark style="color:blue;">docs.cursor.com/mcp</mark>](https://docs.cursor.com/mcp).


---

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