🔄 MCP + Cursor GitHub Setup
About
🔄 MCP + Cursor GitHub Setup Set up full GitHub control via Cursor once your MCP server is running. 🛠️ Step-by-Step Cursor Setup for MCP 🧭 1. Open Cursor Editor Launch Cursor, the AI-first code editor. Click Settings (bottom-left corner ⚙️).
Explore
- Create, update, read, and delete files in GitHub repos
- Create and delete GitHub repositories
- Search repositories with natural language queries
- Local MCP server running on http://localhost:3333
- Fine‑grained token authentication for secure access
- Terminal‑driven automation via npx @smithery/cli
Setting up with Highlight
This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:
- Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
- Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
-
Configure the plugin with the settings below
Plugin Name
🔄 MCP + Cursor GitHub SetupCommand (node, npx, python, etc.)Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
- Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches
From the repository
> Set up full GitHub control via Cursor once your MCP server is running.
Run your server locally from your terminal:
node server.js
Expected output:
✅ MCP server running at http://localhost:3333
- Node.js & npm installed
- Cursor CLI downloaded for your OS
- A GitHub account
- An MCP-compatible agent setup with @modelcontextprotocol/sdk
---
{
"defaultClient": "ollama",
"ollama": {
"baseUrl": "http://localhost:11434",
"model": "llama2"
},
"github": {
"token": "<your_copied_github_token>"
},
"agent": {
"name": "DevOpsAgent",
"persona": "An automation assistant for GitHub repo management"
}
}
Save it as mcp.json in your project folder.
---
create_or_update_file
Create or update files
create_repository
Create a new GitHub repository
delete_repository
Delete a repository (if supported)
get_file_contents
Read contents of files
search_repositories
Discover GitHub repositories
| Tool | Description |
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
| create_or_update_file | Create or update files |
| create_repository | Create a new GitHub repository |
| delete_repository | Delete a repository (if supported) |
| get_file_contents | Read contents of files |
| search_repositories | Discover GitHub repositories |
These tools can be triggered through Cursor's prompt bar or:
npx @smithery/cli
Claude Desktop / Cursor
Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"\ud83d\udd04 mcp + cursor github setup": {
"MCP_server_cursor_to_github": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"server.js"
]
}
}
}
}McpServers
{
"MCP_server_cursor_to_github": {
"command": "node",
"args": [
"server.js"
]
}
}> Set up full GitHub control via Cursor once your MCP server is running.
🛠️ Step-by-Step Cursor Setup for MCP
🧭 1. Open Cursor Editor
- Launch Cursor, the AI-first code editor. - Click Settings (bottom-left corner ⚙️).🌐 2. Navigate to MCP Section
- In Settings, scroll down to the MCP (Model Context Protocol) section. - Click "Add Server".🔧 3. Fill in MCP Server Details
- Name:Local MCP Server
- URL: http://localhost:3333 (or your configured port from server.js)
- Client: Select ollama or your preferred LLM engine.
- Auth: Leave blank for local use (behind firewall). Add headers if using token-based auth.
✅ Cursor is now connected to your MCP server!
⚙️ Make Sure Your MCP Server Is Running
Run your server locally from your terminal:node server.js
Expected output:
✅ MCP server running at http://localhost:3333
🤖 Use Cursor Prompts to Control GitHub
With MCP connected, use the Cursor command palette:<kbd>⌘ + K</kbd> / <kbd>Ctrl + K</kbd> → Type:
Create a private GitHub repo named ai-lab
Add README.md to ai-lab repo with initial text
Search repositories about 'android hacking tools'
> MCP GitHub plugin (@smithery-ai/github) handles GitHub API calls via your server.
✅ Available GitHub Tools via MCP
| Tool | Description |
|-----------------------|----------------------------------|
| create_or_update_file | Create or update files |
| create_repository | Create a new GitHub repository |
| delete_repository | Delete a repository (if supported) |
| get_file_contents | Read contents of files |
| search_repositories | Discover GitHub repositories |
These tools can be triggered through Cursor's prompt bar or:
npx @smithery/cli
🧠 Best Practice Tips
- Keep your mcp.json secure (especially GitHub tokens).
- Use environment variables for secrets in production.
- Test server connection with:
curl http://localhost:3333
> Logs will show tool calls and API responses for easier debugging.
---
title: "MCP Server + GitHub Cursor Setup Guide"
description: "Step-by-step guide for setting up MCP server with Cursor GitHub integration for repo automation, creation, deletion, and commit control."
---
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