GrepAI MCP Integration with Cursor Skill

GrepAI MCP Integration with Cursor

This skill covers integrating GrepAI with Cursor IDE using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

When to Use This Skill

Setting up GrepAI in Cursor
Enabling semantic search for Cursor AI
Configuring MCP for Cursor
Troubleshooting Cursor integration

What is Cursor?

Cursor is an AI-powered IDE that supports MCP for external tools. GrepAI integration gives Cursor's AI:

Semantic code search beyond simple text matching
Call graph analysis for understanding dependencies
Index-based code navigation

Prerequisites

GrepAI installed
Ollama running (or other embedding provider)
Project indexed (grepai watch)
Cursor IDE installed

Configuration

Step 1: Create MCP Config File

Create .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grepai": {
      "command": "grepai",
      "args": ["mcp-serve"]
    }
  }
}

Step 2: Restart Cursor

Close and reopen Cursor for the config to take effect.

Step 3: Verify

Ask Cursor's AI:

"Search the codebase for authentication"

Cursor should use the grepai_search tool.

Global Configuration

For GrepAI in all Cursor projects, use global config:

Location

macOS: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
Linux: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Cursor\mcp.json

Content

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grepai": {
      "command": "grepai",
      "args": ["mcp-serve"]
    }
  }
}

Per-Project Configuration

For project-specific settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grepai": {
      "command": "grepai",
      "args": ["mcp-serve"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/project"
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

Once configured, Cursor has access to:

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | grepai_search | Semantic code search | | grepai_trace_callers | Find function callers | | grepai_trace_callees | Find function callees | | grepai_trace_graph | Build call graphs | | grepai_index_status | Check index health |

Usage Examples

Finding Code

Ask Cursor:

"Find code that handles user login"

Cursor uses grepai_search to find semantically related code.

Understanding Dependencies

Ask Cursor:

"What functions call validateToken?"

Cursor uses grepai_trace_callers to show all callers.

Code Navigation

Ask Cursor:

"Show me the call graph for processPayment"

Cursor uses grepai_trace_graph to display dependencies.

Cursor Settings Integration

Enable MCP in Settings

Open Cursor Settings (Cmd+, / Ctrl+,)
Search for "MCP"
Ensure MCP is enabled

Verify MCP Status

Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)
Search "MCP"
Check connected servers

Windsurf Configuration

Windsurf uses the same MCP format as Cursor:

Location

Create .windsurf/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grepai": {
      "command": "grepai",
      "args": ["mcp-serve"]
    }
  }
}

Multiple Projects Setup

Option 1: Separate Configs

Each project has its own .cursor/mcp.json with appropriate cwd.

Option 2: Workspaces

# Create workspace
grepai workspace create dev
grepai workspace add dev /path/to/project1
grepai workspace add dev /path/to/project2

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grepai": {
      "command": "grepai",
      "args": ["mcp-serve", "--workspace", "dev"]
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

If GrepAI uses environment variables (like API keys):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grepai": {
      "command": "grepai",
      "args": ["mcp-serve"],
      "env": {
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "sk-..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Better: Set environment variables in your shell profile instead.

Troubleshooting

MCP Not Recognized

❌ Problem: Cursor doesn't see GrepAI tools

✅ Solutions:

Check file location: .cursor/mcp.json in project root
Verify JSON syntax (no trailing commas)
Restart Cursor completely
Check grepai is in PATH

Search Returns Nothing

❌ Problem: Empty search results

✅ Solutions:

Ensure index exists: grepai status
Run grepai watch first
Verify working directory

Connection Errors

❌ Problem: MCP connection failed

✅ Solutions:

Test manually: grepai mcp-serve
Check Ollama: curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags
Look at Cursor's developer console for errors

Wrong Results

❌ Problem: Results from wrong project

✅ Solutions:

Set explicit cwd in config
Check you opened the right folder in Cursor
Use grepai_index_status to verify

Performance Tips

Background daemon: Keep grepai watch --background running
Use compact mode: MCP tools use compact by default
Limit results: AI will request appropriate limits
Index regularly: Especially after git pull

Comparison: Cursor vs Claude Code

| Feature | Cursor | Claude Code | |---------|--------|-------------| | Config location | .cursor/mcp.json | ~/.claude/mcp.json | | Setup command | Manual JSON | claude mcp add | | Project scope | Per-project or global | Global | | IDE integration | Native | Terminal |

Best Practices

Version control: Add .cursor/mcp.json to git (without secrets)
Team setup: Document MCP config in README
Keep index fresh: Run watch daemon
Test locally: Verify grepai mcp-serve works first
Use workspaces: For multi-project setups

Removing Integration

Delete .cursor/mcp.json and restart Cursor.

Or remove just GrepAI:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    // Remove grepai entry
  }
}

Output Format

Successful Cursor setup:

✅ GrepAI MCP Integration for Cursor

   Config: .cursor/mcp.json
   Server: grepai mcp-serve
   Status: Ready

   Available tools:
   - grepai_search
   - grepai_trace_callers
   - grepai_trace_callees
   - grepai_trace_graph
   - grepai_index_status

   Cursor AI can now search your code semantically!

   Test: Ask Cursor "search for authentication code"

Agent Skills: GrepAI MCP Integration with Cursor

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