How to Connect MCP Servers to Claude Code & Cursor Step-by-Step

MCP servers connect via either local stdio (command line process spawned by the client) or remote HTTP + Server-Sent Events (SSE). HTTP SSE is preferred for team environments because it provides central authentication and shared state.

Claude Code supports adding MCP servers via its built-in CLI commands or file configs.

Command Line Setup

claude mcp add --transport http contextsbase https://app.contextsbase.com/api/v1/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer mcp_live_your_token_here"

Verify the connection by launching Claude Code and executing claude mcp list.

Cursor supports HTTP and Stdio MCP servers natively through its settings pane.

• Open Cursor Settings (Cmd + , on macOS, Ctrl + , on Windows/Linux).
• Navigate to Features -> MCP Servers.
• Click + Add New MCP Server.
• Set Transport Type to SSE or Stdio.
• Paste your configuration or HTTP endpoint.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "contextsbase": {
      "url": "https://app.contextsbase.com/api/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer mcp_live_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

ContextsBase gives your agents persistent memory, feature specs, data models, and business rules over MCP. Create a free project in ContextsBase, generate an MCP token, and paste the command or JSON snippet above.

• 401 Unauthorized: Check that your Authorization header includes 'Bearer ' followed by your token.
• Connection Refused: Ensure local stdio paths are valid absolute file paths.
• Tools Not Appearing: Restart the Claude Code CLI session or reload Cursor window after adding a new MCP server.