grepai-mcp-cursor

Original：🇺🇸 English
Translated

Integrate GrepAI with Cursor IDE via MCP. Use this skill to enable semantic code search in Cursor.

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Sourceyoanbernabeu/grepai-skills
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NPX Install

npx skill4agent add yoanbernabeu/grepai-skills grepai-mcp-cursor

Tags

Translated version includes tags in frontmatter
grepai-integrationcursor-idemcp-protocolsemantic-code-searchcode-navigation

SKILL.md Content

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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

  1. GrepAI installed
  2. Ollama running (or other embedding provider)
  3. Project indexed (
    grepai watch
    )
  4. Cursor IDE installed

Configuration

Step 1: Create MCP Config File

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

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

Per-Project Configuration

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

Available Tools

Once configured, Cursor has access to:
ToolDescription
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

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

Verify MCP Status

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

Windsurf Configuration

Windsurf uses the same MCP format as Cursor:

Location

Create 
.windsurf/mcp.json
:
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

bash
# Create workspace
grepai workspace create dev
grepai workspace add dev /path/to/project1
grepai workspace add dev /path/to/project2
json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "grepai": {
      "command": "grepai",
      "args": ["mcp-serve", "--workspace", "dev"]
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

If GrepAI uses environment variables (like API keys):
json
{
  "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:
  1. Check file location: 
    .cursor/mcp.json
    in project root
  2. Verify JSON syntax (no trailing commas)
  3. Restart Cursor completely
  4. Check 
    grepai
    is in PATH

Search Returns Nothing

❌ Problem: Empty search results
✅ Solutions:
  1. Ensure index exists: 
    grepai status
  2. Run 
    grepai watch
    first
  3. Verify working directory

Connection Errors

❌ Problem: MCP connection failed
✅ Solutions:
  1. Test manually: 
    grepai mcp-serve
  2. Check Ollama: 
    curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags
  3. Look at Cursor's developer console for errors

Wrong Results

❌ Problem: Results from wrong project
✅ Solutions:
  1. Set explicit 
    cwd
    in config
  2. Check you opened the right folder in Cursor
  3. Use 
    grepai_index_status
    to verify

Performance Tips

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

Comparison: Cursor vs Claude Code

FeatureCursorClaude Code
Config location
.cursor/mcp.json
~/.claude/mcp.json
Setup commandManual JSON
claude mcp add
Project scopePer-project or globalGlobal
IDE integrationNativeTerminal

Best Practices

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

Removing Integration

Delete 
.cursor/mcp.json
and restart Cursor.
Or remove just GrepAI:
json
{
  "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"