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⚡ Cursor Installation

Cursor is an AI-first code editor with built-in MCP support. This guide shows you how to add Code Scalpel to Cursor.

Prerequisites

  • Cursor installed (download here)
  • Python 3.10+ installed
  • uv or pip package manager

1Install Code Scalpel

uvx codescalpel --version
pip install codescalpel
codescalpel --version

2Configure Cursor

Open Cursor Settings

  1. Open Cursor
  2. Press Ctrl+, (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+, (macOS) to open Settings
  3. Navigate to Features → MCP Servers

Add Code Scalpel Server

Click Add Server and configure:

Field Value
Name code-scalpel
Command uvx
Arguments codescalpel

Or edit the settings JSON directly:

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "code-scalpel": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["codescalpel", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Using pip Installation

If you installed with pip:

Field Value
Name code-scalpel
Command /path/to/python
Arguments -m code_scalpel

3Restart Cursor

After adding the configuration:

  1. Close Cursor completely
  2. Reopen Cursor
  3. The MCP server should auto-connect

4Verify Installation

Check Server Status

  1. Open the Cursor output panel
  2. Look for MCP server connection status
  3. You should see "code-scalpel" connected

Test with Cursor AI

Open a new chat with Cursor (Ctrl+L / Cmd+L) and try:

Test Prompt

"Use Code Scalpel to analyze this Python function:

def calculate_discount(price, percentage):
    return price * (1 - percentage / 100)

Cursor should invoke the analyze_code tool and show structured results.

Advanced Configuration

With Pro/Enterprise License

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "code-scalpel": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["codescalpel", "mcp"],
      "env": {
        "CODE_SCALPEL_LICENSE_PATH": "/path/to/license.jwt"
      }
    }
  }
}

With Custom Working Directory

{
  "mcp.servers": {
    "code-scalpel": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["codescalpel", "mcp"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/your/project"
    }
  }
}

Using Code Scalpel in Cursor

In Chat (Ctrl+L / Cmd+L)

Ask Cursor to use specific tools:

Analyze the structure of src/main.py using Code Scalpel
Run a security scan on this codebase with Code Scalpel

In Composer (Ctrl+I / Cmd+I)

When making edits, reference Code Scalpel:

Use Code Scalpel to extract the UserAuth class, then refactor it to use async/await

Common Prompts

Task Prompt
Analyze code "Use Code Scalpel's analyze_code on this file"
Find vulnerabilities "Run security_scan on this code"
Understand structure "Use get_project_map to show project structure"
Safe refactoring "Use simulate_refactor to verify this change is safe"

Troubleshooting

▶ Server doesn't appear in Cursor
  1. Check that the configuration is valid JSON
  2. Restart Cursor completely
  3. Check Cursor's output panel for errors
▶ Command not found

1. Use the full path to uvx or python:

which uvx  # macOS/Linux
where uvx  # Windows

2. Update your configuration with the absolute path

▶ Permission errors
  1. macOS: Grant Full Disk Access to Cursor in System Preferences
  2. Windows: Run Cursor as administrator for first setup
  3. Linux: Check file permissions in your project directory
▶ Tools timeout or hang
  1. Large projects may take longer—be patient
  2. Use more specific tool calls (single file vs whole project)
  3. Check available memory on your system

Cursor-Specific Tips

Using @codebase

Combine Code Scalpel with Cursor's codebase search:

@codebase What functions call the database? Verify with Code Scalpel's get_call_graph

Project-Specific Configuration

Add a .cursor directory to your project with MCP config:

your-project/
├── .cursor/
│   └── mcp.json
├── src/
└── ...
{
  "servers": {
    "code-scalpel": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["codescalpel", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Next Steps

🚀 What's Next