openclaw/docs/plugins/cursor-mcp.md

title	description
Cursor IDE Integration	Use OpenClaw as an AI backend in Cursor IDE via MCP

Cursor IDE Integration

OpenClaw provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates with Cursor IDE, enabling you to use OpenClaw's AI capabilities directly in Cursor's Composer Agent.

Overview

The Cursor MCP integration allows you to:

• Chat with OpenClaw: Use OpenClaw's AI agent directly in Cursor
• Manage Sessions: Create, list, and manage conversation sessions
• Send Messages: Route messages through WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and more
• Access Models: Use any AI model configured in OpenClaw
• Code Assistance: Built-in prompts for code review, debugging, and testing

Quick Setup

Prerequisites

1. Install OpenClaw
2. Start the OpenClaw gateway:

   openclaw gateway run
   

3. Install Cursor IDE

Configure Cursor

Option 1: Cursor Settings UI

1. Open Cursor Settings → Features → MCP
2. Click "+ Add New MCP Server"
3. Configure:
   • Name: openclaw
   • Type: stdio
   • Command: openclaw
   • Arguments: mcp serve

Option 2: Manual Configuration

Create or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openclaw": {
      "command": "openclaw",
      "args": ["mcp", "serve"],
      "env": {
        "OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_URL": "ws://127.0.0.1:18789"
      }
    }
  }
}

Authentication

If your gateway requires authentication:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openclaw": {
      "command": "openclaw",
      "args": ["mcp", "serve"],
      "env": {
        "OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_URL": "ws://127.0.0.1:18789",
        "OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN": "your-token-here",
        "OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PASSWORD": "your-password-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

The MCP server exposes these tools to Cursor:

Tool	Description
openclaw_chat	Chat with the OpenClaw AI agent
openclaw_list_sessions	List all active chat sessions
openclaw_get_session	Get details about a specific session
openclaw_clear_session	Clear a session's conversation history
openclaw_execute_command	Execute OpenClaw control commands
openclaw_send_message	Send messages through channels
openclaw_get_status	Get gateway and channel status
openclaw_list_models	List available AI models

Tool Examples

Chat with OpenClaw

User: Ask OpenClaw to explain this Python code
Cursor Agent: [Uses openclaw_chat tool]

Send a Message

User: Send "Build completed" to my Telegram channel
Cursor Agent: [Uses openclaw_send_message tool]

Available Resources

Access OpenClaw data via MCP resources:

URI	Description
openclaw://status	Gateway and channel status
openclaw://models	Available AI models
openclaw://sessions	Active chat sessions
openclaw://config	Current configuration (sanitized)

Available Prompts

Built-in prompts for common development tasks:

Prompt	Description
code_review	Review code for issues and improvements
explain_code	Explain how code works
generate_tests	Generate tests for code
refactor_code	Suggest refactoring improvements
debug_help	Help debug issues
send_notification	Send notification via channels

CLI Commands

# Start MCP server manually (usually done by Cursor)
openclaw mcp serve

# Show configuration help
openclaw mcp info

# Custom options
openclaw mcp serve --url ws://localhost:18789 --session agent:main:cursor

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_URL	Gateway WebSocket URL	ws://127.0.0.1:18789
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN	Authentication token	-
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PASSWORD	Authentication password	-
OPENCLAW_SESSION_KEY	Default session key	agent:main:cursor

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     MCP Protocol     ┌──────────────────┐
│   Cursor IDE    │◄───────────────────►│  OpenClaw MCP    │
│  (MCP Client)   │      (stdio)         │     Server       │
└─────────────────┘                      └────────┬─────────┘
                                                  │
                                                  │ WebSocket
                                                  ▼
                                         ┌──────────────────┐
                                         │  OpenClaw        │
                                         │  Gateway         │
                                         └────────┬─────────┘
                                                  │
                    ┌─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────────────┐
                    │                             │                             │
                    ▼                             ▼                             ▼
            ┌───────────────┐           ┌───────────────┐           ┌───────────────┐
            │   AI Models   │           │   Channels    │           │   Sessions    │
            │ (Anthropic,   │           │ (WhatsApp,    │           │               │
            │  OpenAI...)   │           │  Telegram...) │           │               │
            └───────────────┘           └───────────────┘           └───────────────┘

Troubleshooting

Gateway Connection Failed

1. Ensure the OpenClaw gateway is running:

   openclaw gateway run
   

2. Check the gateway URL in your configuration

3. Verify authentication credentials if required

Tools Not Appearing

1. Restart Cursor after adding the MCP server
2. Check Cursor's MCP logs for errors
3. Ensure openclaw is in your system PATH

Session Issues

Clear and restart a session using the openclaw_clear_session tool or:

openclaw sessions clear agent:main:cursor

See Also

• Gateway Configuration
• Model Providers
• Sessions
• Messaging Channels