Cursor. One file. Same on every OS.

Configure mcp.json

Cursor loads MCP from JSON. Use one file either for a single repo or for every workspace, same shape in both places (Cursor MCP).

• This project only: .cursor/mcp.json (inside the folder you opened in Cursor).
• Every project: Mac/Linux ~/.cursor/mcp.json · Windows %USERPROFILE%/.cursor/mcp.json.

Replace YOUR_OCTAMEM_API_KEY with your real key from platform.octamem.com (if you use YOUR_API_KEY as the placeholder instead, put the same key there). If you already have other servers, add the octamem object next to them inside mcpServers (keep valid JSON). You can authenticate either with url + headers (recommended), or by putting api_key in the URL query string like Claude Desktop.

Recommended: Bearer header

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "octamem": {
      "url": "https://mcp.octamem.com",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_OCTAMEM_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Alternative: api_key in URL

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "octamem": {
      "url": "https://mcp.octamem.com?api_key=YOUR_OCTAMEM_API_KEY"
    }
  }
}

Save the file, then fully quit and reopen Cursor so MCP reloads.

Problems? Output panel (Cmd+Shift+U / Ctrl+Shift+U) → MCP Logs. Next: Using OctaMem in Cursor below.

Using OctaMem in Cursor

First prompt

In Agent chat, ask once to use OctaMem or your memory (e.g. “Search OctaMem for…”) if tools do not run.

Approvals

Open Cursor Settings → find Agent / auto-run and use something other than Ask every time if you want fewer clicks. When Cursor shows an OctaMem tool, use Add to allowlist if it appears.

Optional file allowlist

Put permissions.json next to global mcp.json: Mac/Linux ~/.cursor/permissions.json, Windows %USERPROFILE%/.cursor/permissions.json. The server key must match mcp.json (octamem here):

{
  "mcpAllowlist": ["octamem:*"]
}