Setting Up the Codehabits MCP Server in Cursor (5 Minutes)

The **Codehabits MCP server** gives Cursor six tools that read from `.codehabits/` in your repo — convention lookup, code validation, domain knowledge, reviewer suggestions, and a feedback loop for updating conventions. Setup takes about five minutes if you already ran `codehabits enable`. ## Prerequisites - Node.js 20+ - `.codehabits/meta.json` in your repo (from `npx @codehabits/cli enable`) - Cursor with MCP support enabled If you don't have intelligence files yet, run enable first — see the [quickstart](https://codehabits.dev/docs/quickstart). ## Step 1: Install the MCP server From your repository root: ```bash npx @codehabits/cli mcp-install ``` This writes to `.cursor/mcp.json`. Commit it so teammates get the same config: ```bash git add .cursor/mcp.json git commit -m "chore: add codehabits MCP server" git push ``` ## Step 2: Restart Cursor MCP servers load at startup. Fully quit and reopen Cursor (or reload the window) before testing tools. ## Step 3: Verify tools appear Open Cursor Agent and check that the **codehabits** MCP server is connected. You should see these tools: | Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | `get_team_context` | Conventions and anti-patterns | | `check_code` | Validate a snippet against team rules | | `get_knowledge` | Domain knowledge by topic | | `suggest_reviewers` | Expertise-based reviewer routing | | `record_feedback` / `approve_proposal` | Propose and merge convention updates | Full reference: [MCP server documentation](https://codehabits.dev/docs/mcp). ## Step 4: Use it in practice Try these prompts in Cursor Agent: - *"Use get_team_context for the api scope before writing this endpoint."* - *"Run check_code on this handler before I commit."* - *"Who should review changes to files under src/auth/? Use suggest_reviewers."* ## MCP vs Agent Skills [Agent Skills](https://codehabits.dev/docs/agent-skills) load passively when Cursor starts a task. MCP tools are explicit lookups — use them when you need validation or knowledge mid-task. Most teams enable both: skills for baseline context, MCP for active checks. ## One-prompt onboarding The [codehabits.dev/agents](https://codehabits.dev/agents) page has a bootstrap prompt that runs enable, mcp-install, and reads your intelligence files in one shot. Paste it when onboarding a new repo or teammate. ## Troubleshooting If tools return *"No intelligence data available,"* confirm `.codehabits/` exists and the MCP server's working directory is your repo root. Run `codehabits enable` if files are missing. Common fixes: | Symptom | Fix | |---------|-----| | Server not listed | Restart Cursor after editing `mcp.json` | | Wrong conventions | Check MCP `cwd` is repo root, not a subfolder | | Stale rules | Run `npx @codehabits/cli sync` | ## What is Codehabits? [Codehabits](https://codehabits.dev) extracts team coding conventions from GitHub PR history and delivers them to AI tools via Agent Skills and MCP — so your whole team shares the same evidence-backed patterns, not hand-maintained rule files. --- *Originally published at [codehabits.dev](https://codehabits.dev/blog/setup-codehabits-mcp-in-cursor).*