mcp-troubleshooting-guide

mcp-troubleshooting-guide is a cursor rule for Cursor from SwonVIP/mcp-server-talk. It costs 0 tokens per session (1,025 once invoked), scanned B, original, MIT.

A troubleshooting guide for connecting MCP servers to Cursor, an AI code editor. It covers feature availability, configuration files, and server startup checks.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it to check Cursor’s MCP support, find the MCP configuration file, test a server manually, and investigate startup failures.
Why use it?
It helps diagnose why Cursor cannot find or start an MCP server. The guide points to common setup and connection problems.

Cursor rule for Cursor

Written for Cursor: installed under .cursor/.

Not installable: its command points at a path on the author’s own machine, so it runs nowhere else. The line is /Users/sven.scheffel/.cursor/mcp.json.

Good fit Use it to check Cursor’s MCP support, find the MCP configuration file, test a server manually, and investigate startup failures.

Compare 6 cursor rules from other repositories ↓
Install

Getting it into your agent

There is no command for this one: it runs only inside a plugin, and the catalogue could not identify which plugin ships it. The source is linked below.

Made for: Cursor.

Wrote this? Show the measurements

A badge with what this costs and how it scanned, read live from this page, so it follows the numbers instead of freezing them. Markdown for a README, HTML for a documentation site or a project page.

agentmods badge for mcp-troubleshooting-guide

README.md
[![agentmods](https://agentmods.dev/badge/rules/swonvip/mcp-server-talk/mcp-troubleshooting-guide.svg)](https://agentmods.dev/rules/swonvip/mcp-server-talk/mcp-troubleshooting-guide)
Your own site
<a href="https://agentmods.dev/rules/swonvip/mcp-server-talk/mcp-troubleshooting-guide"><img src="https://agentmods.dev/badge/rules/swonvip/mcp-server-talk/mcp-troubleshooting-guide.svg" alt="Measured on agentmods" height="20"></a>
Per session 0 Nothing until a file matches its globs; then the whole rule loads.
When invoked 1,025 The whole file, excluding the scripts and references it only reads on demand.
Security scan B 1 finding. A grade says what 26 rules found in the file — not that it is safe.
Origin original No closer match found in the catalogue.
Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

ModelPer sessionOnce invoked
Fable 5.1 $0.00000 $0.01025
Opus 5 $0.00000 $0.00513
Sonnet 5 $0.00000 $0.00205
Haiku 4.5 $0.00000 $0.00103

Measured 6d ago against content hash 295ff886d1c9, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-09-07, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade B, and why

mcp-troubleshooting-guide scanned grade B with 1 finding against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured 6d ago.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Reads MCP configurationmediumAgent snooping

mcp.json carries server URLs and auth tokens; reading it lets a mod discover and abuse other integrations.

cat /Users/sven.scheffel/.cursor/mcp.json
.cursor/rules/mcp-troubleshooting-guide.mdc · 163 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 163 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

MCP Server Troubleshooting Guide

Current Status Analysis

Based on your setup, I found:

What's Working:

  • FastMCP is installed (version 2.5.1)
  • MCP server code imports successfully
  • Configuration file exists at /Users/sven.scheffel/.cursor/mcp.json
  • Server is properly configured with correct paths

Potential Issues:

1. Cursor MCP Feature Availability

  • MCP support in Cursor is still in beta/preview
  • Ensure you have the latest version of Cursor
  • Check if MCP features are enabled in your Cursor settings

2. Configuration Location

Your MCP config is at: /Users/sven.scheffel/.cursor/mcp.json This should be the correct global location for Cursor.

3. Server Startup Issues

The server might not be starting properly when Cursor tries to connect.

Troubleshooting Steps

Step 1: Verify Cursor Version and MCP Support

  1. Check Cursor version: Help → About
  2. Look for MCP-related settings in Cursor preferences
  3. Ensure you're using Cursor Pro (MCP might require Pro subscription)

Step 2: Test Server Manually

cd /Users/sven.scheffel/Documents/repositories/mcp-server-talk/demo/1
python3 simple_mcp_server.py

The server should start and show available tools.

Step 3: Check Configuration Syntax

Your current config looks correct:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "math-assistant": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": [
        "/Users/sven.scheffel/Documents/repositories/mcp-server-talk/demo/1/simple_mcp_server.py"
      ],
      "cwd": "/Users/sven.scheffel/Documents/repositories/mcp-server-talk/demo/1"
    }
  }
}

Step 4: Restart Cursor

After configuration changes:

  1. Completely quit Cursor
  2. Restart Cursor
  3. Wait for MCP servers to initialize

Step 5: Check Cursor Logs

Look for MCP-related errors in Cursor's developer console:

  • Help → Toggle Developer Tools
  • Check Console tab for MCP errors

Step 6: Simplify Configuration

Try with minimal config first:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "math-assistant": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["/Users/sven.scheffel/Documents/repositories/mcp-server-talk/demo/1/simple_mcp_server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Read the full file on GitHub · 163 lines

Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

  1. 6d ago First seen · 163 lines · 0 tokens per session scan B 295ff886d1c9

Subscribe to this mod's changes

mcp-troubleshooting-guide is a cursor rule published in the GitHub repository SwonVIP/mcp-server-talk (0 stars, last pushed 1y ago), licensed MIT. It costs nothing until one of its globs matches a file; then it loads 1,025 tokens. A static security scan graded it B with 1 finding (reads mcp configuration). No closer match exists in the catalogue, so it is treated as the original; first seen 2026-08-31.