Cursor + Semurai
Set up the Cursor MCP server for Semurai with one entry in mcp.json, and Cursor’s agent works with keyword data, rankings, live search results, competitor research and store SEO proposals while you edit blog posts, docs and store pages. OAuth sign-in, no API keys.
Cursor MCP · ~/.cursor/mcp.json or .cursor/mcp.json
Add one entry to mcp.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"semurai": {
"url": "https://api.semur.ai/mcp"
}
}
}Setup
One JSON entry and one sign-in. Use the global file for every project, or the project file for one site.
Open ~/.cursor/mcp.json to use Semurai in all your projects, or create .cursor/mcp.json in a project to use it there only.
Add the semurai entry with the address https://api.semur.ai/mcp and save the file.
When Cursor asks you to sign in, Semurai opens in your browser. Sign in, pick a default workspace and click Allow.
Ask Cursor’s agent in plain language. It asks for your approval before it uses a Semurai tool.
{
"mcpServers": {
"semurai": {
"url": "https://api.semur.ai/mcp"
}
}
}Good to know
Why connect
The agent is quick with your files. Semurai shows it the search side of the pages it edits.
Writes a category intro from general knowledge.
Writes it around phrases with real volume, difficulty and intent.
Cannot tell who ranks for the phrase you target.
Looks up the domains in Google’s live results and what they rank for.
Guesses which pages an article should link to.
Uses the anchors and target pages Semurai suggests for a saved article.
Changes store copy only inside the theme.
Prepares product and category SEO proposals you approve in Semurai.
Use cases
Cursor’s agent already edits your files. With Semurai it knows what people search, who ranks and what your store pages could say.
Write a Markdown post in the editor while the agent checks volume, difficulty and intent for each heading you add.
The agent sees which domains hold the top spots for a category phrase, then shapes the intro for the intent those results show.
Product and collection templates get the wording shoppers search for: phrases with volume and difficulty, worked into the copy you edit.
With Shoper, WooCommerce or PrestaShop connected in Semurai, the agent prepares product and category SEO proposals. Nothing reaches the store until a proposal is approved.
For an article saved in Semurai, the agent gets the anchor, the target page and the sentence to put each link in, then edits your file.
The agent looks up who ranks for a phrase today and what those domains rank for, then writes a brief into a file next to your draft.
Example
You edit a store page, Cursor’s agent asks Semurai who ranks and what people search, then writes the intro.
I am writing the intro for content/shop/espresso-beans.md. Which phrases should it target?
The top results are roasters’ shop pages, so a category intro fits. The phrases worth targeting:
| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Intent |
|---|---|---|---|
| espresso beans | 33,100 | 58 | Commercial |
| best espresso beans | 14,800 | 47 | Commercial |
| dark roast espresso beans | 2,900 | 31 | Commercial |
| espresso beans for moka pot | 880 | 12 | Informational |
I would lead with “dark roast espresso beans” and answer the moka pot question in one short paragraph. Shall I write it into the file?
Yes, keep it under 150 words.
Done. The intro is in content/shop/espresso-beans.md, 138 words, with both phrases in the first two sentences.
Prompts to try
Setup options
Cursor reads MCP servers from two files. Pick the one that fits, then let the agent call Semurai while you edit.
| ~/.cursor/mcp.json | .cursor/mcp.json | |
|---|---|---|
| Works in | All your projects | This project only |
| Best for | Your own SEO and content work across sites | A site repository where everyone should have Semurai |
| In version control | No, it sits in your home folder | Yes, if you commit the .cursor folder |
| Sign-in | Your Semurai account | Each person signs in to their own Semurai account |
Ask in the agent chat with your file open. The agent decides which Semurai tools to call, and by default Cursor asks for your approval before each MCP tool runs.
Cursor project rules live in .cursor/rules as .mdc files and give the agent standing instructions. A short rule can say when to use Semurai.
Cursor or VS Code?
Both are code editors with an AI agent, and both connect to the same Semurai server. The difference is in how you add it.
| Cursor | VS Code | |
|---|---|---|
| How you add Semurai | An entry in mcp.json | MCP: Add Server in the Command Palette |
| Where it is saved | ~/.cursor/mcp.json or .cursor/mcp.json | Copilot Global (~/.copilot/mcp-config.json) or .vscode/mcp.json |
| Who calls the tools | Cursor’s agent | GitHub Copilot in agent sessions |
| Sign-in | OAuth in the browser when Cursor asks | OAuth in the browser when the server starts |
One Semurai account works in both. Step-by-step setup for VS Code is on the VS Code MCP page.
Other assistants
The same server address and the same Semurai account work in every assistant below.
FAQ
Add an entry to mcp.json: ~/.cursor/mcp.json for all your projects or .cursor/mcp.json for one project. For Semurai the entry is named semurai with the url https://api.semur.ai/mcp. When Cursor asks, sign in to Semurai in the browser and click Allow.
Cursor MCP lets Cursor’s agent call tools from MCP servers. With Semurai added, the agent researches keywords, looks up who ranks for a phrase, writes briefs from competitor data, suggests internal links for saved articles and prepares store SEO proposals while you edit files in Cursor.
The global file in your home folder if Semurai is your own tool across many sites. The project file if a site repository should come with Semurai for everyone who opens it. Each person still signs in to their own Semurai account.
With OAuth, using the authorization code flow with PKCE. Semurai opens in your browser, you sign in, pick a default workspace and click Allow. Access tokens last one hour and renew automatically.
Not by default. Cursor asks for your approval before it uses an MCP tool. Semurai also marks the tools that change something live, so a publish or a queued post stands out from a keyword lookup.
Yes, with a clear split. Theme files, templates and any content kept in your repository are edited by Cursor’s agent directly. Posts that live in WordPress go through Semurai, which sends drafts or schedules them and prepares meta and ALT text fixes as a change set you pick from. WordPress needs to be connected in Semurai.
Yes, if you add Semurai’s full server as a second entry in mcpServers: "semurai-full": { "url": "https://api.semur.ai/mcp/full" }. Cursor then asks you to sign in for that entry too, because Semurai approves the full server separately. The agent can generate on-brand images for the pages you edit and get their addresses back, design social graphics and ads in Canvas, and fill in alt texts for media library images. It can also create Creative Studio designs, answer the designer’s questions and revise them from the chat. Graphics come out of the workspace’s usage limits.
Yes. Cursor’s MCP settings turn servers on or off, so you can switch Semurai off and keep the semurai entry in mcp.json for later.
No. The file holds only the server name and address. Everyone who opens the project signs in to Semurai separately, and each person can disconnect their own connection in Settings → AI assistants (MCP).
Create your Semurai account, add one entry to mcp.json and ask Cursor’s agent about your pages.
