Cursor Setup

Project-level MCP config for Cursor AI editor

Prerequisite: Install the engram binary first via Homebrew or binary download.

Setup

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project (same path on all platforms):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "engram": {
      "command": "engram",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

1. Install engram binary

   brew install gentleman-programming/tap/engram
   
2. Create MCP config

   Create .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "engram": {
         "command": "engram",
         "args": ["mcp"]
       }
     }
   }
   
3. Restart Cursor

   Reload the window or restart Cursor.

Adding the Memory Protocol (Recommended)

Add the Memory Protocol to .cursorrules file to teach the agent when to use memory.

Create or edit .cursorrules in your project root:

# Engram Persistent Memory

You have access to Engram persistent memory (mem_save, mem_search, mem_context).

- Save proactively after significant work (bugfixes, decisions, discoveries, patterns).
- After context resets, call mem_context to recover state.
- Before ending session, call mem_session_summary.

See Memory Protocol for the full text.

Platform-Specific Notes

Windows

Make sure engram.exe is in your PATH. Cursor resolves MCP commands from the system PATH.

Check:

where engram

If not found, add the directory containing engram.exe to your PATH.

macOS

If you installed via Homebrew, engram is automatically in PATH:

which engram

Linux

If you installed via Homebrew:

which engram

If you downloaded a binary, move it to /usr/local/bin or add its directory to PATH.

Cursor Rules File

The .cursorrules file is Cursor’s project-level instruction file. It’s similar to:

• .clauderules (Claude Code)
• .windsurfrules (Windsurf)
• CLAUDE.md (Claude Code)
• GEMINI.md (Gemini CLI)

Anything you put in .cursorrules is injected into the agent’s system prompt.

Memory Protocol Behavior

With the Memory Protocol in .cursorrules, the agent:

• Saves proactively after bugfixes, decisions, discoveries, patterns
• Searches reactively when you say “remember” or “what did we do”
• Searches proactively when starting work that might overlap past sessions
• Closes sessions with mem_session_summary before saying “done”
• Recovers state after compaction with mem_context

Troubleshooting

MCP tools not showing up

Check that .cursor/mcp.json exists:

cat .cursor/mcp.json

Verify the format matches the example above.

Binary not found

Cursor can’t find engram command:

# Check PATH
echo $PATH

# Check binary location
which engram  # macOS/Linux
where engram  # Windows

If missing, install via Homebrew or binary download.

Agent doesn’t use memory

Check that .cursorrules includes the Memory Protocol:

cat .cursorrules

If missing, add the minimal version from the “Adding the Memory Protocol” section above.

Next Steps

• Learn about the Memory Protocol
• Explore MCP Tools
• Set up Git Sync for team memory sharing