How to add the PapaProxy.net MCP server to Cursor

Before you start

• Cursor on your computer. The setup is the same on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
• A PapaProxy.net account. Access to the API and the MCP server is included at no additional charge; you pay only for the proxies you order.
• No Node.js, Python, or local package. The server runs at https://papaproxy.net/account_new/api/v1/mcp and speaks Streamable HTTP, which Cursor supports natively.

Step 1. Create an API key with the right scopes

In the Dashboard, open Settings → API keys, name the key (for example, “Cursor”), and select scopes. The full key is shown once, right after creation. Scopes are enforced on our end, so they limit the agent regardless of how Cursor is configured.

Start without wallet:spend. The agent can still price any order and show you the quote; add the scope, or create a second key, when you actually want it to buy. The full scope list is on the developers page.

Step 2. Add the server to Cursor

Cursor reads MCP servers from two mcp.json files and merges them: ~/.cursor/mcp.json applies to every project, and .cursor/mcp.json in a project root applies to that project. If both define a server with the same name, the project file wins.

Option A: one-click install

Install in Cursor opens Cursor with the server already filled in; confirm the install. A link can’t safely carry your key, so the config uses the placeholder fb_YOUR_API_KEY. Cursor saves it to the global file ~/.cursor/mcp.json: the mcp.json file in the hidden .cursor folder inside your home folder. Replace the placeholder there:

1. Open the file in CursorPress Cmd+O on macOS or Ctrl+O on Windows and Linux, then enter the path in the dialog. The .cursor folder is hidden, so you won’t see it while browsing, but entering the path opens the file directly.
   • macOS: press Cmd+Shift+G and paste ~/.cursor/mcp.json. From Terminal, open -a Cursor ~/.cursor/mcp.json does the same.
   • Windows: paste %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json into the File name field. That’s C:\Users\<your user name>\.cursor\mcp.json.
   • Linux: press Ctrl+L and paste ~/.cursor/mcp.json.
2. Replace the placeholderFind the papaproxy-net entry and the line with fb_YOUR_API_KEY. Replace only the placeholder with your key and keep Bearer and the space before it. If the file lists other servers, leave them as they are.
   Before and after

   "Authorization": "Bearer fb_YOUR_API_KEY"
   "Authorization": "Bearer fb_…your key…"

3. Save and reconnectSave with Cmd+S or Ctrl+S. Then open Customize, turn the server off and on again, or restart Cursor, so it reconnects with the new key.

Option B: edit mcp.json

Add the papaproxy-net entry to the mcpServers object. A remote server needs only url and headers; there’s no command and no transport field. The server name is up to you.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "papaproxy-net": {
      "url": "https://papaproxy.net/account_new/api/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer fb_YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

The header value must start with Bearer and a space. Save the file; if the server doesn’t appear in Customize, restart Cursor.

Option C: keep the key in an environment variable

Use this when .cursor/mcp.json is committed to a repository. Cursor resolves ${env:NAME} in url and headers, so the file names the variable and each developer keeps their own key outside Git.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "papaproxy-net": {
      "url": "https://papaproxy.net/account_new/api/v1/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:PAPAPROXY_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

export PAPAPROXY_API_KEY="fb_..."

Cursor reads the variable when it starts, so quit Cursor completely and reopen it after adding the line. On Windows, set the variable in System Properties → Environment Variables instead. The envFile option works only for local (stdio) servers, not for remote ones like this.

Step 3. Check the connection

Open Customize in the Cursor sidebar and find papaproxy-net among your MCP servers. It should be turned on and list its tools. Then start an agent chat and send a request that can’t cost anything:

Using the papaproxy-net MCP server, list the countries where datacenter proxies are in stock, then quote 100 US IPs for one month. Don't buy anything.

The agent should call list_countries and quote_composite and reply with a price in dollars. Quotes are free and don’t reserve or charge anything. If a call fails, see Troubleshooting.

Tool approvals: what to let the agent run on its own

By default, Cursor asks before every MCP tool call and shows the arguments when you expand it. MCP tools follow the same Run Modes as terminal commands, set in Settings → Agents → Approvals & Execution: Auto-review, Allowlist, or Run Everything.

Approvals in Cursor are a convenience, not a security boundary: Cursor’s own documentation notes that the Auto-review classifier can make mistakes. The boundary is the key. A key without wallet:spend can’t pay for anything, whatever mode Cursor runs in, and a key with it can pay only from your account balance.

What to do with it in Cursor

Cursor already writes and runs your scrapers. With the MCP server connected, the same chat can manage the proxies they use.

All 56 tools, with the scope each needs and the REST endpoint it calls, are in the API reference. When a workflow becomes a fixed job that runs on a schedule, move it to the REST API: plain code is cheaper and easier to test than an agent.

Troubleshooting: Cursor MCP not working

Start with the logs: open the Output panel (Cmd+Shift+U on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+U on Windows and Linux) and select MCP Logs. They show the connection attempt, each tool call, and the server’s reply.

If the logs show a server error rather than a configuration problem, contact support with the time of the failed call; we’ll check it on our end.

Other MCP clients

The same URL and header work in other clients; only the config file and its format differ. There are step-by-step guides for Claude Code and n8n, and setup for VS Code, Windsurf, Cline, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, and Claude Desktop is on the developers page.