How to Fix an MCP Server That Isn't Showing Up in Cursor

Cursor shows the servers it successfully read from MCP settings. A private server with no token does not fail halfway. It does not appear. A JSON file with one bad comma does the same to every server in the file.

What you want to see

An entry under Settings → MCP Servers whose url is the hosted endpoint from MCP Studio. That URL contains /api/mcp/ and the server name. The name you give the entry is only a label. A wrong label still connects. A wrong path does not.

Why it stays hidden

The file Cursor loaded is not the file you edited. A project config can override the global one. Read the MCP settings Cursor says are active for this window.

A private server with no header never lists. The token belongs in headers, as Authorization: Bearer and the mcps_live_ value from that server's Access panel.

Saving the file while the window is open is not a restart. Cursor reads MCP config at startup.

Put the MCP Studio URL in Cursor

MCP Studio is the no-code builder on Appa Tools. Copy the URL from the server's setup page. Create the server in the wizard if it does not exist yet.

A public server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "your-server": {
      "url": "https://appatools.com/mcp-studio/api/mcp/your-server"
    }
  }
}

A private server needs the token. A URL alone will not list it. The full example is in Give Cursor access to your private documentation.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "your-server": {
      "url": "https://appatools.com/mcp-studio/api/mcp/your-server",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer mcps_live_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Cursor after the edit. Do not commit the token. Keep it in local MCP config.

Windsurf and VS Code accept the same headers object. Reload the window after saving. The connection guide has the public case. The private servers guide has the header.

Check that it works

Prove the token with curl before you keep editing Cursor. If curl returns 401, fix the token. If curl lists tools and Cursor does not, the header is not in the file Cursor loaded, or the restart has not happened. The curl commands are in Fix an MCP server that isn't connecting.

After a restart, the server name should appear in MCP settings with its tools.

If it is still missing

The server can appear and then fail every call. That is a revoked token, or a token from a different server. Tokens do not transfer. Create one on this server and replace the header.

Once the tools are listed, a weak answer is a different problem. Indexing may still be running, or the citation may be the wrong page. See Debug an MCP server.

Make the server appear in Cursor today

Open MCP Studio, copy the /api/mcp/ URL, and paste it into Cursor's MCP settings. Add the bearer header if the server is private. Restart Cursor. The server is fixed when its tools are listed.

Where to go next

• Give Cursor access to your private documentation
• Who can reach your MCP server
• Private MCP servers
• Connect to AI tools