Cursor is an AI-first code editor built on VS Code. with screenpipe integration, Cursor can reference what you’ve been working on across all your apps, not just the current editor.
one-click setup
the fastest way to connect screenpipe to Cursor:
Confirm installation
Cursor will prompt you to confirm. click install or allow.
Test it
in Cursor’s chat, try: “what was I working on this morning?”
ensure screenpipe is running before using Cursor with screenpipe features.
manual setup
if the deeplink doesn’t work, configure manually:
Open Cursor settings
click Cursor → Settings → MCP (or search for “MCP” in settings)
Add new MCP server
click add new global MCP server
Configure screenpipe
- name:
screenpipe
- command:
npx
- args:
["-y", "screenpipe-mcp"]
Reload Cursor
restart Cursor or reload the MCP servers
configuration file location
Cursor stores MCP config in .cursor/mcp.json in your project root, or globally:
{
"mcpServers": {
"screenpipe": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "screenpipe-mcp"]
}
}
}
usage examples
once configured, Cursor can access your screen history naturally:
recall what you were reading:
> I was looking at documentation about async/await patterns earlier,
> find it and help me apply those patterns here
> what error messages have I seen in my terminal today?
> find the API response format I was looking at in the browser
> and use it to type this function
> what did we discuss about authentication in the standup?
> help me implement those changes
> I copied some code earlier but lost it, can you find it?
search-content
search your screen and audio history:
- filter by content type (all, ocr, audio, input, accessibility)
- time range filtering
- app/window filtering
- speaker filtering for audio
- full-text search
export-video
create video exports from screen recordings.
activity-summary
get app usage and activity stats.
list-meetings
list detected meetings with context.
see MCP server documentation for full details.
composer mode with context
Cursor’s Composer mode works great with screenpipe:
- open Composer (
Cmd+I or Ctrl+I)
- reference screenpipe context in your prompt:
> use screenpipe to find the authentication flow I was looking at,
> then create a similar implementation here
- Cursor will search screenpipe and use that context to write code
chat with context
use screenpipe in regular Cursor chat:
> @screenpipe what was I working on before lunch?
> search my screen history for the React component I was reading about
> find mentions of "database schema" in my meetings today
example workflows
context-aware coding:
user: I was reading about error handling patterns in Go, apply those here
Cursor: [searches screenpipe, finds content, applies patterns]
user: there was a TypeScript type definition I saw earlier that would work here
Cursor: [searches screen history, finds type, suggests implementation]
user: implement the API changes we discussed in standup
Cursor: [searches audio transcriptions, extracts requirements, writes code]
tips for best results
be specific about what you want:
✅ "find the React component I was reading about this morning"
✅ "show me error messages from my terminal in the last hour"
✅ "what did we discuss about the API in today's meeting"
❌ "find that thing I saw" (too vague)
✅ "what was I looking at in Chrome"
✅ "find code from VS Code window"
✅ "show me Slack messages about the deploy"
✅ "this morning"
✅ "in the last 2 hours"
✅ "yesterday afternoon"
✅ "during my 3pm meeting"
project-specific vs global
Cursor supports both project-level and global MCP servers:
project-level (.cursor/mcp.json in project root):
- only active in that specific project
- can customize per-project
global (via settings UI):
- active across all projects
- convenient for always-on tools like screenpipe
recommendation: use global for screenpipe so it’s available everywhere.
troubleshooting
MCP not showing up in Cursor?
- verify screenpipe is running:
curl http://localhost:3030/health
- check MCP settings in Cursor to see if screenpipe is listed
- try restarting Cursor
Cursor can’t access screenpipe data?
- ensure screenpipe has screen recording permissions
- check screenpipe has been running and recording
- verify the time range you’re querying has data
queries timing out?
- reduce the time range
- be more specific with filters (app name, content type)
- avoid requesting screenshots unless needed
Node.js errors?
- ensure Node.js >= 18.0.0 is installed
- try
npx clear-npx-cache and reinstall
deeplink not working?
- manually configure via settings instead
- check Cursor is up to date
still stuck? ask in our discord — we can help troubleshoot.
resources