Run Shell Command MCP server

This MCP server lets you run shell commands from Cursor directly within your development environment. It provides a convenient way to execute terminal commands without switching contexts, making your workflow more efficient.

Installation

To install and use the Run Command MCP server, follow these steps:

Prerequisites

Make sure you have Node.js and npm installed on your system.

Setup in Cursor

1. Open Cursor and add a new MCP:
   • Name: Run Command
   • Type: Command
   • Command: npx github:benyue1978/run-command-mcp start

Usage Examples

Once installed, you can execute shell commands directly from the Cursor chat interface.

Basic Commands

Type your command in the Cursor chat prefaced with a request to use the shell command. For example:

Use shell command to find the services using port 3000

This will execute the appropriate command (like lsof -i :3000 on Unix-based systems) and return the results.

Other Example Queries

• Find large files in the current directory:

  Use shell command to list files larger than 100MB in the current directory
  

• Check system resources:

  Use shell command to show current CPU and memory usage
  

• Git operations:

  Use shell command to show recent git commits
  

The MCP will interpret your request and run the appropriate shell command, returning the results directly in the Cursor chat interface.

Tips for Effective Use

• Be specific about what you're trying to accomplish
• The MCP will interpret natural language to run the appropriate command
• Results are returned in the chat, making it easy to review output without switching windows
• Complex commands are supported, though very long-running operations may time out

How to add this MCP server to Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.