By Shekhar — Founder, AgenticMarket. Tested on VS Code 1.113, Cursor 3.0.1, and Claude Desktop 0.9 across macOS 15 Sequoia and Windows 11. Last reviewed March 2026.

I manage 10+ MCP servers across 4 AI IDEs. For the first six months I did it by hand — editing JSON files, copying API keys into each config, forgetting which tool uses servers vs mcpServers, restarting Claude Desktop three times before realising it needs a full quit, not just a window close. It's a tax on your time that compounds with every server you add.

There is a better and faster way: one command installs any MCP server into all your AI tools at once.

bashCOPY
agenticmarket install username/server-name

No JSON. No restarts. No config paths to memorise across operating systems. Every AI tool on your machine gets the server — automatically, in the correct format each tool expects.

This guide covers both methods — the CLI approach (recommended) and the manual JSON approach if you need it.

What actually happens when you install an MCP server

Each AI tool — VS Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop, Codex, Windsurf — stores its MCP server list in a JSON config file on your machine. When the tool starts, it reads that file, launches each configured server, and makes the tools available in chat.

The config format is nearly identical across all tools. The differences are the top-level key name and where the file lives on disk:

The CLI writes these files for you. The manual method means editing them yourself.

The key naming inconsistency between VS Code (servers) and everything else (mcpServers) is the single most common reason MCP configs silently fail. The CLI abstracts all of it — including auth header injection — so you never handle it directly.

For the complete MCP protocol specification, see the official MCP docs at modelcontextprotocol.io.

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What makes the CLI different from manual setup

Most install guides assume you use exactly one AI tool. The reality is that most developers run two or three. VS Code for daily work, Cursor for AI-heavy sessions, Claude Desktop for conversation. When you find a useful MCP server, you want it everywhere.

AgenticMarket's CLI detects every compatible AI tool installed on your machine at install time. It presents a selection prompt — your active IDE appears first — and you choose which tools get the server. It then writes the correct configuration for each one: different key names, different file paths, different formats.

Your API key is stored once in ~/.agenticmarket/config.json — a single location outside any project directory. It never touches your project files, so it can never end up in a git push by accident. Every MCP server references that one stored key automatically.

Related: If you're building a server rather than installing one, see How to Create an MCP Server.

If you want the operator view of install and billing setup, the Using Servers guide and Authentication guide cover it end to end.

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Method 1: CLI install (recommended)

For the shortest path, you can also follow Quickstart.

Step 1 — Install the AgenticMarket CLI

bashCOPY
# Install globally via npm
npm install -g agenticmarket

# Verify installation
agenticmarket --version

The shorthand amkt works after global install if you prefer fewer keystrokes.

Step 2 — Authenticate once

bashCOPY
# Replace with your actual key from the dashboard
agenticmarket auth am_live_xxxx

Get your key at agenticmarket.dev/dashboard/api-keys. This saves your key to ~/.agenticmarket/config.json and verifies it against the platform. You never run this again unless you rotate your key.

The key format is am_live_ followed by a 32-character string. If you see am_test_, you're using a sandbox key — calls won't deduct real credits.

Step 3 — Install any server

bashCOPY
agenticmarket install agenticmarket/web-reader

You'll see output like this:

  ✓ Found: web-reader — $0.00 per call
  ✓ Installed to VS Code
  ✓ Installed to Cursor

  Open your AI assistant. The tool is ready.

The CLI scans for installed AI tools, shows the selection prompt, and writes configuration to every target you choose. No restart required for VS Code or Cursor — Claude Desktop is the exception (it requires a full quit and reopen).

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Every AI tool — detected automatically

The CLI checks known configuration paths and only surfaces tools that are actually installed. If VS Code isn't on your system, it doesn't appear.

Each tool has its own config key naming convention. VS Code uses servers; Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, and most others use mcpServers. Zed nests MCP config inside a broader settings file. The CLI handles all of this — you don't need to know any of it.

If you run the install command from inside VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or Gemini CLI, that IDE's options appear pre-selected at the top of the prompt.

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What auto-detection looks like in practice

After running agenticmarket install agenticmarket/web-reader, each IDE independently recognises the server and exposes its tools. No restart required in most cases.

Here's VS Code with the web-reader server installed and its tools visible in Copilot Chat agent mode:

Cursor's MCP settings panel confirming the same server is active:

Antigravity with the server registered and tools available:

Each tool uses its own initialization handshake to discover what tools the server exposes. AgenticMarket's infrastructure speaks each tool's dialect.

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How your AI assistant calls an MCP tool

Once installed, your AI assistant doesn't call the MCP server directly. The call routes through AgenticMarket's infrastructure, which validates your identity, confirms you have credits, then forwards the request to the actual MCP server and returns the result.

This is why your API key lives in one central place rather than scattered through each IDE's config. Credits are only deducted on a successful response — if the server is unreachable or returns an error, you pay nothing.

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How to list, remove, and update installed MCP servers

See everything installed

bashCOPY
$ agenticmarket list

  Installed servers:

  agenticmarket/web-reader       $0.05/call   VS Code, Cursor, Antigravity
  agenticmarket/rss-reader       $0.03/call   VS Code, Cursor
  agenticmarket/site-metadata    $0.03/call   VS Code

  3 servers installed

Remove a server from everywhere at once

bashCOPY
# Removes the entry from every config file the CLI previously wrote
agenticmarket remove web-reader

Check your credit balance

bashCOPY
agenticmarket balance

Rotate your API key

bashCOPY
# Overwrites the stored key in ~/.agenticmarket/config.json
agenticmarket auth am_live_new_key_here

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Method 2: Manual JSON install

Use this if you're installing a server that's not on AgenticMarket, or if you prefer managing config files directly. The VS Code MCP documentation and Cursor MCP documentation are the authoritative references for each tool's expected format.

Installing in VS Code

VS Code stores MCP config in two possible places:

• Global (all projects): ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/mcp.json on macOS, %APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json on Windows, ~/.config/Code/User/mcp.json on Linux
• Workspace (current project only): .vscode/mcp.json in your project root

Open or create the file and add a servers key:

jsonCOPY
{
  "servers": {
    "your-server-name": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://your-mcp-server-url/mcp"
    }
  }
}

For servers requiring auth headers:

jsonCOPY
{
  "servers": {
    "your-server-name": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://your-mcp-server-url/mcp",
      "headers": {
        // Replace YOUR_TOKEN with your actual API key
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code detects the config change automatically — no restart needed. A Start button appears at the top of the mcp.json file in the editor. Click it to activate the server.

Critical: VS Code uses servers (not mcpServers). This is the most common source of copy-paste errors when adapting config from Cursor guides. The wrong key causes a silent failure — no error message, the server just doesn't appear.

Installing in Cursor

Cursor reads from ~/.cursor/mcp.json globally, or .cursor/mcp.json at project level. See the Cursor MCP docs for the latest format.

The format uses mcpServers (not servers):

jsonCOPY
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "your-server-name": {
      // Remote HTTP server
      "url": "https://your-mcp-server-url/mcp"
    }
  }
}

After saving, go to Cursor Settings → Features → MCP Servers to verify the server appears. A green dot means it's connected.

For stdio servers (local process rather than a URL):

jsonCOPY
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "your-server-name": {
      // Runs a local npm package as a subprocess
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "your-mcp-package"]
    }
  }
}

Installing in Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop reads from:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

If the file doesn't exist, create it. See Anthropic's Claude Desktop MCP guide for the current schema.

jsonCOPY
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "your-server-name": {
      "url": "https://your-mcp-server-url/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Unlike VS Code, Claude Desktop requires a full restart after editing the config. Quit the app completely (not just close the window — use Cmd+Q on macOS) and reopen it. Test by asking Claude to use a tool from the server.

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Why manual JSON editing breaks down at scale

The config-file approach works when you have one AI tool and install one server. It accumulates friction fast:

Key naming is inconsistent. VS Code uses servers. Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, and most others use mcpServers. The wrong key causes a silent failure. This is the most common reason "my MCP server isn't working" questions get posted on the Cursor forum and the VS Code GitHub issues.

Config paths differ by tool and OS. The VS Code global config lives in three different locations depending on whether you're on macOS, Windows, or Linux. Claude Desktop's path differs too.

Restarts aren't consistent. Claude Desktop requires a full quit after any config change. VS Code and Cursor detect changes live. Get this wrong and you'll spend 10 minutes convinced your config is broken.

API key sprawl. Your key ends up in multiple IDE config files across your machine. If .vscode/mcp.json gets committed to a repo — which happens — your key is in version control. With the CLI, the key lives in ~/.agenticmarket/config.json, one location that no project's .gitignore ever needs to think about.

No clean removal. There's no uninstall in the manual approach. agenticmarket remove server-name does it in one step.

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MCP Server Not Showing Up? Fix Common Install Problems

Tool doesn't appear after install Run agenticmarket list to confirm the server is registered. Then check your IDE's MCP settings: in VS Code, a Start button appears at the top of mcp.json; in Cursor, check Settings → Features → MCP Servers; in Claude Desktop, a full quit-and-reopen is required after config changes.

IDE missing from the install prompt The CLI detects tools by checking known config directory paths. If an IDE was installed but never opened, its config directory may not exist yet. Open it once, then run the install command again.

Auth error on tool call Run agenticmarket auth am_live_your_key to refresh the stored key. If the problem persists, generate a new key at agenticmarket.dev/dashboard/api-keys.

HTTP server fails the initial connection check Remote HTTP servers that cold-start may fail the first connection attempt. Wait 30 seconds and check your IDE's MCP settings panel again.

MCP tools unavailable in VS Code Copilot Chat MCP tools are only available when Copilot Chat is in Agent mode, not Ask mode. Switch modes using the mode selector in the chat input bar. This is a known VS Code behaviour — tools are scoped to the agent context.

Wrong config path on Windows On Windows, paths are %APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json for VS Code and %APPDATA%\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json for Claude Desktop. Environment variable expansion varies by terminal — use echo %APPDATA% in Command Prompt to get the actual path.

Balance not changing after calls Credits deduct only on successful responses. Run a known-good call, then check agenticmarket balance before and after to confirm the flow.

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If you built an MCP server

If you have an HTTPS MCP server already running, you can list it on AgenticMarket and earn 80% of every call routed through the platform. The first 100 approved creators earn 90% for 12 months under the Founding Creator program — with featured placement, priority review, and a permanent badge.

See How to Monetize Your MCP Server for full details on the revenue structure and what makes a server worth submitting.

Before submission, run a handshake and tools check in MCP Playground.

Submit at agenticmarket.dev/dashboard/submit. Review takes 24 hours.

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FAQ

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Why does VS Code use servers but Cursor uses mcpServers?

The MCP specification doesn't enforce a config file format — each tool chose its own key name independently. VS Code went with servers to align with its language server protocol conventions. Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, and most others followed an earlier community convention using mcpServers. The formats are functionally identical, but the wrong key causes a silent failure with no error message — nothing breaks, the server just doesn't appear.

Do I need to restart VS Code after installing an MCP server?

No. VS Code watches its mcp.json file for changes and reloads automatically. A Start button appears at the top of the file when it's open in the editor — click it to activate the server without restarting. The only tool that requires a full restart is Claude Desktop, which doesn't watch its config file for live changes.

Is it safe to store my API key in ~/.agenticmarket/config.json?

Yes. The file lives outside any project directory, is never touched by git, and is never written into individual IDE configs. If you want extra assurance, add ~/.agenticmarket to your global gitignore (usually at ~/.gitignore_global).

Can I use the CLI with MCP servers not on AgenticMarket?

Not directly — the CLI is built around AgenticMarket's registry. For servers not on the platform, use the manual JSON method above. The CLI won't interfere with those entries.

Why are MCP tools only available in VS Code Agent mode?

VS Code restricts tool use to Agent mode because tool calls can take actions — reading files, making web requests, modifying code. Ask mode is intentionally read-only. Switch to Agent mode using the mode dropdown in the Copilot Chat input bar. This is documented in the VS Code MCP docs.

What happens if an MCP server call fails — am I charged?

No. Credits deduct only on a successful response. If the server is unreachable, errors, or times out, you pay nothing.

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Last updated March 2026. Tested on VS Code 1.115.1, Cursor 3.0.1, Claude Desktop 0.9 — macOS 15 Sequoia and Windows 11. The CLI is open source — github.com/agenticmarket/cli.

Found a config path that's wrong or out of date? Open an issue — I update this post when things change.

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Which AI IDE are you running MCP servers in? Drop it in the comments — I'm curious whether the multi-IDE setup is common or most people just use one. If you hit a config issue this guide didn't cover, post it too and I'll add it to the troubleshooting section.

IDE-specific setup guides: VS Code · Cursor · Claude Desktop · Windsurf — each covers the exact config format, file paths, and verification steps for that IDE.

Learn more: What is MCP? · What is an MCP Registry? · Browse Verified Servers · Explore Community Servers

I write about MCP tooling, developer infrastructure, and the agentic AI space roughly twice a month. If that's your thing: subscribe to the AgenticMarket newsletter — no fluff, just what's shipping.