inksnow

Inksnow MCP Proxy is a Node.js-based MCP proxy for Cursor IDE. It forwards Cursor's MCP requests to your own HTTP server, enabling you to handle initialize, tool calls, notifications, and other MCP protocol messages on your own backend. The proxy also provides detailed logging when DEBUG is enabled, making it easier to diagnose issues and ensure MCP messages are correctly routed to your server. You can run the proxy with a direct npx command or by configuring Cursor IDE to point at your target server.

To use it, start the proxy by running npx inksnow-mcp-proxy <server-url>, where <server-url> is the HTTP endpoint of your MCP server (for example http://localhost:3000). You can also set MCP_SERVER_URL in your environment to predefine the target server, and optionally enable DEBUG to observe verbose logs. Once running, Cursor IDE will communicate with the proxy as if it were the actual MCP server, while the proxy relays requests to your backend and returns responses.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js and npm installed on your machine
• Optional: a target HTTP server that implements the MCP endpoints expected by Cursor

Installation steps:

1. Install the proxy globally via npm: npm install -g inksnow-mcp-proxy
2. Run the proxy, pointing it at your MCP backend: npx inksnow-mcp-proxy http://localhost:3000 (You can replace the URL with the address of your MCP server.)
3. Alternatively, set the environment variable MCP_SERVER_URL and run the proxy without a URL parameter: MCP_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:3000 npx inksnow-mcp-proxy

Notes:

• If you want verbose logs, set DEBUG=1 in your environment before starting the proxy.
• Ensure your backend is accessible from the machine running the proxy and that any required CORS or firewall rules permit traffic.

Tips and common issues:

• The proxy forwards MCP requests such as initialize and tools/call to your HTTP server. Make sure your backend implements these endpoints and returns MCP-formatted responses.
• Use DEBUG=1 to enable detailed logs for troubleshooting.
• If Cursor IDE configurations reference a path or command, ensure they align with the proxy invocation (e.g., command: npx, args: [inksnow-mcp-proxy], env: { MCP_SERVER_URL: "http://your-server" }).
• Verify that the server URL begins with http:// or https:// to avoid startup errors.
• If you encounter connection failures, check network connectivity, server URL correctness, and ensure the backend is listening on the specified port.