zed-extension -shortcut

This MCP server extension integrates Shortcut's project management capabilities with the Zed editor via the MCP protocol. It exposes your Shortcut workspace to Zed’s AI features, enabling you to view, search, create, and update Shortcut stories, epics, and iterations directly from within the editor. The server handles authentication against Shortcut using your API token and communicates with Zed through the MCP interface so you can ask natural language questions about your project data, generate new stories, or update existing work items without leaving your development environment.

Once configured, you can interact with Shortcut data through prompts to your AI assistant in Zed. Typical use cases include retrieving lists of stories assigned to you, creating new bug or feature stories, updating story fields, and linking code changes to specific stories. The integration supports status reports and progress summaries, making it easier to track project momentum while coding.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js installed on your system
• Access to your Shortcut workspace and a valid API token

Step-by-step installation:

1. Install the MCP server extension dependencies

   • Ensure you have Node.js and npm installed.
   • Install the Shortcut MCP package in your project (the MCP server is provided by @shortcut/mcp).

2. Install the npm package

npm install @shortcut/mcp

3. Create or update your MCP server configuration

• Use the mcp_config structure as described in this README to run the server. For example, start the server with Node using the provided path to the MCP server script.

4. Set your Shortcut API token

• Export the token in your environment or provide it in the MCP server configuration as SHORTCUT_API_TOKEN.

export SHORTCUT_API_TOKEN=your_token_here

5. Run the MCP server

• Start the server using your preferred method (e.g., node path/to/server.js or your editor’s built-in run command).

6. Configure Zed to connect to the MCP server

• In Zed, ensure the context_servers setting includes mcp-server-shortcut with your Shortcut API token if required.

7. Validate the connection

• Open a Zed AI prompt and ask for Shortcut data to confirm the MCP server is properly connected and responding.

Tips and caveats:

• Keep your Shortcut API token secure; do not commit it to source control.
• The MCP server will start and manage its lifecycle automatically when used within the Zed extension environment.
• If you encounter authentication errors, re-check your API token and ensure it has the necessary permissions in Shortcut.
• The npm package used is @shortcut/mcp; make sure your environment has network access to fetch dependencies.
• If you customize the server path, ensure the path in the mcp_config matches your actual installation location.
• For troubleshooting, verify that Node.js versions are compatible with the MCP server package and that the Shortcut API is reachable from your network.