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Configure HoloViz MCP for Cursor

This guide shows you how to configure HoloViz MCP with Cursor IDE.

Prerequisites

Quick Install

Click the button below to open Cursor's MCP settings directly:

Install in Cursor

Then follow the Manual Configuration steps below.

Manual Configuration

  1. Open Cursor Settings
  2. Navigate to Features → Model Context Protocol
  3. Click Add Server
  4. Enter the configuration:
{
  "name": "holoviz",
  "command": "holoviz-mcp"
}
  1. Save the configuration
  2. Restart Cursor

Test Your Configuration

Test the configuration with Cursor's AI:

  1. Simple Query - Open Cursor's AI chat and ask:
List available Panel input components
  1. Detailed Query - Ask for specific information:
What parameters does the Panel TextInput component have?
  1. Code Generation - Ask Cursor AI to generate code:
Create a simple Panel dashboard with a slider

If Cursor's AI provides detailed, accurate responses with specific Panel component information, your configuration is working! 🎉

Advanced Configuration

Set Log Level

For debugging, increase the log level in your Cursor MCP settings:

{
  "name": "holoviz",
  "command": "holoviz-mcp",
  "env": {
    "HOLOVIZ_MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "DEBUG"
  }
}

Custom Configuration Directory

Use a custom directory for configuration and data:

{
  "name": "holoviz",
  "command": "holoviz-mcp",
  "env": {
    "HOLOVIZ_MCP_USER_DIR": "/path/to/custom/dir"
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Server Not Showing in Cursor

Verify JSON syntax - ensure there are no trailing commas or syntax errors.

Restart Cursor after adding the configuration.

Check MCP settings - navigate to Features → Model Context Protocol to verify the server is listed.

Server Not Starting

Check that holoviz-mcp is installed:

holoviz-mcp --version

Test the server directly:

holoviz-mcp

Press Ctrl+C to stop it.

Cursor AI Not Recognizing Components

  1. Verify documentation index exists:
ls ~/.holoviz-mcp
  1. Recreate the index:
holoviz-mcp update index
  1. Restart Cursor

Configuration Not Saving

Check Cursor version - ensure you have the latest version that supports MCP.

Manually edit configuration - if the UI isn't working, you may need to manually edit Cursor's configuration file.

Working with Cursor

Cursor provides several ways to interact with AI:

  • Cmd/Ctrl + K: Open inline AI editor to modify code
  • Cmd/Ctrl + L: Open AI chat panel
  • @-mentions: Reference files and code in your prompts
  • Tab to accept: AI suggestions appear inline as you type

When asking about Panel or HoloViz, Cursor will use the HoloViz MCP server to provide accurate, up-to-date information!

Next Steps