Connect TikTok research to Cursor

Cursor can load a remote MCP server from an mcp.json file. TokConnect uses Streamable HTTP at https://mcp.tokconnect.com/mcp and authenticates with a bearer header. Begin with your personal Cursor configuration so a token does not enter a repository.

Add a personal MCP entry

Create or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Cursor documents this location for tools you want across projects.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tokconnect": {
      "url": "https://mcp.tokconnect.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_TOKCONNECT_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace the placeholder with the key from TokConnect. Restrict access to this local file. Cursor's documentation shows remote server headers under the same server entry.

Choose global or project configuration

Cursor merges the two files and gives a project entry precedence when both use the same server name. That is useful for intentional overrides, but it can hide a corrected global setting during troubleshooting. Use a distinct temporary name only if you need to compare definitions, then remove it. For routine setup, keep a single tokconnect entry in the global file until the first request succeeds.

Keep a project file free of a key

Cursor also reads .cursor/mcp.json in a project and merges it with the global configuration; a project entry takes priority when both use the same server name. Cursor's current MCP guide documents remote URL and header fields, but it does not establish a portable environment-variable interpolation syntax for those header values. Do not commit an active TokConnect project entry until your team has a tested secret-delivery method. A global personal entry is the documented bearer-header path shown above and keeps the key out of the repository.

Restart and test

Save the file and restart Cursor. Cursor's MCP documentation says the Agent picks up available MCP tools and lets you toggle individual tools from the tools list at the top of a chat. Confirm tokconnect appears, then start with a small request.

Call search_videos with keyword “walking pad,” count 1, sort “relevance,” and date “any.” Return id, authorUniqueId, playCount, commentCount, searchId, hasMore, and nextOffset.

The editorial MCP environment returned one record with ID 7331517414473010478, author audreyjudith_, hasMore: true, and nextOffset: 1. Keep the returned searchId when you request the next page. See the protocol fixture. Cursor did not run this call.

Cursor asks for MCP tool approval under its agent settings. Read the requested arguments before approval. The first request only reads research data; it does not post to TikTok or manage an ad account.

The response also returned a server-issued searchId. Preserve that ID with the keyword, sort, and date filter when you request another page. The first record's play count was 7,636,862 and comment count 2,002 in the captured protocol result. Those numbers show the returned fields can support later comparison; they are not a claim that Cursor made the request or a forecast of current performance.

Use the tools list as the source of truth

Cursor can show a connected server while individual tools remain disabled in the chat tools list. Enable the tools you need for the prompt, then send the same bounded request. This step separates a Cursor approval or enablement setting from a server-side authentication response.

Separate connection from results

Repair or remove the Cursor entry

Close Cursor before editing either MCP file, then reopen it so the tools list is rebuilt from valid JSON. If the server appears twice, remove the project entry first when it has the same name, restart, and inspect the global result. To retire the connection, delete the full tokconnect object from every applicable mcpServers mapping, preserve commas and braces, and restart. Confirm it disappears from the tools list before assuming the secret is no longer referenced.

A connection error, a disabled tool, and a sparse research response need different fixes. Work from the tools list outward: server present, individual tool enabled, small prompt approved, then response fields evaluated. That order avoids editing a valid bearer header because an agent setting hid the tool.

Cursor's MCP integration guide is the source for the file locations and header shape. Use the troubleshooting guide when the first call does not return the expected research data.

Read the TikTok MCP guide for tool boundaries. Use a returned video and its comments in the competitor-research workflow.