How to Use CCE with Cursor
Set up Code Context Engine in Cursor. Works alongside built-in indexing. One command, no conflicts.
Why add CCE to Cursor?
Cursor has built-in code indexing. So why add CCE? Three reasons:
- Cross-session memory. Cursor starts fresh every session. CCE remembers decisions, architectural context, and code areas across sessions.
- Token savings tracking. Cursor doesn't tell you how many tokens it used. CCE tracks every query with dollar amounts.
- Multi-editor portability. If you also use Claude Code, VS Code, or Gemini CLI, CCE's index follows you. Cursor's doesn't.
CCE does not replace Cursor's indexing. They run side by side. Cursor's built-in features (tab completion, inline edits, apply) still use its own index. CCE adds MCP-based semantic search on top.
Setup (2 minutes)
Install CCE
uv tool install code-context-engine
Or pipx install code-context-engine. Requires Python 3.11+.
Initialize in your project
cd /path/to/your/project cce init
CCE auto-detects Cursor and writes .cursor/mcp.json plus .cursorrules with search instructions.
Restart Cursor
That's it. Cursor now has access to CCE's 9 MCP tools. The AI will use context_search automatically when exploring your code.
What gets created
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
.cursor/mcp.json | Registers CCE as an MCP server |
.cursorrules | Tells Cursor's AI to use context_search instead of reading files |
.gitignore | CCE entries added (local cache, settings) |
Verify it works
cce search "your feature name"
If results come back with token counts, CCE is working. In Cursor, ask the AI any question about your codebase. It should call context_search instead of reading entire files.
Check your savings
cce savings
Shows tokens saved, dollar amounts, and per-layer breakdown. Run after a few Cursor sessions to see the impact.
What CCE gives Cursor's AI
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
context_search | Semantic search across your codebase |
expand_chunk | Get full source for a compressed result |
related_context | Find imports, callers, dependencies |
session_recall | Recall past decisions |
record_decision | Save decisions for next session |
CCE vs Cursor indexing: what handles what
| Feature | Cursor built-in | CCE |
|---|---|---|
| Tab completion | Yes | No |
| Inline edits | Yes | No |
| Semantic code search | Yes | Yes (MCP) |
| Cross-session memory | No | Yes |
| Token savings tracking | No | Yes |
| Works in other editors | No | Yes (6 editors) |
| Code stays local | No (cloud) | Yes |
Troubleshooting
Cursor doesn't use context_search
Check that .cursor/mcp.json exists and Cursor was restarted after cce init. Cursor needs a restart to pick up new MCP servers.
Index seems stale
Git hooks reindex on every commit. If you haven't committed, run cce index manually. Or run cce watch in a separate terminal for real-time updates.
Want to remove CCE
cce uninstall
Removes all CCE files, config, hooks, and index data. Cursor's built-in indexing is unaffected.
Try it now
One command. Works alongside Cursor's built-in indexing. No conflicts.
uv tool install code-context-engine && cce initView on GitHub