Cursor

Cursor has built-in codebase indexing, but CCE adds compressed retrieval, cross-session memory, and token savings tracking on top.

Quick setup

cce init              # Auto-detects Cursor if .cursor/ exists
cce init --agent all  # Explicitly includes Cursor

Files created

.cursor/mcp.json

Registers the CCE MCP server for Cursor’s agent mode.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context-engine": {
      "command": "cce",
      "args": ["serve", "--project-dir", "/path/to/your/project"]
    }
  }
}

.cursorrules

Contains instructions for Cursor’s AI to prefer context_search over raw file reads. The CCE block is wrapped in markers so your own rules are preserved.

Working with Cursor’s built-in indexing

Cursor indexes your codebase for its own retrieval. CCE complements this by:

• Compressed context that uses fewer tokens per query (Cursor’s index returns full file content, CCE returns relevant chunks with signature compression)
• Token savings tracking so you can measure the cost difference
• Graph-aware retrieval that follows code relationships (imports, calls)
• Cross-session memory that persists decisions across restarts

Both systems run side by side without conflict. Cursor’s indexing handles in-editor completions, CCE handles chat/agent queries.

Verify it’s working

1. Restart Cursor after running cce init
2. Open the Composer or Chat panel
3. Ask a code question:

Where is the database connection configured?

4. Check the tool call output. If Cursor used context_search, CCE is active
5. Run cce savings in your terminal to see token savings

Troubleshooting

Cursor ignores CCE and reads files directly

Cursor may prefer its built-in indexing for some queries. Check that .cursorrules contains the CCE instructions block. The instructions tell Cursor to prefer context_search, but Cursor’s own heuristics may override this for simple lookups.

”cce: command not found”

Cursor inherits PATH from how it was launched. Ensure ~/.local/bin (or wherever cce is installed) is in your shell profile, then launch Cursor from a terminal with cursor .

MCP tools not showing

Restart Cursor completely (not just reload). MCP config is read at startup, not on config file change.

Windows path issues

If your project path contains spaces, ensure the path in .cursor/mcp.json is correctly quoted. cce init handles this automatically, but manual edits can break it.