Connect Claude Desktop and Cursor

Claude Desktop and Cursor can edit your Astro projects. You type a request in one of them, and the change appears in the Astro editor.

Before you start

Open Astro. The Astro app has to be running on this computer.

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop connects through an extension: one file that you open once.

Step 1. Download the extension

In Astro, open Settings, then Connect agents. Choose the Claude tab and Claude Desktop, and press Download the extension. A file named astro-cut.mcpb lands in your Downloads folder.

Step 2. Open it

Open astro-cut.mcpb. Claude Desktop shows the extension and an Install button. Press it.

If nothing happens, open Claude Desktop first, go to Settings, then Extensions, and drag the file onto that page.

Step 3. Give it a token

Claude Desktop asks for an Astro agent token.

In Astro, open Settings, then Connect agents.
Type a name, such as Claude Desktop.
Press Create token, then Copy.
Paste it into Claude Desktop and save.

Astro shows a token once. If you lose it, create another.

Step 4. Try it

Open a project in Astro. In Claude Desktop, ask for an edit:

Add a title that says "Hello" at the start of my Astro project.

When Astro restarts

You do not need to do anything. The extension finds Astro again by itself, opens the project you were working on, and carries on. A request made while Astro is starting waits for it, for up to 25 seconds.

Cursor

In Astro, open Settings, then Connect agents. Choose the Other tab and Cursor, press Get the link, then Add to Cursor. Astro creates a token for Cursor and opens Cursor with the connection ready to install. Press Install in Cursor.

To set it up by hand, add this to Cursor's mcp.json, with a token from Settings, Connect agents:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "astro": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:41417/api/cut/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer astro_YOUR_TOKEN" }
    }
  }
}

If it does not connect

What you see	What to do
"Astro isn't running on this computer"	Open the Astro app and wait for it to finish starting.
"Astro Cut has no agent token yet"	Create a token in Settings, Connect agents, and paste it into the extension's settings.
"Token not recognised" or "This token was revoked"	Create a new token and paste it in place of the old one.

The MCP reference lists what an agent can do once it is connected.