Add the hosted CitationBench MCP server to Cursor via Settings → Tools and Integrations → MCP. Two-minute install with bearer auth or demo mode.

Connect the CitationBench MCP server to Cursor. Two minutes.

Prerequisites

Cursor installed
A CitationBench API key (sk_live_*** or sk_test_***) — or just connect in demo mode without one
A workspace ID (or use an agency master key)

Step 1 — Open MCP settings

Cursor → Settings → Tools and Integrations → MCP.

Step 2 — Add a server

Click Add New MCP Server. Fill in:

Name: citationbench
URL: https://mcp.citationbench.com/mcp
Headers (optional for demo mode):
- Authorization: Bearer sk_live_***
- X-Workspace-Id: ws_***

Click Save.

Step 3 — Verify

The server should show Connected. The tool list populates beneath it. Common tools to look for:

agent.invoke
research.keyword.research
produce.blog_post.create
indexing.gsc.submit
link_building.serp_outreach.create

Step 4 — First tool call

Open Cursor's chat panel:

Research keywords for project management software (fast depth, 50 results).

Cursor calls research.keyword.research and renders the response in chat.

Per-project scoping

Cursor supports per-project MCP configs via .cursor/mcp.json at the project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "citationbench": {
      "url": "https://mcp.citationbench.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:CITATIONBENCH_API_KEY}",
        "X-Workspace-Id": "${env:WORKSPACE_ID}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Pulls from your environment so you don't check API keys into version control.

Approval mode

Cursor surfaces approval prompts inline. Workspace-level policies also apply — invocations pause at WAITING_APPROVAL server-side regardless of what Cursor allows.

Debugging

Check Settings → Tools → MCP for connection status
Verify the API key at https://app.citationbench.com/api-keys
Try demo mode (omit headers) — if that works, the issue is your key

What to try next

Catalog
Playbook · Build an SEO agent in Claude Code — pattern translates to Cursor
Quickstart — MCP

Setup the CitationBench MCP server in Cursor