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Cursor integration

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Cursor is an AI-powered code editor that understands your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and completes multi-step development tasks from natural-language prompts.

The Apify plugin for Cursor connects Cursor to Apify's library of Actors and bundles:

  • The Apify MCP server for searching Apify Store, running Actors, and retrieving datasets through the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
  • An apify routing agent that picks the right tool or skill from a natural-language request.
  • Five built-in skills for common workflows (see Bundled skills below).

This guide covers installation from the Cursor plugin marketplace.

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This integration uses a third-party service. If you find outdated content, please submit an issue on GitHub.

Prerequisites

Install the plugin

  1. Open Cursor > Preferences > Cursor Settings.

  2. Select Plugins.

    Cursor Settings with the Plugins section selected

  3. Search for Apify.

  4. Select the Apify Cursor plugin from the results.

    Cursor plugin marketplace search results with the Apify Cursor plugin card

  5. Click Get.

  6. Choose an install scope. Select This project to enable the plugin only in the current project, or All projects to enable it for every project under your account.

Authenticate to Apify

The plugin bundles the Apify MCP server. Read-only tools like searching Apify Store and fetching Actor details work without signing in, but you need to authenticate to run Actors and access your account data.

  1. Open Cursor > Preferences > Cursor Settings and select Tools & MCPs.

  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page. The Apify MCP server appears in the list.

    Tools & MCPs page showing the Apify MCP server at the bottom of the list

  3. Click Connect. Cursor opens a browser tab for the Apify OAuth flow.

  4. Review the permissions and click Allow access.

  5. Back in Cursor, the Apify MCP server shows as connected.

    Tools & MCPs page showing the Apify MCP server connected

Session persistence

The connection stays authenticated for future sessions. You can revoke access at any time in Apify Console > Settings > Integrations.

Run your first prompt

Describe what you want in natural language. The apify agent routes the request to the right tool or skill, so you don't need to name tools yourself.

Use Apify to find a good Actor for scraping Google Maps places. Show me the best option, its input requirements, pricing model, and what kind of dataset output it returns. Do not run the Actor yet.

The agent searches Apify Store, fetches the top Actor's details through the Apify MCP server, and summarizes its inputs, pricing, and output - all without running the Actor.

Cursor session calling the Apify MCP server and returning Google Maps Actor details

Bundled skills

SkillDescription
apify-ultimate-scraperCLI-driven extraction using existing Actors for multi-step scraping and lead-generation workflows.
apify-actor-developmentFull Actor lifecycle - template selection, development, local testing, and deployment with apify push.
apify-actorizationConverts existing JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, or CLI projects into Apify Actors.
apify-generate-output-schemaGenerates dataset and key-value store schemas for existing Actors.
apify-sdk-integrationIntegrates Actor execution into applications using the apify-client package.

Example prompts that route to specific skills:

Ultimate scraper:

Find 10 highly rated coffee shops in Seattle with name, address, rating, phone, and website.

Actor development:

Create an Apify Actor that accepts a startUrl and maxPages input, crawls the site, and stores each page title and URL.

SDK integration:

Add Apify to this project. The Node.js API route should run an Actor and return dataset items as JSON.

Troubleshooting

The Apify MCP server stays disconnected

Open Cursor > Preferences > Cursor Settings, select Tools & MCPs, and toggle the Apify MCP server off and on. If it still doesn't connect, re-trigger the OAuth flow with Connect; see Authenticate to Apify.

Cursor picks the wrong skill

Start your request with @apify so the routing agent handles it. The agent owns the guardrails that pick the right skill and avoid common traps, such as confusing the apify and apify-client packages.

Browser doesn't open, or OAuth fails

If the browser doesn't open automatically, copy the OAuth URL shown by Cursor and paste it into your browser manually.

If you're running Cursor in a remote session, devcontainer, or over SSH where no browser is available, authenticate with an API token instead. Copy your token from Apify Console > Settings > Integrations and set it in your environment before starting Cursor:

export APIFY_TOKEN=<YOUR_API_TOKEN>

Limitations

  • Long-running Actors may exceed the time a single tool call waits for completion. Reduce the scope or split the work across multiple prompts.
  • Each Actor run consumes Apify platform usage from your plan in addition to any Cursor usage. See Billing for details.
  • Skills that edit files in your project (Actor development, actorization, SDK integration) make local changes - review them before deploying or committing.

Resources