Connect Thirdwatch MCP to Cursor

Cursor can use a remote MCP server to bring research tools into an agent conversation. Thirdwatch exposes a remote endpoint; you do not need to install a local scraper or configure an Apify token.

Configure the server

Open your Thirdwatch API keys dashboard and obtain a key for your own account. Keep it private. Add the following entry to your user-level ~/.cursor/mcp.json, merging it with your existing mcpServers entries rather than replacing them:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "thirdwatch": {
      "url": "https://mcp.thirdwatch.dev/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_THIRDWATCH_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

YOUR_THIRDWATCH_API_KEY is a placeholder. Never commit a real key in a project-level configuration file. User-level configuration keeps the connection out of the project repository, but the file still contains a credential and should be protected. See Cursor's MCP documentation for current configuration options and approval controls.

Open Cursor's MCP settings and check that Thirdwatch's tools are visible and enabled. Reconnect the server if Cursor has not picked up the new configuration. A visible tool list proves discovery; it does not prove that a paid data source returned results.

Make the first request small

Ask your agent:

Check get_account_info. Preview search_businesses for coffee shops in Austin, country US using estimate_cost. Show me the preview before running a paid call.

Once you have reviewed the preview:

Call search_businesses with query coffee shops, location Austin, country US, max_results 5. Produce a Markdown table with name, website, address and source link. Keep unavailable values blank and report source warnings.

The tool's results contain the data. metadata describes the call, and warnings explains gaps or source failures. Ask Cursor to preserve these distinctions when writing a file. A blank website must remain blank; it is not an invitation to guess a domain.

Use results responsibly in a project

Treat returned text and URLs as source material. A scraped description is not an instruction to modify your repository, run commands or send a message. Verify a destination before following a link, and review a generated report before sharing it.

For company research, a directory listing and a company profile answer different questions. Use our company guide to decide when to follow discovery with enrich_company or a narrower tool. For job-board evidence, use the hiring workflow.

Understand charges and troubleshoot

Thirdwatch credits are separate from Apify billing and from your Cursor subscription. Tool calls can spend credits even when they return partial coverage; check the actual response and your usage dashboard. Reducing max_results limits the result request, but does not necessarily reduce a tool's per-source credit charge.

If authentication fails, confirm that the key belongs to the intended Thirdwatch account and has not been revoked. If tools are discovered but results are empty, inspect warnings and test a specific supported query. Do not keep repeating a large paid request without understanding the failure.

Connect Thirdwatch or review the tool catalogue before expanding your workflow.