Connect Cursor to a Loora design over MCP.
Cursor reads MCP servers from two places, and the narrower one wins: .cursor/mcp.json in a repository applies to that project, ~/.cursor/mcp.json applies everywhere. A remote server needs nothing but a url — the command and args shape in most examples is for local stdio servers and does not apply here.
Configuration
~/.cursor/mcp.json for every project, or .cursor/mcp.json inside one repository.
{
"mcpServers": {
"loora": {
"url": "https://mcp.loora.design/mcp"
}
}
}Steps
- Create ~/.cursor/mcp.json with the block above, or add loora to the mcpServers object already there.
- Open Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP and find loora in the list.
- Click Login and approve the connection in the browser.
- Wait for the status dot to turn green; the Loora tools then appear in the agent’s tool list.
- In Agent mode, ask it to list your designs.
Worth knowing
- Use url, not command — command is for stdio servers you run locally, and Loora is remote.
- A project-level .cursor/mcp.json overrides the global file for that repository, which is useful when one repo should reach one design account.
- Cursor caps how many tools it sends to the model at once; if Loora’s tools stop appearing, disable a server you are not using in the MCP panel.
- The toggle in the MCP panel disables a server without deleting it — quicker than editing JSON when you want a quiet session.
What you can ask for
Once the server is connected, Cursor has the same vocabulary as every other client. Every call commits a validated canvas transaction, so it is inspectable, undoable, and safe to make on a branch.
| Group | Tools |
|---|---|
| Read | listDesigns, getDesignContext, readNode, readTree, searchNodes, listAssets, listVersions |
| Write | createPage, insertNodes, patchNodes, moveNodes, deleteNodes |
| Reuse | createComponent, createInstance, setTokens |
| Motion | setAnimations, animateNodes |
| Look | viewCanvas, viewPage, viewNode, getScreenshot |
| Branches | listBranches, createBranch, proposeBranch, compareBranch, applyBranch, reopenBranch, closeBranch |
| Designs | createDesign, renameDesign, deleteDesign, exportCode |
A good first prompt: ask for listDesigns, then getDesignContext on the one you want, then have it call setTokens before it draws anything. Why that order matters →
Cursor and Loora: questions
Can Cursor design UI instead of just writing components?
With Loora connected it edits a structured design document — pages, frames, text, tokens, components — and you see the result on a canvas rather than in a preview of generated code. Export to React or HTML afterwards if you want the code.
Why is the Loora server showing a red dot in Cursor?
Almost always the login step. Open the MCP panel and click Login on the loora row. If the browser handshake completes but the dot stays red, reload the Cursor window — it re-reads mcp.json on reload.
Project config or global config?
Global ~/.cursor/mcp.json is the right default, since a design account is not per repository. Use .cursor/mcp.json inside a repo when that repo should be pinned to one specific setup.