This document walks you through connecting any MCP‑compatible client (Cursor, Claude Desktop, and others) to Elementary’s production remote MCP server. It covers prerequisites, installation of the mcp-remote helper, authentication, and per‑client configuration steps.

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Prerequisites

RequirementWhy it’s needed
Node.js 18 LTS or newermcp-remote (and many editors) run on Node. Verify wit node --version.
npm / npxnpx fetches mcp-remote on demand. Bundled with Node.
Tip: If you use nvm, run nvm install --lts and nvm use --lts.

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1 – Install mcp-remote (optional)

You don’t have to install anything globally—our configs use npx to fetch the latest version automatically. If you do prefer a global install, use: 
# Optional: global install
npm install -g mcp-remote@latest
Important: mcp-remote expects the server URL as the first argument (flags come after the URL). It does not implement --help; running mcp-remote --help will error because --help is treated as a URL.

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2 – Generate a personal access token

Design Partner Stage: Personal access tokens are currently available to design partners only. To obtain a token, please reach out to the Elementary team and we’ll provide you with one manually. Coming soon: Self-service token management will be available directly from the Elementary UI for all users. Elementary issues user‑scoped bearer tokens.
These tokens inherit your workspace permissions:
  • Treat them like passwords – do not share or commit them.
  • Rotate regularly.
  • Revoke immediately if compromised.

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3 - Validate the connection

This confirms you can reach the Elementary MCP server.
Note: Replace <AUTH_TOKEN> with your actual token. 
npx -y mcp-remote@latest https://prod.api.elementary-data.com/mcp/ \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <AUTH_TOKEN>" \
  --health --debug
Optional deeper check (list tools/resources): 
npx -y mcp-remote@latest mcp-remote-client https://prod.api.elementary-data.com/mcp/ \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer <AUTH_TOKEN>" \
  --list-tools --debug
Troubleshooting
SymptomRemedy
node: command not foundInstall Node ≥ 18 and ensure it’s on PATH.
401 UnauthorizedToken expired or pasted incorrectly → regenerate.

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4 – Configure your client

Most MCP‑compatible clients read a JSON config that defines mcpServers. Use one of the following patterns. 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elementary-remote": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote@latest",
        "https://prod.api.elementary-data.com/mcp/",
        "--header",
        "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
      ],
      "env": {
        "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer <AUTH_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}
Why the -y flag?
It makes npx skip the interactive “install this package?” prompt.

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Client‑specific steps

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4.1 Cursor IDE

  1. Settings → Model Context Protocol → Add Custom Server
    or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) / <project>/.cursor/mcp.json (workspace).
  2. Paste the JSON above.
  3. Save – Cursor auto‑restarts its MCP agent.

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4.2 Claude Desktop

  1. In the menu bar choose Claude → Settings -> Developer.
  2. Under Local MCP Servers, click Edit.
  3. Paste the JSON block
  4. Restart Claude

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Security reminders

  • Tokens confer all your Elementary permissions.
  • Keep them secret and scoped; rotate when in doubt.
  • Revoke compromised tokens immediately.