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MCP Server Not Detected in IDE

If you experience issues where your IDE doesn’t recognize TestSprite MCP Server, please follow the solution below:
1

Verify JSON Configuration

  • macOS/Linux
  • Windows
Cursor Quick Check Commands
# Cursor project-level config (check current directory)
cat .cursor/mcp.json | jq .
# Cursor global-level config
cat ~/.cursor/mcp.json | jq .
VS Code Quick Check Commands
# VS Code project-level settings (check current directory)
cat .vscode/settings.json | jq .

# VS Code global-level settings
# macOS
cat ~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/settings.json | jq .
# Linux
cat ~/.config/Code/User/settings.json | jq .
If you don’t have jq installed:
  • Install jq
  • Alternative Validation
  • Manual Download
For macOS/Linux
brew install jq   #macOS
sudo apt-get install jq   #LinuX (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo yum install jq   #LinuX (CentOS/RHEL)
For Windows
choco install jq   #Chocolatey
scoop install jq   #Using Scoop
If you see a parse error, fix the JSON file (missing commas, quotes, brackets, etc.)
2

Check Configuration Files

Configuration File Locations:
IDE
Project
Global config
Cursor
.cursor/mcp.json
~/.cursor/mcp.json (macOS/Linux)
%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json (Windows)
VS Code
.vscode/settings.json
~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json (macOS)
~/.config/Code/User/settings.json (Linux)
%APPDATA%\Code\User\settings.json (Windows)
Project-level configuration takes precedence over global configuration
File Management Commands:
  • macOS/Linux
  • Windows
  1. Check if files exist:
ls -la .cursor/mcp.json ~/.cursor/mcp.json .vscode/settings.json
  1. Create directories if missing:
mkdir -p .cursor ~/.cursor .vscode
  1. Check file permissions (if needed):
ls -la .cursor/mcp.json
chmod 644 .cursor/mcp.json  # Fix permissions if needed
3

Validate Configuration

  • Cursor
  • VS Code
Cursor Required Configuration Format
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "TestSprite": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@testsprite/testsprite-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Common Issues to Avoid

If there’s a JSON parsing error about missing commas like "command": "npx" "args": [...], make sure to add commas between JSON properties. The correct format should be "command": "npx", with a comma after each property except the last one.
If there’s an error about invalid JSON syntax with single quotes like 'command': 'npx', JSON requires double quotes for all strings. Change it to use double quotes: "command": "npx".
If there’s an error about server configuration not being recognized in Cursor, make sure you’re using the correct property name. For Cursor, use "mcpServers" instead of "servers". VS Code uses "mcp.servers".
If there’s an error about incomplete server configuration with no env section, ensure you include all required fields: command, args, and env. The env section is necessary for passing the API key to TestSprite.

Test Your Configuration

npx @testsprite/testsprite-mcp --version

API Key Issues

If you experience issues about Invalid or missing API key, please follow the solution below:
1

Get API key

2

Update configuration

{
  "env": {
    "API_KEY": "ts_live_abcd1234efgh5678ijkl"
  }
}
3

Verify API key format

  • Should start with sk-user-
  • Should be 32+ characters long
  • No extra spaces or characters
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