Connect Podbrain to Cursor

Cursor talks to remote MCP servers over Streamable HTTP, so Podbrain needs only a URL in your mcp.json. After that, the Cursor agent can search podcast episodes, read professional notes and pull book references while you work.

What you need

• The Cursor desktop app, signed in. Cursor's MCP docs do not list a plan requirement for adding your own server.
• On an Enterprise workspace, your admin may restrict which MCP servers can run (the MCP Allowlist). Ask them to approve https://podbrain.app/mcp if Cursor blocks it.
• A Podbrain account, created when you sign in from Cursor, and the free trial. The trial needs a card but charges nothing for your first 30 episodes.

Set up Podbrain in Cursor

1. Open your MCP config file

   Create or open ~/.cursor/mcp.json to use Podbrain everywhere, or .cursor/mcp.json inside one project to keep it local to that repo. Cursor merges both, and the project file wins if the same name appears twice.

2. Add the Podbrain entry

   Paste this block, or add the podbrain key to an existing mcpServers object. Leave out any auth or headers fields: Cursor registers itself with Podbrain as an OAuth client.

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "podbrain": {
         "url": "https://podbrain.app/mcp"
       }
     }
   }

3. Save and restart Cursor

   Save the file and restart Cursor. Then open Customize in the sidebar and click MCPs. Podbrain should appear in the list. If it is switched off, use its toggle to turn it on.

4. Sign in to Podbrain

   Cursor may show Podbrain as connected and list its tools before you sign in, but answers need you to sign in. Sign in to your Podbrain account through Cursor's OAuth flow. Cursor's docs confirm OAuth support for remote servers but do not name the button that starts it, so look for a sign in prompt on the Podbrain row in Customize, MCPs.

5. Approve the first tool call

   Ask the agent a podcast question. By default Cursor asks for approval before it uses an MCP tool, so approve search_episodes or get_episode_notes when it asks. The mode under Cursor Settings > Agents > Approvals & Execution decides how often you see this.

Try it

The agent calls search_episodes to find the matching Huberman Lab episodes, and usually get_episode_notes for the best match. You get a short answer in Markdown with the episode title and a link to its Podbrain page.

Turn it off

To pause Podbrain, open Customize, click MCPs and switch its toggle off. A disabled server does not load and its tools stay out of chat. To remove it for good, delete the podbrain entry from mcp.json (or remove it from Customize, MCPs) and restart Cursor. Podbrain has no connected apps page yet, so removing it in Cursor is the whole job.

Questions

Sources

1. Cursor Docs: Model Context Protocol (MCP)
2. Cursor Help: MCP integrations
3. Cursor Docs: Customize Cursor