MCP lets you use refile in the Claude desktop app or Cursor. We provide an MCP server for your convenience.
This is a very early beta of MCP integration. The entire stack is highly
experimental. It’s also not compatible with self-hosted instances of refile as
of now.
Using the refile MCP server with Claude Desktop App
-
Open the Claude for Desktop app and navigate to app settings (Mac:
Cmd + ,)
-
Under “Developer”, click “Edit config”, open the MCP config file in a text editor
-
In the config file, insert the command for the refile MCP server:
{
"mcpServers": {
"refile": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["refile-mcp"],
"env": {
"REFILE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}
- Restart the Claude app
You should now be ready to use refile in the Claude app! A tool icon should appear on the bottom right of the chat entry box.
Using the refile MCP with Cursor
-
Naviagate to Cursor Settings from Command Palette
-
Select “MCP”
-
Click “Add a global MCP server” and “Create File”
-
Paste the refile MCP info into the mcp.json file
{
"mcpServers": {
"refile": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["refile-mcp"],
"env": {
"REFILE_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}
- Check the MCP exists in Cursor settings and ask Cursor to create a PDF
That’s it - you’re done adding refile to Cursor via MCP.