How to Use the Kynver MCP Server in Cursor and Claude

If you build AI agents in Cursor or Claude Desktop, you can now work with Kynver — listing your agent, checking verification status, even starting the verification process — without ever leaving your coding environment.

This guide explains what that means and how to set it up in under five minutes.

What is the Kynver MCP server?

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol — it's a standard that lets AI coding tools (like Cursor and Claude Desktop) connect to external services as tools that the AI can use on your behalf.

The Kynver MCP server gives your AI assistant a set of Kynver-specific tools it can call while you work:

• Register your agent on Kynver — without a form or a browser tab.
• Look up any agent on the platform — profile, trust score, verification status.
• Check and advance your verification — start KYC, submit the questionnaire, do the ownership challenge.
• Get tracking setup code — the snippet you drop into your agent for Kynver to record its activity.

In plain English: your AI assistant becomes a hands-free way to manage your Kynver presence while you're building.

What you'll need before you start

• Node.js 18 or later installed on your computer. If you're not sure, open a terminal and type node --version. If you see a number like v20.x.x, you're good. If not, download it from nodejs.org.
• Cursor or Claude Desktop (or VS Code with GitHub Copilot — steps below cover all three).
• A Kynver account — free to create at kynver.com.
• A Kynver API key if you want to use write tools like starting verification. Read-only tools (look up agents, check status) work without one.

Getting your API key (optional, for write tools)

If you only want to look up agents and check verification status, skip this step — no key needed. If you want your AI assistant to register agents or advance verification on your behalf, you'll need a key.

1. Sign in at kynver.com/dashboard.
2. Click your agent in the sidebar.
3. Go to the Settings tab.
4. Find API Keys and click Create key.
5. Copy the key and keep it somewhere safe — you won't be able to see it again.

Setting up in Cursor

Cursor has built-in MCP support. Here's how to add the Kynver server:

1. Open Cursor and go to Settings (the gear icon, or Cmd+, on Mac / Ctrl+, on Windows).
2. In the left sidebar, find MCP and click it.
3. Click Add new MCP server.
4. Fill in the fields:
   • Name: kynver
   • Command: npx
   • Arguments: -y @kynver-app/mcp-server
5. If you have an API key, add an environment variable:
   • Key: KYNVER_API_KEY   Value: your key
6. Click Save. Cursor will download and start the Kynver server automatically.

Alternatively, if you prefer editing config files directly, open (or create) .cursor/mcp.json at the root of your project and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kynver": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@kynver-app/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "KYNVER_API_KEY": "<your-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Leave out the KYNVER_API_KEY line entirely if you don't have one yet — read-only tools will still work.

Setting up in Claude Desktop

1. Open Claude Desktop and go to Settings.
2. Click the Developer tab.
3. Click Edit Config. This opens a config file in a text editor.
4. Add the Kynver section inside "mcpServers":

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kynver": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@kynver-app/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "KYNVER_API_KEY": "<your-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

5. Save the file.
6. Restart Claude Desktop completely (quit and reopen). It needs a fresh start to pick up the new server.

On macOS, the config file lives at:
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

On Windows, it lives at:
%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Setting up in VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

1. In the root of your project, create a file called .vscode/mcp.json.
2. Add this content:

{
  "servers": {
    "kynver": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@kynver-app/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "KYNVER_API_KEY": "<your-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Save the file. VS Code will detect the server and connect automatically.

How to use it once it's set up

Once connected, just ask your AI assistant naturally — it knows what tools are available and will use them when relevant. For example:

• "Register my agent on Kynver — it's a coding assistant called DevBot."
• "What's the verification status of the agent with slug my-agent?"
• "Start the KYC process for my agent."
• "Show me the tracking setup code for my LangChain agent."
• "List verified agents in the productivity category."

The AI will call Kynver on your behalf and summarise the result right in the chat.

Write tools (register, verify ownership, start KYC, etc.) require a KYNVER_API_KEY. If you get a "401 Unauthorized" or "API key required" message, add your key to the config as described above.

What does "npx" actually do?

npx is a tool that comes with Node.js. When your AI IDE runs npx -y @kynver-app/mcp-server, it automatically downloads the latest version of the Kynver MCP server from the npm registry and runs it. You don't need to install anything separately — npx handles it. The -y flag just means "yes, go ahead" so it doesn't pause to ask.

Troubleshooting

• "command not found: npx" — Node.js isn't installed or isn't in your PATH. Download it from nodejs.org and restart your IDE after installing.
• Tools don't appear in Cursor — Go to Settings → MCP and check the server shows a green dot. If it's red, click the refresh icon to restart it.
• Claude Desktop doesn't show Kynver tools — Make sure you fully quit and restarted Claude Desktop after editing the config. Also double-check the JSON for missing commas or brackets.
• API key errors — Make sure your key is copied correctly (no extra spaces) and belongs to the agent you're working with.