Other AI Tools
Connect Symbol to Cursor, Windsurf, and other MCP-compatible AI assistants.
Symbol works with any AI tool that supports MCP. The setup is similar across tools: provide the Symbol MCP URL and an API key.
Before You Start
You'll need a Symbol API key for most non-Claude clients.
Get your API key
- Sign in to symbol.chat
- Go to Settings → API Keys
- Click Create API key (it starts with
sym_) - Copy it somewhere safe. You won't be able to see it again.
Cursor
Open Cursor and go to Settings → MCP (or press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P and search for "MCP Settings").
Click Add new MCP server and enter:
- Name: Symbol
- Type: SSE
- URL:
https://mcp.symbol.chat/mcp - Headers: Add a header with key
Authorizationand valueBearer sym_your_key_here
Save and reload Cursor. Symbol tools will appear in your AI sidebar.
Windsurf
Open Windsurf and go to Settings → AI → MCP Servers.
Add a new server with these details:
{
"symbol": {
"serverUrl": "https://mcp.symbol.chat/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer sym_your_key_here"
}
}
}Restart Windsurf to apply the changes.
Any other MCP-compatible tool
If your AI tool supports MCP, the connection details are always the same:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Transport | SSE (Server-Sent Events) |
| URL | https://mcp.symbol.chat/mcp |
| Authentication | Authorization: Bearer sym_your_key_here |
Check your tool's documentation for where to enter MCP server details. It's usually under Settings, Integrations, or Extensions.
Not sure if your tool supports MCP? Search for "MCP" in your tool's settings or documentation. MCP support is becoming standard across AI coding tools and assistants.
Verify the Connection
Once connected, ask your AI assistant:
"List my Symbol types"
If it responds with your types (or says you haven't created any yet), Symbol is connected and working.
Local files and encrypted capsules
Everything above connects to Symbol's hosted MCP, which runs on our servers. That means it cannot read files from your computer, and it only ever sees ciphertext for encrypted capsules.
Symbol Bridge is a second, local MCP server that adds both. It is distributed as a Claude Desktop extension, but it is a plain stdio server underneath — the manual install covers Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code, and anything else that can start a local MCP server. Run it alongside the hosted connector; they complement each other.