Cursor + xCloud

Back up and stage sites with Cursor on xCloud

Backing up and staging sites with Cursor means asking the editor's agent, in the chat pane beside your code, to check backups, take one before you ship and create a staging copy of the branch you have open, through xCloud's MCP tools.

Skill: xcloud:sites
Toolsets: sites
Free with every xCloud account

Set up Cursor All Cursor guides

YouCheck backups for the site this project deploys to, then back it up.

sites_backupStatusread-only

AgentNative site. Weekly schedule, last backup 4 days ago, completed. That is older than your change, so I will take a new one.

sites_backup

AgentQueued, then completed. Stored locally. You can start the schema change.

Last updated: October 2026. Keep a human in the loop: xCloud stops and asks before anything that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys.

Setup

How Do You Set Up Cursor to Back up and stage sites on xCloud?

Connect Cursor once; every job on this account uses the same connection. Then ask in plain words.

1
Add xCloud to mcp.json with the compact URL
Cursor stops at 40 tools per server, and the full xCloud server advertises one tool per customer-facing operation, so start with the compact profile: five tools that still reach every operation. Put this in ~/.cursor/mcp.json for all projects, or .cursor/mcp.json inside one project.
JSON
```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "xcloud": {
      "url": "https://app.xcloud.host/mcp?profile=compact"
    }
  }
}
```
2
Or add it from Cursor's MCP settings
Cursor's docs manage MCP servers from the Customize page. Add a new server there and paste the compact URL instead of editing the file. Use the plain https://app.xcloud.host/mcp URL only if your Cursor version loads every tool.
URL
```
https://app.xcloud.host/mcp?profile=compact
```
3
Sign in to xCloud
Cursor supports OAuth for remote servers and shows a login prompt next to xcloud. Click it, approve the teams and choose Read-only or Full access in the browser, then ask this to confirm.
Prompt
```
Who am I on xCloud?
```

Check it worked

Then ask Cursor for the job itself, for example:

Prompt

Check the backup status of the shop site and tell me when the last one ran and if it worked.

In practice

How Does Backups and staging Work from Cursor?

Cursor is where you are when a change is half written and you wonder how safe the site underneath it is. The agent chat sits beside your files, so you ask there. Because the xcloud entry in mcp.json uses the compact profile, Cursor does not list a tool per xCloud operation. The agent finds the operations it needs by searching xCloud's tool index, so a request like show the backup state of the shop site still ends in the same calls: sites_backupSettings, sites_backupStatus and sites_backups for a native site, or the sites_docker_backup read operations for a Docker app. The answer lands in the chat: schedule, last backup, result and storage, in a few lines you can read without leaving the editor.

Starting a backup from Cursor works well as a checkpoint before a bigger edit. Ask the agent to take a backup of the site this project deploys to, and to say when it is completed. xCloud runs the backup without its own approval prompt, though Cursor may still show the tool call in the chat and ask you to approve it, depending on how you set the agent's tool approvals. For a Docker app the agent tells you first that the app is stopped for a moment while its data is captured. It reports completed or failed after reading the result, so you can carry on editing with a real checkpoint behind you instead of a queued request.

Staging uses the same editor context. Cursor can see the branch you have checked out, so the agent can propose a staging environment for exactly that branch when the site is a Laravel, Node.js, custom PHP or Lovable site. It restates the site and branch, asks for your approval and gives you the staging URL, and it tells you if xCloud answers that your plan does not include it. Cursor's terminal pane is then a handy place to point a test run at the staging address. A WordPress site, a restore or a change to a native site's schedule goes back to the dashboard, and the agent says so with the path, for example Site > Site Backup > Backup Settings, instead of guessing a tool.

Cursor specific: Cursor stops at 40 tools per server, which is why the xcloud entry uses ?profile=compact. If you switch to the full URL to see every backup tool by name, Cursor may drop some of them. With the compact profile the agent finds backup and staging operations by search, so ask for the job in plain words and do not look for tool names in the tool list.

What xCloud does for backups and staging

xCloud lets the agent read every site's backup state, start a backup on demand for native and Docker sites, and create a staging environment for Git sites. Restores, storage providers and WordPress staging stay in the dashboard, and the agent tells you the exact path when you ask for one.

Find the site. The agent resolves the site by name or domain, restates which one it is about to act on, and reads whether it is a native site or a Docker app, because the two use different backup operations.
Read the protection state. It reads the backup settings, status, count and recent backups. That answers whether the site has a schedule, when the last backup ran, whether it succeeded and where it is stored, before anything is changed.
Back up now. A backup starts without an approval prompt. A native site takes a local backup by default or a remote one when a storage provider is connected. A Docker app is stopped briefly while its volumes are captured, so the agent says so before it backs up a production app.
Wait for the result. xCloud queues the backup and returns straight away. The agent follows the backup task or row until it is terminal, then reports completed or failed instead of treating the queued response as done.
Stage the change. For a Git site such as Laravel, Node.js, custom PHP or Lovable, the agent creates a staging environment from the branch you name, after you approve, and gives you its URL. A WordPress staging site is a dashboard step, and the agent gives you the path.
Hand off restores and settings. If you ask to restore a backup, change a native site's schedule or add a storage provider, the agent explains that these are dashboard-only and gives the path and the site's dashboard link. It never improvises a workaround.

Reference

Backups and staging Settings and Limits on xCloud

The facts Cursor works within when it backs up and stage sites. Where a row names the dashboard, that step stays yours to take there.

Setting or limit	What applies
Native site backup	On demand through the API; the type is local (the default) or remote. A remote backup needs a storage provider with a working connection, otherwise xCloud refuses it with a 422 before anything is queued
Docker app backup	On demand through the API for Compose deploys and most one-click apps. The app is cold-stopped for a moment while volumes are captured. A remote copy goes to an S3-compatible or SFTP provider; Google Drive and pCloud are not supported for Docker apps
Reading backups	Backup list, count, status and settings are readable for every site. Docker apps also expose one backup's detail
Docker backup housekeeping	The agent can label a Docker backup with a note and delete one. Deleting is irreversible, so it names the exact backup by date and note first
Native schedule and retention	Read-only through the API. Change them in the dashboard under Site > Site Backup > Backup Settings
Docker backup settings	Writable through the API: automatic backup on or off, daily, weekly or monthly frequency, and the number of days to keep backups
Restores	Dashboard-only for every site type: Site > Site Backup > Previous Backups > Restore. A backup can also be restored to another site from the same page
Storage providers	Dashboard-only, under Integrations > Storage Provider. Backup settings return a provider's identifier and status, never its credentials
Team-wide backup policy	Applying one backup policy to many sites is dashboard-only, under Global Settings > Site Backup
Git staging	Created through the API for Git sites on paid plans. On the free plan xCloud answers 403 because it is a plan limit, not a permission
WordPress staging	Dashboard-only: xCloud answers 422 when the API is asked for it. Push and pull between staging and production also happen in the dashboard
Snapshots	Snapshots are listed per site. The server-wide snapshot list holds site snapshots, not a server image. Taking or restoring a snapshot, and a whole-server provider backup, stay in the dashboard

Rules Cursor has to follow

A backup runs without an approval prompt, but the agent says when it briefly stops a Docker app and does not trigger one on a busy production app without telling you.
A queued backup is not a finished backup: the agent reports completed or failed only after it has read the result.
Restoring a backup, changing a native site's schedule, adding a storage provider and creating WordPress staging are dashboard steps; the agent gives you the path instead of guessing an operation.
Creating a staging environment stops for your approval, and deleting a backup names the exact backup first.
Before you push staging data to production in the dashboard, take a backup of the production site so you can recover if the push goes wrong.

Example prompts

What Can You Ask Cursor to Do for Backups and staging?

Type these as written and swap in your own repository, site and server names. Reads and routine actions such as backups, cache purges, PageSpeed scans and vulnerability scans run straight away; creating, deploying, updating, rebooting, deleting, buying or starting a broken-link scan stops and asks first.

Prompt

Check the backup status of the shop site and tell me when the last one ran and if it worked.

Prompt

Back up the production site this project deploys to, wait until it is completed, then tell me I can start the schema change.

Prompt

Create a staging environment from the branch I have checked out and give me the URL.

Prompt

When was the last backup of the shop site, did it succeed, and where is it stored?

Prompt

Check the backup settings on every site and list the ones with no schedule.

Prompt

Take a backup of the n8n Docker app now, before I upgrade it, and tell me when it is done.

Prompt

Switch the n8n Docker app to a daily backup and keep backups for 14 days. Show me the change before you apply it.

Prompt

Create a staging environment for the API site from the feature/checkout branch and give me its URL.

Prompt

List the snapshots of the shop site and tell me which is newest.

Prompt

I need to restore the shop site to last night's backup. Tell me where to click.

Cursor and Backups and staging: Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before they let Cursor back up and stage sites through xCloud.

Do I need the full xCloud URL in Cursor to take backups?

No. The compact profile has five tools and still reaches every operation, including backups and staging. The full server advertises more tools than Cursor's 40-tool cap, so the compact URL is the safer choice for this job.

Does Cursor ask me before it takes a backup?

xCloud does not, because a backup is a routine action. Cursor may still show the tool call and ask you to approve it, depending on your agent tool-approval settings. Creating a staging environment always stops for an explicit confirmation.

Can an AI agent restore a backup for me?

No. Restoring a native or Docker backup is a dashboard step, under Site > Site Backup > Previous Backups > Restore. The agent can list the backups, tell you which one is newest and completed, and give you the site's dashboard link so you can start the restore yourself.

Does the agent ask before it takes a backup?

No. A backup is a routine action, so xCloud runs it without a confirmation prompt. For a Docker app the agent tells you first that the app stops briefly while its data is captured, and it reports the result only after the backup has finished.

Can the agent change my backup schedule?

For Docker apps, yes: it can turn automatic backups on or off, set daily, weekly or monthly, and set how many days backups are kept. For native sites the schedule, retention and destination are read-only through the API, so you change them in the dashboard under Site > Site Backup > Backup Settings.

Can the agent connect my S3 bucket or other storage?

No. Storage providers are added in the dashboard, under Integrations > Storage Provider, so credentials never pass through a chat. Once a provider exists, the agent can read which one a site's backup settings point at and use it for a remote backup.

Can the agent create a staging site for WordPress?

Not through the API. xCloud answers 422 for WordPress staging, so you create it in the dashboard from the site overview. For Laravel, Node.js, custom PHP and Lovable sites the agent can create a staging environment, which needs a paid plan.

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