Cursor + xCloud

Manage servers with Cursor on xCloud

Managing servers with Cursor means asking the agent in your editor's chat panel to read and change your xCloud servers while the project that runs on them stays open beside it.

Skill: xcloud:servers
Toolsets: servers, alerts, user
Free with every xCloud account

Set up Cursor All Cursor guides

YouAdd a nightly 02:00 cron job on Frankfurt for scripts/prune.php. Show me the command first.

servers_cron-jobsread-only

AgentNo existing job runs it. Proposed: 0 2 * * * php /home/shop/current/scripts/prune.php, as the site user. Create it on prod-fra?

YouYes.

servers_cron-jobs_createneeds approval

AgentCreated on prod-fra. Want me to run it once now so you can check the output before tonight?

YouYes, run it.

servers_cron-jobs_executeneeds approval

servers_cron-jobs_outputread-only

AgentThe run finished: 214 rows pruned and no errors.

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 Manage servers 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

Add a nightly 02:00 server cron job on the Frankfurt server for scripts/prune.php. Show me the final command and schedule before you create it.

In practice

How Does Server management Work from Cursor?

A server question usually comes up halfway through a code change. You have added a queue worker, a scheduled script or a new Node dependency, and the server needs to know. In Cursor you ask without leaving the file. Create a server cron job that runs scripts/prune.php every night at 02:00 on the Frankfurt server, and show me the final command first. Because the script is open in the project, the agent reads the real path and flags instead of working from memory. It shows the full command and the schedule, then reaches the cron operation, servers_cron-jobs_create, only after you agree. Afterwards it can run the job once with servers_cron-jobs_execute and read servers_cron-jobs_output, so you see whether it worked before you rely on it.

The part specific to Cursor is the tool cap. Cursor stops at 40 tools per server, and the full xCloud server advertises one tool per customer-facing operation, so this page assumes the compact URL, ending in ?profile=compact. That profile shows Cursor five tools while every operation stays reachable, and for a multi-step job the agent can look up the workflow before it starts. You do not pick tools yourself. You ask in plain language, and the agent finds the matching operation, such as servers_services_restart or servers_node-versions_default.

Cursor shows each tool call and its arguments in the chat, so you can read the server uuid and the service name before a call runs. If you have switched Cursor to run tools without asking, xCloud's own confirmation still applies: a reboot, a runtime change or a purchase stops until you say yes. The editor also helps with runtimes. Ask whether the server's default Node.js matches the engines field in package.json, and the agent compares the two, then warns that changing the default affects every Node site on that server before it changes anything.

Cursor specific: Do not try to fit server management into Cursor with toolsets alone. The servers toolset is 61 tools and the sites toolset is 60, both above Cursor's 40-tool cap, so use ?profile=compact. A project-level .cursor/mcp.json travels with the repository, so if you ever use an API token instead of the OAuth sign-in, keep the token out of any file you commit.

What xCloud does for server management

xCloud lets the agent list your servers, read their monitoring, and manage services, Node.js and PHP versions, cron jobs, firewall rules, Fail2Ban and sudo users. Changes that can interrupt a server stop for your approval, and a reboot is only reported as done after xCloud verifies a new boot.

Pick the team and the server. The agent works on one team at a time and uses the server you name. If a name is missing or matches several servers, it lists them and asks. It always restates which server it is about to change before it changes it.
Read the state first. It reads the server's status, installed services, runtimes and monitoring figures. A status such as low disk space or reboot required is worth surfacing on its own. Monitoring history is a paid-plan feature, so a free plan answers 403.
Say what will change, then ask. For a service, runtime, cron, firewall or sudo change, the agent names the server, the item and the impact, for example that a Node.js default affects every Node site on the server. It waits for your approval when the change could interrupt a service.
Follow the task to the end. xCloud accepts server work and returns before it finishes. The agent reads the server's task list until the task settles and reports the real outcome, not the acceptance.
Reboot with proof. A reboot starts a tracked operation. The agent reads that operation until xCloud reports a verified new boot. If the result is unconfirmed it investigates and never repeats the reboot just to check.
Buy a server only after approval. A new server is billable. The agent checks what you already have, reads the plans and the card on file, shows the plan, region and price, and waits for a yes. It sends the purchase once with an idempotency key so a retry cannot buy a second server.

Reference

Server management Settings and Limits on xCloud

The facts Cursor works within when it manages servers. Where a row names the dashboard, that step stays yours to take there.

Setting or limit	What applies
Inventory	Every server on the team with its status, stack and the sites it hosts, plus the tasks, supervisor processes and site snapshots on a server
Monitoring	Current CPU, memory and disk are readable. Monitoring history is a paid-plan feature: xCloud answers 403 on the free plan, which is a plan limit and not a permission
Services	Install, enable, restart and disable. A restart runs without a server-side prompt; the agent still confirms the exact server, service and impact before any service change, because disabling ssh, nginx or a database can lock you out or cause downtime
Node.js versions	Read the installed versions and set the default. The default is server-wide and affects every Node site on the server
PHP versions	Install, uninstall, set the default, patch and toggle OPcache. The server default changes only the command-line php and the version new sites get; it does not change existing sites, and a single site's PHP version is a dashboard setting under Site > Site Settings
Cron jobs	List, create, update, delete, run now and read the last output for server cron jobs. Site cron is a separate resource
Firewall rules	List, create, delete, enable and disable rules with a name, protocol, allow or deny, port and optional source IP
Fail2Ban and IP access	List, ban and unban IP addresses, read the SSH restriction status, and whitelist your current IP or xCloud's own IPs
Sudo users	List, create or update and delete sudo users. A password is a secret and private keys are never returned
Verified reboots	Start a tracked reboot and read its operation; only a verified new boot proves it worked. An unconfirmed reboot can be rechecked without rebooting again
Buying a server	Billable, so it needs an approved plan, region and price, a card on file and an idempotency key. It buys xCloud-managed servers only
Dashboard-only	Resizing or deleting a server, a provider backup of the whole server (Server > Backup), bringing your own server, databases and database users, and PHP settings such as memory limit or upload size

Rules Cursor has to follow

A change that can interrupt a server stops for your approval, and the agent names the server, the service and the impact first.
Buying a server is billable: the agent shows the plan, region and price and waits for your yes, and it never retries a purchase without checking your server list first.
A reboot is only reported as done when xCloud verifies a new boot, and an unconfirmed reboot is investigated, not repeated.
Disabling ssh, nginx, a database or a runtime service needs your explicit confirmation immediately before the call, because it can lock you out or take sites offline.
Resizing or deleting a server, provider server backups, bringing your own server and per-site PHP versions are dashboard steps; the agent gives you the path and the dashboard link xCloud returned.

Example prompts

What Can You Ask Cursor to Do for Server management?

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

Add a nightly 02:00 server cron job on the Frankfurt server for scripts/prune.php. Show me the final command and schedule before you create it.

Prompt

Does the Frankfurt server's default Node.js match the engines field in package.json? Don't change it, just tell me.

Prompt

Restart nginx on the staging server and tell me when the task has finished, not when it was accepted.

Prompt

List all my xCloud servers with CPU, RAM and disk usage, and flag any server above 80% disk.

Prompt

List the cron jobs on the Frankfurt server with their schedules.

Prompt

Create a server cron job for the WooCommerce Action Scheduler every five minutes. Show me the final command and schedule before creating it.

Prompt

Install Redis on the Frankfurt server and enable the service.

Prompt

Switch the Frankfurt server's default Node.js to the latest LTS major.

Prompt

Reboot the staging server and tell me when it is back.

Prompt

Show me the IP addresses Fail2Ban has banned on the Frankfurt server, and unban 203.0.113.10.

Prompt

Create a new xCloud server on the smallest plan in Singapore. Show me the plan and price first and wait for my approval.

Cursor and Server management: Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before they let Cursor manage servers through xCloud.

Why does Cursor need the compact URL to manage servers?

Cursor stops at 40 tools per server, and the full xCloud server advertises one tool per customer-facing operation. The compact profile exposes five tools that still reach every operation, so server work such as services, cron jobs and reboots stays available within the cap.

Can the Cursor agent write a cron job from a script in my project?

Yes. It reads the script's path and arguments from the open project, shows you the final command and schedule, and creates the server cron job only after you confirm. It can then run the job once and read the output so you can check it.

Does the agent ask before it reboots a server?

Yes. A reboot stops for your explicit confirmation, then the agent starts a tracked reboot and reads the operation until xCloud reports a verified new boot. If the result stays unconfirmed it investigates rather than rebooting a second time.

Can an AI agent buy a new server for me?

Yes, but only after you approve it. A new server is billable, so the agent first checks your existing servers, reads the available plans and your card on file, then shows the plan, region and price and waits for your yes. It sends the purchase once, so a retry cannot buy a second server.

If the agent changes the server's PHP default, do my sites change version?

No. The server default changes the command-line php and the version new sites get, and it moves no existing site. Each site keeps its own PHP version, which you change in the dashboard under Site > Site Settings.

Can the agent resize or delete a server?

No. Resizing and deleting a server are dashboard-only, as are a provider backup of the whole server, databases and bringing your own server. The agent can tell you where the control is and give you the server's dashboard link.

Why did the agent say monitoring history is not available?

Monitoring history is a paid-plan feature, so xCloud answers 403 on the free plan. Current CPU, memory and disk readings are still available, and the agent will say that it is a plan limit, not a missing permission.

Other agents