Add the MCP server to Claude, Cursor & VS Code

Adding the @imqueue MCP server to any client means registering one command — npx -y @imqueue/mcp — under that client's mcpServers config key. Only the config file's location and exact shape differ between Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Windsurf and Zed; this page gives the path and a paste-ready snippet for each.

Before you start

The server needs Node.js ≥ 18 on your PATH. Nothing else — it is fetched from npm on first launch and requires no API keys or account.

Every client below runs the same command; only where you put the config and its exact shape differ. The universal building block is:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imqueue": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@imqueue/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Jump to your tool: Claude Code · Claude Desktop · Cursor · VS Code · Visual Studio · JetBrains · Windsurf · Zed · Other clients · Verify & troubleshoot

One rule to remember: most clients use the mcpServers key above. VS Code and Visual Studio are the exceptions — they use a top-level servers key with an explicit "type": "stdio". Copying the wrong shape into those two is the single most common setup mistake.

Two ways to connect: local or hosted

• Local (npx, recommended for building) — the server runs on your machine over stdio and exposes every tool, including the CLI-bridge that creates services, generates live-introspected clients and manages your fleet. All the per-client sections below cover this.
• Hosted (zero-install, for exploring) — point an HTTP-capable client at https://mcp.imqueue.org/mcp. No Node, no npm, no account; it serves six read-only tools — the documentation and scaffolding ones plus local_install_guide. The CLI-bridge tools are not offered there, because a hosted server cannot reach your machine.

Connect to the hosted endpoint

Clients that support remote (HTTP) MCP servers take a url instead of a command:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imqueue": { "url": "https://mcp.imqueue.org/mcp" }
  }
}

• Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http imqueue https://mcp.imqueue.org/mcp
• VS Code / Visual Studio: use the servers shape with "type": "http":

  { "servers": { "imqueue": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.imqueue.org/mcp" } } }

• Cursor, Windsurf, JetBrains and others: the url form above (in place of command/args).

Everything below is the local (stdio) setup — the full-power option.

Claude Code

One command adds it for your user account:

claude mcp add imqueue -- npx -y @imqueue/mcp

To share it with a team, add it at project scope so it lands in the repo — create .mcp.json at the project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imqueue": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@imqueue/mcp"] }
  }
}

Anyone who opens the project in Claude Code is prompted to enable it. List and check servers with claude mcp list.

Claude Desktop

Open the config from the app — Settings → Developer → Edit Config — or edit it directly:

Add the mcpServers block (merge into any existing one):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imqueue": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@imqueue/mcp"] }
  }
}

Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop — it only reads the config on startup (closing the window is not enough).

Cursor

Global config lives at ~/.cursor/mcp.json; for a single project use .cursor/mcp.json in the project root. Same mcpServers shape as Claude:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imqueue": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@imqueue/mcp"] }
  }
}

You can also add it from Settings → MCP → Add new global MCP server, which opens the same file. New servers appear under Settings → MCP; toggle imqueue on if it is not already enabled.

Or install it in one click:

▶ Add to Cursor

VS Code

GitHub Copilot's agent mode reads .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace (or run MCP: Open User Configuration for a global file). VS Code uses the servers key with an explicit transport type — not mcpServers:

{
  "servers": {
    "imqueue": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@imqueue/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Or add it in one line from a terminal:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"imqueue","command":"npx","args":["-y","@imqueue/mcp"]}'

Or install it in one click (opens VS Code):

▶ Install in VS Code

Open the Copilot Chat Agent mode and click the tools icon to confirm imqueue's tools are listed and enabled.

Visual Studio

Visual Studio 2022 (17.14+) reads a .mcp.json file — put it at your solution root (and add it to Solution Items to share it), or use the global %USERPROFILE%\.mcp.json. Same servers shape as VS Code:

{
  "servers": {
    "imqueue": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@imqueue/mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Saving valid JSON restarts the Copilot agent and reloads the server. MCP tools are disabled by default — enable imqueue's tools from the Copilot Chat tools list.

JetBrains

For AI Assistant in any JetBrains IDE (IntelliJ IDEA, WebStorm, PyCharm, etc., 2025.1+): Settings → Tools → AI Assistant → Model Context Protocol (MCP) → Add, then paste the JSON. It uses the mcpServers shape:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imqueue": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@imqueue/mcp"] }
  }
}

If you already configured it for Claude Desktop, the dialog's Import from Claude button pulls the config across. For a project-scoped setup you can commit .idea/mcp.json instead.

Windsurf

Windsurf's Cascade reads ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json (on Windows, %USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json). Same mcpServers shape; edit it via Settings → Cascade → Manage MCP servers → View raw config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "imqueue": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@imqueue/mcp"] }
  }
}

Zed

Zed calls them context servers, configured in ~/.config/zed/settings.json:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "imqueue": {
      "command": { "path": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@imqueue/mcp"] }
    }
  }
}

Other clients

The @imqueue MCP server is a standard stdio server, so any MCP-capable client works. Whatever the client, you are giving it the same three facts:

• command: npx
• args: ["-y", "@imqueue/mcp"]
• transport: stdio (local subprocess)

A few more clients and where their config lives:

For Codex's TOML the same server looks like:

[mcp_servers.imqueue]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@imqueue/mcp"]

You can also find the server on the official MCP registry as org.imqueue/mcp if your client installs from there.

Verify it worked

1. Restart the client (or reload its MCP config). Desktop apps usually need a full restart.
2. Open the client's tools / MCP list — you should see imqueue with its tools (search_docs, create_service, fleet, …). Enable them if the client disables new tools by default (VS Code and Visual Studio do).
3. Ask the agent to use one, e.g. "use the imqueue MCP to search the docs for delayed jobs."

If the server does not appear or fails to start — especially the npx not found error common when Node is installed via nvm and the client is launched from the desktop — see Safety & troubleshooting.