IDE Configuration Issues

Solutions to IDE configuration problems with TestSprite MCP Server.

MCP Server Not Detected in IDE

If you experience issues where your IDE doesn’t recognize TestSprite MCP Server, please follow the solution below:

1. Verify JSON Configuration

   macOS/Linux

   Cursor Quick Check Commands

   # Cursor project-level config (check current directory)
   cat .cursor/mcp.json | jq .
   # Cursor global-level config
   cat ~/.cursor/mcp.json | jq .
   

   VS Code Quick Check Commands

   # VS Code project-level settings (check current directory)
   cat .vscode/settings.json | jq .
   
   # VS Code global-level settings
   # macOS
   cat ~/Library/Application\ Support/Code/User/settings.json | jq .
   # Linux
   cat ~/.config/Code/User/settings.json | jq .
   

   Windows

   Cursor Quick Check Commands

   # Cursor project-level config (check current directory)
   Get-Content .cursor\mcp.json | ConvertFrom-Json
   # Command Prompt with jq
   type .cursor\mcp.json | jq .
   
   # Cursor global-level config
   Get-Content "$env:USERPROFILE\.cursor\mcp.json" | ConvertFrom-Json
   # Command Prompt
   type "%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json" | jq .
   

   VS Code Quick Check Commands

   # VS Code project-level settings (check current directory)
   Get-Content .vscode\settings.json | ConvertFrom-Json
   # Command Prompt
   type .vscode\settings.json | jq .
   
   # VS Code global-level settings
   Get-Content "$env:APPDATA\Code\User\settings.json" | ConvertFrom-Json
   # Command Prompt
   type "%APPDATA%\Code\User\settings.json" | jq .
   

   If you don’t have jq installed:

   Install jq

   For macOS/Linux

   brew install jq   #macOS
   sudo apt-get install jq   #LinuX (Ubuntu/Debian)
   sudo yum install jq   #LinuX (CentOS/RHEL)
   

   For Windows

   choco install jq   #Chocolatey
   scoop install jq   #Using Scoop
   

   Alternative Validation

   1. Copy your configuration file content
   2. Visit jsonlint.com
   3. Paste and validate

   Copy to clipboard:

   For macOS/Linux

   cat .cursor/mcp.json | pbcopy
   cat .cursor/mcp.json | xclip -selection clipboard
   

   For Windows

   Get-Content .cursor\mcp.json | Set-Clipboard  # PowerShell
   type .cursor\mcp.json | clip  # Command Prompt
   

   Manual Download

   Download from https://stedolan.github.io/jq/download/

   If you see a parse error, fix the JSON file (missing commas, quotes, brackets, etc.)
2. Check Configuration Files

   Configuration File Locations:

   IDE	Project	Global config
   Cursor	.cursor/mcp.json	~/.cursor/mcp.json (macOS/Linux)
   		%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json (Windows)
   VS Code	.vscode/settings.json	~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json (macOS)
   		~/.config/Code/User/settings.json (Linux)
   		%APPDATA%\Code\User\settings.json (Windows)

   Project-level configuration takes precedence over global configuration

   File Management Commands:

   macOS/Linux

   1. Check if files exist:

   ls -la .cursor/mcp.json ~/.cursor/mcp.json .vscode/settings.json
   

   2. Create directories if missing:

   mkdir -p .cursor ~/.cursor .vscode
   

   3. Check file permissions (if needed):

   ls -la .cursor/mcp.json
   chmod 644 .cursor/mcp.json  # Fix permissions if needed
   

   Windows

   1. Check if files exist:

   Test-Path .cursor\mcp.json
   Test-Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.cursor\mcp.json"
   Test-Path .vscode\settings.json
   
   # Command Prompt
   if exist .cursor\mcp.json echo File exists
   if exist "%USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json" echo File exists
   if exist .vscode\settings.json echo File exists
   

   2. Create directories if missing:

   New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path .cursor
   New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.cursor"
   New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path .vscode
   
   #Command Prompt
   if not exist .cursor mkdir .cursor
   if not exist "%USERPROFILE%\.cursor" mkdir "%USERPROFILE%\.cursor"
   if not exist .vscode mkdir .vscode
   

   3. Check permissions (if needed):

   # Check permissions
   Get-Acl .cursor\mcp.json
   # Grant full control to current user
   $user = [System.Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()
   $acl = Get-Acl .cursor\mcp.json
   $acl.SetOwner($user)
   Set-Acl .cursor\mcp.json $acl
   
3. Validate Configuration

   Cursor

   Cursor Required Configuration Format

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "TestSprite": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@testsprite/testsprite-mcp@latest"],
         "env": {
           "API_KEY": "your-api-key"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

   VS Code

   VS Code Required Configuration Format

   {
     "mcp.servers": {
       "TestSprite": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@testsprite/testsprite-mcp@latest"],
         "env": {
           "API_KEY": "your-api-key"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

Common Issues to Avoid

Missing commas

If there’s a JSON parsing error about missing commas like "command": "npx" "args": [...], make sure to add commas between JSON properties. The correct format should be "command": "npx", with a comma after each property except the last one.

Wrong quotes

If there’s an error about invalid JSON syntax with single quotes like 'command': 'npx', JSON requires double quotes for all strings. Change it to use double quotes: "command": "npx".

Wrong property name

If there’s an error about server configuration not being recognized in Cursor, make sure you’re using the correct property name. For Cursor, use "mcpServers" instead of "servers". VS Code uses "mcp.servers".

Missing required fields

If there’s an error about incomplete server configuration with no env section, ensure you include all required fields: command, args, and env. The env section is necessary for passing the API key to TestSprite.

Test Your Configuration

npx @testsprite/testsprite-mcp --version

API Key Issues

If you experience issues about Invalid or missing API key, please follow the solution below:

1. Get API key

   • Visit TestSprite Dashboard
   • Go to Settings > API Keys
   • Generate new key if needed
2. Update configuration

   {
     "env": {
       "API_KEY": "ts_live_abcd1234efgh5678ijkl"
     }
   }
   
3. Verify API key format

   • Should start with sk-user-
   • Should be 32+ characters long
   • No extra spaces or characters