The Codehabits MCP server gives Cursor six tools that read from .codehabits/ in your repo — convention lookup, code validation, domain knowledge, reviewer suggestions, and a feedback loop for updating conventions.
Setup takes about five minutes if you already ran codehabits enable.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 20+
-
.codehabits/meta.jsonin your repo (fromnpx @codehabits/cli enable) - Cursor with MCP support enabled
If you don't have intelligence files yet, run enable first — see the quickstart.
Step 1: Install the MCP server
From your repository root:
npx @codehabits/cli mcp-install
This writes to .cursor/mcp.json. Commit it so teammates get the same config:
git add .cursor/mcp.json
git commit -m "chore: add codehabits MCP server"
git push
Step 2: Restart Cursor
MCP servers load at startup. Fully quit and reopen Cursor (or reload the window) before testing tools.
Step 3: Verify tools appear
Open Cursor Agent and check that the codehabits MCP server is connected. You should see these tools:
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
get_team_context |
Conventions and anti-patterns |
check_code |
Validate a snippet against team rules |
get_knowledge |
Domain knowledge by topic |
suggest_reviewers |
Expertise-based reviewer routing |
record_feedback / approve_proposal
|
Propose and merge convention updates |
Full reference: MCP server documentation.
Step 4: Use it in practice
Try these prompts in Cursor Agent:
- "Use get_team_context for the api scope before writing this endpoint."
- "Run check_code on this handler before I commit."
- "Who should review changes to files under src/auth/? Use suggest_reviewers."
MCP vs Agent Skills
Agent Skills load passively when Cursor starts a task. MCP tools are explicit lookups — use them when you need validation or knowledge mid-task.
Most teams enable both: skills for baseline context, MCP for active checks.
One-prompt onboarding
The codehabits.dev/agents page has a bootstrap prompt that runs enable, mcp-install, and reads your intelligence files in one shot. Paste it when onboarding a new repo or teammate.
Troubleshooting
If tools return "No intelligence data available," confirm .codehabits/ exists and the MCP server's working directory is your repo root. Run codehabits enable if files are missing.
Common fixes:
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| Server not listed | Restart Cursor after editing mcp.json
|
| Wrong conventions | Check MCP cwd is repo root, not a subfolder |
| Stale rules | Run npx @codehabits/cli sync
|
What is Codehabits?
Codehabits extracts team coding conventions from GitHub PR history and delivers them to AI tools via Agent Skills and MCP — so your whole team shares the same evidence-backed patterns, not hand-maintained rule files.
Originally published at codehabits.dev.