Optimal's MCP (Model Context Protocol) server lets Cursor securely pull your research data straight out of Optimal, so you can ask natural-language questions and dive deeper into your research.
These steps are written for Cursor. The same Optimal MCP server also works with other MCP-compatible AI assistants, including Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Gemini, and other custom MCPs.
Requirements
Cursor
Cursor installed, on any plan. Free, Pro, Ultra, or Enterprise all support MCP.
Optimal
An active Optimal account, with access to the workspace(s)/studies you want Cursor to read from.
MCP enabled for your Optimal workspace. If you do not have access, please get in touch with your admin to enable MCP under the Features tab.
Who can connect
Any individual Cursor user can connect Optimal themselves. Cursor connects to MCP servers through a configuration file rather than a settings toggle, so the steps below are slightly different from a typical app-style connector.
Connect Cursor to Optimal
Open MCP settings. In Cursor, open Settings (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + J, or Cursor menu > Settings > Cursor Settings) and go to Tools & Integrations (also labelled Features > MCP in some versions).
Add a new MCP server. Click + Add new MCP Server (or Add Custom MCP). This opens your mcp.json config file.
Add Optimal's server details to the mcpServers object:
{
"mcpServers": {
"optimal": {
"url": "https://app.optimalworkshop.com/mcp"
}
}
}Save the file. Cursor will attempt to connect. Since Optimal's MCP uses OAuth, Cursor will open a browser window prompting you to sign in to your Optimal account and approve access.
Confirm the connection. Back in Cursor Settings > MCP, you should see Optimal listed with a green status and its available tools.
Use it. Open the Cursor Agent chat. Optimal's tools are loaded automatically and the agent will use them when relevant to your question. No need to enable anything per conversation.
Global vs. project config: Adding the server to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (your home directory) makes Optimal available in every project. Adding it to .cursor/mcp.json inside a specific project folder scopes it to that project only. If a server with the same name exists in both, the project-level config wins.
Note that MCP is evolving rapidly, so this guidance may change. Please refer to the latest documentation from Cursor for any updates.
What can Cursor read?
Cursor can only read your Optimal data. It can't create, edit, or delete anything in Optimal, and it only sees what your own user login already has access to.
Study setup & metadata — study configuration and metadata (names, methodology, dates, etc.); tags, observations, and notes added by your team
Participant results — task results, success/completion metrics, and clickmaps/paths for prototype & usability tests; aggregated survey response distributions for structured questions (radio, checkbox, rating, etc.). Open-text/free-form survey answers are not currently surfaced through the MCP.
Recordings & transcripts — session and transcript counts for interview studies. Raw recordings and playback (video/audio) are not retrieved directly — what's exposed is derived from them (counts, AI analysis), not the recording files themselves.
AI-generated outputs — AI-generated study summaries, plus categorized insights such as themes, pain points, opportunities, sentiment, behaviours, and mental models, each with source/citation counts; task-, section-, and study-level analysis
Example prompts
These are just a few examples to get you started. You're not limited to this phrasing or these topics. Ask Cursor in your own words; it can handle a much wider range of questions across your Optimal data.
"What were the biggest usability issues across our last five prototype tests?"
"Summarize participant feedback for our onboarding flow."
"What themes emerged from our customer interviews this quarter?"
"Compare findings between our March and June studies."
You can also explore the dynamic, out-of-the-box Cursor Canvas to create custom dashboards and reports from your Optimal research and studies.
With Canvas, you can get a "standalone view, laid out with sections, stats, and tables, that you can reopen, edit, and iterate on". Learn more.
Things to know
Access mirrors your Optimal permissions. Cursor can only retrieve data from workspaces/studies you can already see.
Cursor supports MCP over Streamable HTTP for remote servers like Optimal's — no local install of Optimal software is needed.
If the connection fails, check Cursor's Output panel (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + U, select "MCP" from the dropdown) for logs, and reach out to your Optimal contact if you're stuck.
Questions? Please get in touch with our team or share your feedback via our feedback and features request form.