How to add Chroma MCP Server to Cursor

Official Chroma server: create collections and run vector, full-text, and metadata search. Paste the config into ~/.cursor/mcp.json and restart Cursor.

Last updated June 15, 2026 · 600★ · stdio · apikey · official

Cursor config for Chroma MCP Server

uvx chroma-mcp --client-type persistent --data-dir /absolute/path/to/data

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "chroma-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "chroma-mcp",
        "--client-type",
        "persistent",
        "--data-dir",
        "/absolute/path/to/data"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Setup steps

1Open Cursor → Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server (or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json directly).
2Paste the Chroma MCP Server config below into the "mcpServers" object.
3Fill in placeholder secrets, then save.
4Cursor reloads MCP servers automatically — check Settings → MCP for a green status dot.
5Ask Cursor to use one of Chroma MCP Server's tools to confirm it's connected.

Before you start

Python with the `uv`/`uvx` package manager (Docker image also provided)
A storage target depending on client type: nothing for `ephemeral`, a directory for `persistent`, a server URL for `http`, or a Chroma Cloud account for `cloud`
For Chroma Cloud: a tenant ID, database name, and API key from your Chroma Cloud account (trychroma.com)
For external embeddings: the provider's API key set as `CHROMA_<PROVIDER>_API_KEY` (e.g. `CHROMA_OPENAI_API_KEY`, `CHROMA_COHERE_API_KEY`)

What Chroma MCP Server can do in Cursor

chroma_list_collections

List all collections in the database

chroma_create_collection

Create a new collection (optionally with an embedding function/config)

chroma_peek_collection

Preview a few sample records from a collection

chroma_get_collection_info

Get metadata and configuration for a collection

chroma_get_collection_count

Return the number of documents in a collection

chroma_modify_collection

Rename or update a collection's metadata

chroma_delete_collection

Delete a collection

chroma_add_documents

Add documents (with ids/metadata) to a collection, embedding them on insert

Security

Cloud mode requires a Chroma API key that grants tenant/database access, so keep it out of shared config. Persistent mode writes to a local data directory, so point --data-dir at a path you control and trust.

Chroma MCP Server + Cursor FAQ

Where is the Cursor config file?

Cursor reads MCP servers from ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Paste the Chroma MCP Server config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is Chroma MCP Server safe to use with Cursor?

What client types are supported?

Four: `ephemeral` (in-memory, for testing), `persistent` (local directory), `http` (self-hosted Chroma server), and `cloud` (Chroma Cloud). Set it with `--client-type` or `CHROMA_CLIENT_TYPE`.

Do I need an embedding API key?

Not for the default embedding function. You only need a provider key (set as `CHROMA_<PROVIDER>_API_KEY`) if you choose OpenAI, Cohere, Jina, VoyageAI, or Roboflow embeddings.

How do I connect to Chroma Cloud?

Use `--client-type cloud` with your tenant ID, database name, and API key (via `--tenant`/`--database`/`--api-key` or the corresponding `CHROMA_*` env vars) from your Chroma Cloud account.

View repo Full Chroma MCP Server page