MCP Setup Guide

Step-by-step

Connect CybersecTools to your AI assistant in 5 minutes. No coding required.

What is MCP?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) lets your AI assistant access real-time data from external services. By connecting CybersecTools via MCP, your AI can look up cybersecurity companies, compare security tools, analyze market trends, and more, all within your normal chat conversation.

What you can do once connected:

  • Ask your AI to research any cybersecurity company (funding, employees, competitors)
  • Compare security tools side-by-side
  • Get market landscape reports for any security category
  • Search funding rounds, M&A activity, and growth signals
  • Analyze NIST CSF 2.0 coverage for any vendor

Prerequisites

You need two things before starting:

1. An AI app that supports MCP

Any of these will work:

Claude Desktop
Cursor
Windsurf
Claude Code (CLI)
Any MCP-compatible client

2. Node.js installed on your computer

Node.js is a program that runs JavaScript. MCP uses it behind the scenes. Here's how to check if you already have it:

Open your terminal and run:

node --version

If you see a version number (like v20.11.0), you're good. If you see "command not found", you need to install Node.js first.

Step 1: Get Your Access Key

If you already have a CybersecTools access key (starts with sk_), skip to Step 2.

  1. Go to your Account > MCP Access tab
  2. Click Generate Key
  3. Give it a name (e.g. "Claude Desktop")
  4. Copy the key immediately. It starts with sk_ and won't be shown again
Save your access key somewhere safe (like a password manager). You'll paste it into the config file in Step 3.

Step 2: Find Your Node.js Path

Some AI apps (like Claude Desktop) need the full file path to npx because they don't load your shell settings. Here's how to find it:

Mac / Linux

Run this in your terminal:

which npx

You'll get something like:

  • /usr/local/bin/npx (standard install)
  • /opt/homebrew/bin/npx (Homebrew on Apple Silicon)
  • /Users/you/.nvm/versions/node/v22.x.x/bin/npx (nvm)

Copy this path. You'll use it in Step 3.

Windows

Run this in PowerShell or Command Prompt:

where npx

You'll get something like: C:\Program Files\nodejs\npx.cmd

Step 3: Configure Your AI App

Pick your app below and follow the instructions. You'll be editing a JSON config file.

Claude Desktop
Most popular

1. Open the config file:

  • Mac: Open Finder, press Cmd + Shift + G, paste: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows: Press Win + R, type: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

If the file doesn't exist, create a new text file with that name.

2. Paste this config (replace the two placeholder values):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cybersectools": {
      "command": "PASTE_YOUR_NPX_PATH_HERE",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote",
        "https://cybersectools.com/api/mcp?apiKey=PASTE_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PATH": "PASTE_YOUR_NODE_DIRECTORY_HERE:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Replace the placeholders:

  • PASTE_YOUR_NPX_PATH_HERE = the path from Step 2 (e.g. /usr/local/bin/npx)
  • PASTE_YOUR_API_KEY_HERE = your access key from Step 1 (starts with sk_)
  • PASTE_YOUR_NODE_DIRECTORY_HERE = the directory from Step 2 (e.g. /usr/local/bin)

4. Save the file and restart Claude Desktop.

Look for the MCP icon (hammer) at the bottom of the chat input. Click it to see "cybersectools".

Cursor

  1. Open Cursor Settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,)
  2. Search for "MCP" in settings
  3. Click "Add new MCP server"
  4. Choose "command" type
  5. Use the same command and args as the Claude Desktop config above

Or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json directly with the same JSON format.

Windsurf

  1. Open Windsurf Settings
  2. Navigate to the MCP section
  3. Add a new server with the same config as Claude Desktop above

Or edit ~/.windsurf/mcp.json directly.

Claude Code (CLI)

Run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add cybersectools -- npx -y mcp-remote "https://cybersectools.com/api/mcp?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY"

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your key. That's it.

Step 4: Verify It Works

After restarting your AI app, try asking it something like:

"Search for the top 5 AI Security companies by funding"

If your AI uses the search_companies tool and returns results, you're all set.

If you see an error, check the Troubleshooting section below.

Troubleshooting

Your AI app can't find Node.js. This is the most common issue.

Fix: Make sure your config includes both:

  • The full path to npx in the "command" field (not just "npx").
  • The env.PATH field with the directory that contains node.

Run which npx and dirname $(which node) to get the correct values.

Available Tools

30 tools your AI assistant can use once connected. You don't need to memorize these; just ask your AI what you want and it'll pick the right tool. Tools cost 1-3 credits each based on data depth.

Core Search 1 credit

search_companiesSearch companies by funding, employees, growth, or name
get_companyCompany overview: profile, funding, employee count, revenue, products
search_toolsSearch security products by category, cost, deployment type
get_toolFull product details: features, integrations, NIST mapping, ratings
list_categoriesAll categories and subcategories with tool counts
Free
get_credit_costsYour credit balance, plan, and cost of every tool
Free
get_data_dictionaryExplain any data field, metric, or concept
Free

Comparison & Analysis 1 credit

compare_companiesSide-by-side comparison of 2-5 companies
compare_toolsSide-by-side comparison of 2-5 products
get_competitive_landscapeCompetitive positioning with auto-discovered competitors
get_nist_coverageNIST CSF 2.0 coverage analysis for any vendor or category
get_company_competitorsCompetitor list with linked profiles for further lookup

Company Overview 1 credit

get_company_fundingFunding rounds, investors, amounts, and dates
get_company_newsRecent news articles and press mentions
get_company_socialSocial media profiles and follower counts
get_company_productsAll listed products with ratings and availability flags

Deep Operational Data 2 credits

get_company_employeesHeadcount, growth rates, department & seniority breakdown
get_company_jobsJob posting data, active count, growth trends
get_company_executivesC-suite roster, recent arrivals and departures
get_company_website_trafficMonthly visits, demographics, traffic by country, visit history
get_company_linkedin_activityFollower growth, post engagement over time
get_company_technologiesTechnology stack with first/last verified dates

High-Value Intelligence 3 credits

get_company_momentumMomentum score (0-100) across growth, market presence, funding
get_company_valuationValuation estimate using multiple methods
get_company_reviewsEmployee & product reviews with 9-dimension breakdown and trends
get_company_salaryCompensation data by role: base, additional, total with p25/median/p75
get_company_career_pathTalent flow: where employees come from and where they go

Market Intelligence 1 credit

get_market_overviewCategory-level stats: tool counts, cost breakdown, top companies
get_market_summaryAggregated metrics: funding totals, headcount stats, geo breakdown
search_funding_roundsSearch funding rounds by investor, date, amount, stage
search_acquisitionsSearch M&A activity by acquirer, target, date, category

Bulk Data 1 credit

get_companies_bulk_metricsLightweight metric rows for many companies at once
get_tools_bulk_metricsLightweight metric rows for many tools at once

Example Prompts

Just talk to your AI naturally. Here are some examples to get started:

Need help? Email us at support@cybersectools.com or send feedback.