Billing

MCP Integration

Setup Guide

Connect Cutline to Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, and other AI-powered tools using MCP. Works with free and premium accounts.

Connect Cutline's constraint-aware development workflow directly to your IDE using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Free accounts get engineering audits; Premium unlocks product-specific constraint graphs and RGR workflows.

Watch the Demo

What You Get

	Free	Premium
Engineering audit (security, reliability, scalability)	✓ (3/month)	Unlimited
Active issue detection with fix guidance	1 detailed finding	All findings
RGR remediation plans	—	✓
Product-specific constraint graph	—	✓
`.cutline.md` agent directive	—	✓
Pre-mortem analysis	—	✓
AI persona feedback	—	✓

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ — Download Node.js
An MCP-compatible client — Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, or similar

No account needed upfront — the CLI creates one with just your email.

Step 1: Install

npm install -g @vibekiln/cutline-mcp-cli@latest

Step 2: Setup

Navigate to your project root and run:

cutline-mcp setup

This single command handles everything:

Authenticates — opens your browser for a quick email-based sign-in (skipped if you're already logged in)
Configures your IDE — merges Cutline MCP servers into ~/.cursor/mcp.json and ~/.claude.json automatically, preserving your existing servers
Generates IDE rules — writes .cursor/rules/ files and CLAUDE.local.md with RGR workflow guidance tailored to your tier
Prints next steps — shows what you can ask your AI agent

That's it. Restart your IDE and you're ready to go.

Options

Flag	Description
`--skip-login`	Skip authentication (use existing credentials)
`--project-root <path>`	Project root for IDE rules (default: current directory)
`--staging`	Use staging environment

IDE-Specific Notes

Cursor

cutline-mcp setup auto-writes ~/.cursor/mcp.json.

Restart Cursor and verify servers in Settings → Features → MCP Servers.

Claude Code

cutline-mcp setup auto-writes ~/.claude/settings.json.

Or use claude mcp add:

claude mcp add cutline-constraints -- npx -y @vibekiln/cutline-mcp-cli serve constraints
claude mcp add cutline-premortem -- npx -y @vibekiln/cutline-mcp-cli serve premortem
claude mcp add cutline-tools -- npx -y @vibekiln/cutline-mcp-cli serve tools
claude mcp add cutline-exploration -- npx -y @vibekiln/cutline-mcp-cli serve exploration

Windsurf

Open Command Palette → "Preferences: Open Settings (JSON)" and add server entries under "mcp.servers".

Copy the config from ~/.cursor/mcp.json after running setup.

Start Using Cutline

Use the Magic Phrase

Ask your AI assistant:

use cutline

Cutline infers intent and routes automatically:

Natural variants also work: use cutline to ..., using cutline, ..., with cutline ...
Free/default requests route to code_audit
Premium product-linked requests route to engineering_audit

You can still be explicit:

Run a code audit on this codebase.

Premium: RGR Workflow

Your AI agent will now follow the RGR cycle automatically:

Plan — calls rgr_plan before implementing features
Implement — addresses constraints from the plan
Verify — runs engineering_audit to check product-linked constraint coverage
Complete — marks phases done with rgr_complete_phase

Try it:

I want to add rate limiting to the /api/upload endpoint. 
Check the constraint graph first.

Premium: Pre-mortem Analysis

Generate a premortem for launching a B2B SaaS analytics platform
targeting mid-market companies with a 3-month timeline.

Premium: Persona Feedback

What does my persona Debra think about adding a mobile app?

Available MCP Servers

Server	Purpose	Key Tools
cutline-constraints	Constraint graph, audits, RGR workflow	`engineering_audit`, `code_audit`, `rgr_plan`, `constraints_auto`, `generate_cutline_md`
cutline-premortem	Pre-mortem generation & management	`premortem_run`, `premortem_list`, `premortem_status`
cutline-tools	Personas, wikis, templates, AI chat	`personas_chat`, `wiki_load`, `template_create`
cutline-exploration	Guided product exploration & framing	`exploration_start`, `exploration_chat`
cutline-output	PDF generation and Q&A	`premortem_render_pdf`, `premortem_qa`
cutline-integrations	External tool connections	`integrations_create_issues`

For most users, cutline-constraints is the essential server — it powers engineering audits and the RGR workflow.

Troubleshooting

"Authentication required" error

cutline-mcp login

"Premium subscription required" error

Some tools require Premium. Upgrade your account. Free users can still use engineering_audit (3 scans/month).

MCP servers not appearing

Verify: cutline-mcp --version
Check paths in your MCP config
Restart your IDE completely
Check IDE logs for errors

Token expired

Tokens auto-refresh, but if issues persist:

cutline-mcp logout
cutline-mcp login

"Command not found: npx"

Ensure Node.js 18+ is installed:

node --version

Individual Commands

If you prefer to run steps separately:

Command	Description
`cutline-mcp login`	Authenticate only
`cutline-mcp init`	Generate IDE rules only
`cutline-mcp status`	Check authentication status
`cutline-mcp upgrade`	Upgrade to Premium

Getting Help

Documentation: thecutline.ai/docs
Email: support@thecutline.ai
Feedback: cutline.canny.io

Next Steps

Tool Reference — Complete API documentation
Examples — Common workflows and use cases

MCP Tool Reference