How far back does the Wayback Machine go?

The Wayback Machine has archived web pages since 1996. However, coverage varies significantly — major websites have captures going back 20+ years, while smaller or newer sites may have fewer or no captures. Use get_first_capture to find the earliest archived version of any URL.

Can I find captures that returned 404 errors?

Yes! Use get_captures_by_status with status_code="404". This returns all archived versions where the page returned a Not Found error. This is useful for tracking when pages were removed or URLs changed structure.

Can I discover all subdomains of a website that have been archived?

Yes! Use get_subdomain_captures with the base domain (e.g., "example.com"). This returns captures for all subdomains like www.example.com, blog.example.com, api.example.com, etc. It's useful for mapping the full archival footprint of an organization's web presence.

Internet Archive Wayback MCP Server for Cursor 10 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: Internet Archive Wayback
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

docs.cursor.com/context/model-context-protocol

Built by Vinkius GDPR 10 Tools IDE

Cursor is an AI-first code editor built on VS Code that integrates LLM-powered coding assistance directly into the development workflow. Its Agent mode enables autonomous multi-step coding tasks, and MCP support lets agents access external data sources and APIs during code generation.

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Classic Setup·json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "internet-archive-wayback": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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About Internet Archive Wayback MCP Server

Connect the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to any AI agent and access the world's largest web archive — 800B+ archived web pages spanning 25+ years of internet history.

Cursor's Agent mode turns Internet Archive Wayback into an in-editor superpower. Ask Cursor to generate code using live data from Internet Archive Wayback and it fetches, processes, and writes. all in a single agentic loop. 10 tools appear alongside file editing and terminal access, creating a unified development environment grounded in real-time information.

What you can do

URL Availability Check — Verify if any URL has been archived and find the latest snapshot
Full CDX Capture History — Get detailed capture history with timestamps, status codes, MIME types, and sizes
Filter by Year — Find all captures from a specific year for temporal analysis
Filter by HTTP Status — Find captures that returned specific status codes (200, 404, 301, 500)
Filter by MIME Type — Find captures of specific resource types (HTML, images, PDFs, CSS)
First Capture — Find when a URL was first archived
Latest Capture — Find the most recent archived version of a URL
Capture Count — Get the total number of times a URL has been archived
Deduplicated Captures — Get unique captures collapsed by URL key
Subdomain Discovery — Find all archived subdomains of a domain

The Internet Archive Wayback MCP Server exposes 10 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Cursor in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect Internet Archive Wayback to Cursor via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the Internet Archive Wayback MCP Server with Cursor.

Open MCP Settings

Press Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) or Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) → search "MCP Settings"

Add the server config

Paste the JSON configuration above into the mcp.json file that opens

Save the file

Cursor will automatically detect the new MCP server

Start using Internet Archive Wayback

Open Agent mode in chat and ask: "Using Internet Archive Wayback, help me...". 10 tools available

Why Use Cursor with the Internet Archive Wayback MCP Server

Cursor AI Code Editor provides unique advantages when paired with Internet Archive Wayback through the Model Context Protocol.

Agent mode turns Cursor into an autonomous coding assistant that can read files, run commands, and call MCP tools without switching context

Cursor's Composer feature can generate entire files using real-time data fetched through MCP. no copy-pasting from external dashboards

MCP tools appear alongside built-in tools like file reading and terminal access, creating a unified agentic environment

VS Code extension compatibility means your existing workflow, keybindings, and extensions all work alongside MCP tools

Internet Archive Wayback + Cursor Use Cases

Practical scenarios where Cursor combined with the Internet Archive Wayback MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Code generation with live data: ask Cursor to generate a security report module using live DNS and subdomain data fetched through MCP

Automated documentation: have Cursor query your API's tool schemas and generate TypeScript interfaces or OpenAPI specs automatically

Infrastructure-as-code: Cursor can fetch domain configurations and generate corresponding Terraform or CloudFormation templates

Test scaffolding: ask Cursor to pull real API responses via MCP and generate unit test fixtures from actual data

Internet Archive Wayback MCP Tools for Cursor (10)

These 10 tools become available when you connect Internet Archive Wayback to Cursor via MCP:

check_availability

Returns the closest (most recent) snapshot timestamp and availability status. Use this to verify if a page is preserved and find its latest archived version. Check if a URL has been archived by the Wayback Machine

get_capture_count

Use this to measure how frequently a page has been preserved over time. Get the total number of captures for a URL

get_captures_by_mime_type

Common types: "text/html" (web pages), "image/jpeg" (JPEG images), "application/pdf" (PDFs), "text/css" (stylesheets). Use this to find specific resource types in the archive. Get captures filtered by MIME type

get_captures_by_status

Common codes: "200" (OK), "404" (Not Found), "301" (Redirect), "500" (Server Error). Use this to analyze site availability patterns over time. Get captures filtered by HTTP status code

get_captures_by_year

Use this to analyze archival frequency or find snapshots from a particular year. Year should be 4-digit format (e.g., "2020"). Get captures filtered by a specific year

get_captures_collapsed

This shows unique page captures without redundant entries for the same page. Use this for a cleaner view of archived content. Get captures deduplicated by URL key

get_cdx_captures

Each capture includes timestamp, original URL, MIME type, HTTP status code, and file size. Use this for comprehensive archival analysis. Optional limit parameter controls maximum results. Get detailed capture history from the CDX server

get_first_capture

Includes the timestamp, status code, and original URL. Use this to find when a page was first preserved. Get the first (earliest) capture of a URL

get_latest_capture

Includes timestamp, status code, and URL. Use this to find the newest preserved version of a page. Get the most recent capture of a URL

get_subdomain_captures

g., *.example.com). Use this to discover the archival footprint of an entire domain, finding all subdomains that have been preserved. Get captures for all subdomains of a domain

Example Prompts for Internet Archive Wayback in Cursor

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Cursor agent to start working with Internet Archive Wayback immediately.

"Check if https://example.com has been archived."

"Show me all captures of https://example.com from 2020."

"Find all subdomains of archive.org that have been captured."

Troubleshooting Internet Archive Wayback MCP Server with Cursor

Common issues when connecting Internet Archive Wayback to Cursor through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

Tools not appearing in Cursor

Ensure you are in Agent mode (not Ask mode). MCP tools only work in Agent mode.

Server shows as disconnected

Check Settings → Features → MCP and verify the server status. Try clicking the refresh button.

Internet Archive Wayback + Cursor FAQ

Common questions about integrating Internet Archive Wayback MCP Server with Cursor.

What is Agent mode and why does it matter for MCP?

Agent mode is Cursor's autonomous execution mode where the AI can perform multi-step tasks: reading files, editing code, running terminal commands, and calling MCP tools. Without Agent mode, Cursor operates in a simpler ask-and-answer mode that doesn't support tool calling. Always ensure you're in Agent mode when working with MCP servers.

Where does Cursor store MCP configuration?

Cursor looks for MCP server configurations in a mcp.json file. You can configure servers at the project level (.cursor/mcp.json in your project root) or globally (~/.cursor/mcp.json). Project-level configs take precedence.

Can Cursor use MCP tools in inline edits?

No. MCP tools are only available in Agent mode through the chat panel. Inline completions and Tab suggestions do not trigger MCP tool calls. This is by design. tool calls require user visibility and approval.

How do I verify MCP tools are loaded?

Open Settings → Features → MCP and look for your server name. A green indicator means the server is connected. You can also check Agent mode's available tools by clicking the tools dropdown in the chat panel.