Bring Reading
to Cursor
Learn how to connect Readwise to Cursor and start using 16 AI agent tools in minutes. Fully managed, enterprise secure, and ready to use without writing a single line of code.
What is the Readwise MCP Server?
Transform how your organization interacts with reading material by giving your AI agent full control over your Readwise library. With 16 tools covering full highlight CRUD, book search by source and category, tag management, and daily review access, your agents can retrieve specific passages, create annotations, and help you retain knowledge.
What you can do
- Browse books by source or category
- Full CRUD for highlights, notes, and tags
- Access daily spaced repetition reviews
- Export all data incrementally for backup or analysis
How it works
1. Subscribe to this server 2. Enter your Readwise API Token (found in your account settings) 3. Start managing your reading library directly from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP clientWho is it for?
Ideal for researchers, students, and professionals needing instant, conversational access to their curated knowledge base.Built-in capabilities (16)
Verify connectivity
Create a highlight
Delete a highlight
Supports incremental export with updatedAfter filter. Export highlights
Get book details
Get daily review
Get highlight details
List all books
List books by category
List books by source
Returns text, note, location, and tags. List highlights
List review queue
List all tags
Search books
Search highlights
Update a highlight
Why Cursor?
Cursor's Agent mode turns Readwise into an in-editor superpower. Ask Cursor to generate code using live data from Readwise and it fetches, processes, and writes. all in a single agentic loop. 16 tools appear alongside file editing and terminal access, creating a unified development environment grounded in real-time information.
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Agent mode turns Cursor into an autonomous coding assistant that can read files, run commands, and call MCP tools without switching context
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Cursor's Composer feature can generate entire files using real-time data fetched through MCP. no copy-pasting from external dashboards
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MCP tools appear alongside built-in tools like file reading and terminal access, creating a unified agentic environment
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VS Code extension compatibility means your existing workflow, keybindings, and extensions all work alongside MCP tools
Readwise in Cursor
Readwise and 3,400+ other MCP servers. One platform. One governance layer.
Teams that connect Readwise to Cursor through Vinkius don't need to source, host, or maintain individual MCP servers. Every tool call runs inside a hardened runtime with credential isolation, DLP, and a signed audit chain.
Raw MCP | Vinkius | |
|---|---|---|
| Server catalog | Find and host yourself | 3,400+ managed |
| Infrastructure | Self-hosted | Sandboxed V8 isolates |
| Credential handling | Plaintext in config | Vault + runtime injection |
| Data loss prevention | None | Configurable DLP policies |
| Kill switch | None | Global instant shutdown |
| Financial circuit breakers | None | Per-server limits + alerts |
| Audit trail | None | Ed25519 signed logs |
| SIEM log streaming | None | Splunk, Datadog, Webhook |
| Honeytokens | None | Canary alerts on leak |
| Custom domains | Not applicable | DNS challenge verified |
| GDPR compliance | Manual effort | Automated purge + export |
Why teams choose Vinkius for Readwise in Cursor
The Readwise MCP Server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS — a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts. All 16 tools execute in hardened sandboxes optimized for native MCP execution.
Your AI agents in Cursor only access the data you authorize, with DLP that blocks sensitive information from ever reaching the model, kill switch for instant shutdown, and up to 60% token savings. Enterprise-grade infrastructure, zero maintenance.
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
How Vinkius secures
Readwise for Cursor
Every tool call from Cursor to the Readwise MCP Server is protected by DLP redaction, cryptographic audit chains, V8 sandbox isolation, kill switch, and financial circuit breakers.
Frequently asked questions
What can I do with the Readwise connector?
You can list, search, create, update, and delete highlights, browse books by source or category, manage tags, access your daily spaced repetition review, and export all data incrementally for analysis or backup.
How does the daily review feature work?
The daily review tool retrieves highlights selected by Readwise's spaced repetition algorithm, helping your AI agent surface the most important passages at the optimal retention interval.
Can I filter books by where they came from?
Yes, you can filter by source (Kindle, Instapaper, Pocket, web, Apple Books) or by category (books, articles, tweets, podcasts) to quickly find the content you need.
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.
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.