Integrate Cursor with Live Sybase Data via CData Connect AI

Cursor is an AI-powered code editor that embeds conversational and agent-style assistance alongside your development workflow. By extending Cursor with MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools, you can give its AI agents secure access to external systems such as APIs and databases.

Integrating Cursor with CData Connect AI via the built-in MCP server allows the editor's AI to query, analyze, and act on live Sybase data without copying data into the IDE. The result is a development experience where you can chat with your governed enterprise data directly from Cursor.

This article outlines how to configure Sybase connectivity in Connect AI, generate the required access token, register Connect AI's MCP Server in Cursor, and then use the AI chat pane to explore live Sybase data.

Step 1: Configure Sybase connectivity for Cursor

Connectivity to Sybase from Cursor is made possible through CData Connect AI's Remote MCP Server. To interact with Sybase data from Cursor, start by creating and configuring a Sybase connection in CData Connect AI.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection

2. Select Sybase from the Add Connection panel

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Sybase.

   To connect to Sybase, specify the following connection properties:

   • Server: Set this to the name or network address of the Sybase database instance.
   • Database: Set this to the name of the Sybase database running on the specified Server.

   Optionally, you can also secure your connections with TLS/SSL by setting UseSSL to true.

   Sybase supports several methods for authentication including Password and Kerberos.

   Connect Using Password Authentication

   Set the AuthScheme to Password and set the following connection properties to use Sybase authentication.

   • User: Set this to the username of the authenticating Sybase user.
   • Password: Set this to the username of the authenticating Sybase user.

   Connect using LDAP Authentication

   To connect with LDAP authentication, configure Sybase server-side to use the LDAP authentication mechanism.

   After configuring Sybase for LDAP, you can connect using the same credentials as Password authentication.

   Connect Using Kerberos Authentication

   To leverage Kerberos authentication, begin by enabling it setting AuthScheme to Kerberos. See the Using Kerberos section in the Help documentation for more information on using Kerberos authentication.

   You can find an example connection string below:

   Server=MyServer;Port=MyPort;User=SampleUser;Password=SamplePassword;Database=MyDB;Kerberos=true;KerberosKDC=MyKDC;KerberosRealm=MYREALM.COM;KerberosSPN=server-name

   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab and update user-based permissions

Add a Personal Access Token

A Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI from Cursor. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each integration to maintain granular access control.

1. Click the gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open Settings
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT
3. Give the PAT a descriptive name and click Create

4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use

With the Sybase connection configured and a PAT generated, Cursor can now connect to Sybase data through Connect AI.

Step 2: Configure Connect AI in Cursor

Next, configure Cursor to use Connect AI. Cursor reads MCP configuration from an mcp.json file in the user configuration directory and exposes the registered servers under the Tools & MCP settings. Once configured, Cursor's AI chat can call the tools exposed by CData Connect AI.

1. Download the Cursor desktop application and complete the sign-up flow for your account
2. From the top menu, click Settings to open the settings panel
3. In the left navigation, open the Tools & MCP tab and click Add Custom MCP
4. Cursor opens an mcp.json file in the editor
5. Add the following configuration. Make sure to base64-encode your email:PAT before inserting into the header:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "cdata-mcp": {
         "url": "https://mcp.cloud.cdata.com/mcp",
         "headers": {
           "Authorization": "Basic your_base64_encoded_email_PAT"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   		

   
6. Save the file
7. Return to Settings and then select Tools & MCP. You can now see cdata-mcp enabled with an active indicator

Step 3: Chat with CData Connect AI from Cursor

1. From the top bar, click Toggle AI Pane to open the chat window
2. Test the connection by entering "List connections"
3. You can also run queries like "Query Sybase data and list the high priority accounts"

Cursor is now fully integrated with the CData Connect AI MCP Server and can act on live Sybase data directly from the editor.

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