APIVex MCP: Connect Cursor and AI Assistants to Data APIs

APIVex MCP connects your AI assistant to APIVex data APIs. Instead of writing a separate integration for each task, you can ask your assistant to discover the available tools, supply their required inputs, and retrieve data using your APIVex API key.

This guide walks through connecting Cursor, checking the connection without fetching data, and preparing a controlled first request. It also explains the configuration differences for Claude Code, VS Code, and Codex.

Watch the APIVex MCP overview

The 23-second video illustrates the setup flow: select a collection, copy its configuration, and discover tools in an AI assistant. It uses a placeholder key and an illustrative assistant screen. Follow the steps below to connect your own account.

Music: Sascha Ende, ende.app, “Happy Beats / Business Moves Vol. 12,” used under CC BY 4.0. The video uses an edited excerpt.

What MCP adds to APIVex

The Model Context Protocol, or MCP, gives an AI application a standard way to discover and call external tools. APIVex exposes supported API operations as those tools, with descriptions and input schemas that help your assistant choose the right operation.

For example, a property lookup tool can require an address. Your assistant can read that requirement, ask you for the address, and pass it to APIVex. The response then becomes available in your conversation or coding workflow.

MCP is another way to access APIVex. It does not create a separate data source, change what an endpoint returns, or make unavailable historical data available. APIVex remains a third-party API service; connecting through MCP does not turn it into an official API from the underlying data providers.

Explore the API catalog, then consult each API’s documentation for its exact capabilities.

Before you connect

You need:

• An APIVex account and your API key from the dashboard.
• An AI client that supports MCP, such as Cursor or Codex.
• An APIVex plan with enough remaining allowance for your data requests.
• Node.js LTS if you use the generated npx / mcp-remote configuration on the setup page. The direct HTTP configuration below does not require that bridge.

You use your existing APIVex key and plan. Listing tools uses no API allowance; fetching data uses your plan’s requests. Your AI client may have its own subscription or model charges. See current APIVex plans rather than assuming MCP includes a separate quota.

1. Choose all APIs or one collection

Open the APIVex MCP setup page. All APIs is selected by default.

The full-catalog server URL is:

https://mcp.apivex.com/mcp

For a focused Zillow connection, use:

https://mcp.apivex.com/apis/zillow/mcp

Both connect to the hosted APIVex service. A collection-specific connection reduces the tools your assistant sees; it does not give you another request allowance.

2. Connect Cursor

You can copy the configuration from the setup page and follow its Cursor instructions. When you are signed in with a team, that page can include the team’s current API key.

Alternatively, Cursor supports a direct HTTP connection. Create or update .cursor/mcp.json in your project with:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apivex-all": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apivex.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "x-apivex-key": "YOUR_APIVEX_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_APIVEX_API_KEY with your own key. If the file already has other servers, add the apivex-all entry inside its existing mcpServers object instead of replacing the whole file.

For a Zillow-only connection, change the URL to https://mcp.apivex.com/apis/zillow/mcp and give the entry a distinct name, such as apivex-zillow.

Save the file, then enable or reconnect the server in Cursor’s MCP settings. Start an Agent conversation with the server enabled. Cursor also supports ~/.cursor/mcp.json for a configuration shared across projects. See Cursor’s MCP documentation for current settings and configuration options.

Keep files containing your real key out of version control. Do not paste the key into a public issue, screenshot, or shared prompt.

3. Verify tool discovery before fetching data

Start with this prompt:

Show me the available APIVex tools and their required inputs.
Do not fetch data yet.

For the Zillow collection, you can narrow it:

Find the APIVex tools for searching a property by address
and retrieving its details. Explain the required inputs.
Do not call either data tool yet.

The available tools include zillow_search_address and zillow_property. Address search requires an address. Property details use a zpid or a property URL. You can inspect the Zillow API documentation before making a call.

If the assistant answers from general knowledge without listing APIVex tools, check that the MCP server is connected and enabled for the conversation.

4. Make a controlled first request

Once discovery works, provide a property address you want to investigate and ask for one lookup:

Use APIVex to search for the property at [full property address].
Make one address-search request only.
Summarize the fields actually returned.
Do not fetch additional details, paginate, or retry automatically.
If the request fails, report the error and stop.

Replace the bracketed placeholder before sending. Review the proposed tool and inputs before approving the request in your client.

After the search returns a property identifier or URL, you can separately request details. Do not assume every property has every field: tell the assistant to mark absent values as unavailable rather than estimate them.

This pattern works for other collections too: discover the tool, check its inputs, make a bounded request, then decide whether another call is useful.

Connecting other AI clients

The hosted server is the same, but client configuration formats differ.

For clients using the generated mcp-remote configuration, the bridge runs on your computer and connects to APIVex over HTTPS. You do not need to host the APIVex MCP server yourself.

APIVex’s current connection uses an API key. A client’s support for OAuth does not mean APIVex provides an OAuth sign-in flow.

Keep usage predictable

A short natural-language prompt can lead an assistant to make several calls. Asking for “all properties and full details” may involve a search, pagination, and a detail request for each result.

To control usage:

• Set a maximum number of calls or results in the prompt.
• Ask the assistant to propose a request plan before running a bulk task.
• Request only the fields and endpoints you actually need.
• Avoid automatic retries after errors.
• Check your usage dashboard after testing.

Data calls use the same APIVex allowance as REST requests. MCP does not provide unlimited requests, bypass rate limits, or guarantee that every upstream source is available at every moment.

Troubleshooting

Connect your assistant

Go to the APIVex MCP setup page, choose a collection, and connect with your existing API key. Start by listing tools, then approve one focused data request before expanding the workflow.