Cursor MCP integration

Plug parlay-api-mcp into Cursor and every ParlayAPI endpoint becomes a first-class tool inside your editor. Ask Cursor "what's the best +EV play on tonight's slate?", "score my bet at -145 against current Pinnacle close", or "find arbs on MLB right now" and it'll hit the API directly.

1 Install the MCP server

One-liner via pip; the entrypoint is registered as parlay-api-mcp.

pip install parlay-api-mcp

Verify the install:

parlay-api-mcp --version

2 Get a free API key

Sign up at /signup for a free key (1,000 requests/month, no credit card). The MCP server uses the same X-API-Key header as direct REST calls.

3 Add the server to Cursor's config

In Cursor, open Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server. Or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json directly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "parlay-api": {
      "command": "parlay-api-mcp",
      "env": {
        "PARLAY_API_KEY": "pak_live_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace pak_live_... with the key from step 2. If you have other MCP servers configured, merge the parlay-api entry into the existing mcpServers block.

4 Restart Cursor and verify

Quit Cursor fully, reopen. In any chat, type:

List available ParlayAPI tools.

Cursor should return the list of MCP tools exposed by parlay-api-mcp (odds, ev, arbitrage, middles, clv_grade, sgp_price, status, source_quality, parser_coverage, and more).

5 Try real queries

Some prompts to get you started:

What are the top 5 +EV plays on tonight's MLB slate?
Find cross-book moneyline arbitrages on the NBA right now.
Score this bet: Yankees -145 placed at 14:30 UTC against the current Pinnacle close.
Price a same-game parlay: Yankees ML + Over 8.5 runs at FanDuel.

Troubleshooting

"parlay-api-mcp: command not found"

Cursor doesn't have your shell PATH. Use the absolute path: which parlay-api-mcp in a terminal, then put that full path in the command field of mcp.json.

"401 Unauthorized" or "API key required"

Verify the PARLAY_API_KEY in the env block is correct and not wrapped in quotes inside the value. Get a fresh key from /signup if unsure.

Server doesn't show up in Cursor

Cursor reads MCP config on startup. After editing mcp.json you have to fully quit Cursor (Cmd-Q, not just close window) and reopen.

What you get

The MCP server exposes one tool per endpoint, with parameter validation and structured returns. Cursor's reasoning loop can chain tool calls automatically (e.g. "find +EV plays, then for each, check the source quality of the book offering the price").

Source code: github.com/JacobiusMakes/ParlayAPI/tree/main/mcp_server. PyPI: pypi.org/project/parlay-api-mcp/.

Related

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