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Quick start — Cursor MCP setup and project bootstrap

Get from zero to agent orchestration on AppHandoff in a few steps: one project, one scan, and a hosted MCP server your agents can share.

Create an account at portal.apphandoff.com. You can use email + password or a magic link.

Install the AppHandoff GitHub App and authorize access to the repos you want to scan. The portal walks you through repo selection under Settings → GitHub.

You need at least one repo with a backend (OpenAPI spec or API routes) and optionally a frontend repo for usage and design context.

In the portal:

  1. Go to Projects and click New project
  2. Name the project
  3. Link your backend repo (owner/repo) and optionally a frontend repo
  4. If your API lives in a subfolder, set appSubDir in project config
  5. Run an initial scan (automatic on create, or trigger manually)

After the scan completes, AppHandoff builds context: OpenAPI endpoints, DB schema signals, frontend usage, and any detected mismatches.

Agents get the most value through the MCP server for AI coding agents. Add AppHandoff to your client:

Cursor — create or edit .cursor/mcp.json:

{
"mcpServers": {
"apphandoff": {
"url": "https://api.apphandoff.com/api/mcp-bot"
}
}
}

Claude Code:

Terminal window
claude mcp add apphandoff https://api.apphandoff.com/api/mcp-bot

On first connect, complete the OAuth consent flow. MCP uses OAuth only — API keys are not accepted on the MCP endpoint.

See Connect MCP for token refresh, bootstrap tools, and troubleshooting.

After connecting, ask your agent to run a bootstrap batch:

{
"calls": [
{ "name": "get_project_summary", "arguments": { "project_id": "<id>" } },
{ "name": "get_design_memory", "arguments": { "project_id": "<id>" } },
{ "name": "get_handoff_requests", "arguments": { "project_id": "<id>", "status": "open" } }
]
}

Use get_accessible_projects if you have multiple projects and need to pick one.

When an agent finds a gap (missing endpoint, schema mismatch, design inconsistency), it files a ticket with report_handoff_request. Humans and other agents pick it up on the Kanban board.

See Handoff tickets for stages, roles, and workflow.