IDE Plugins: Glean in Claude Code and Cursor via MCP
Bringing the enterprise graph into the editor
You'll be able to
- Add Glean as an MCP server in an MCP-capable IDE (Claude Code, Cursor)
- Map what the IDE can now retrieve, and where that retrieval is still scoped by identity
Read first
Day 3 Lab
- Confirm your IDE supports MCP servers (Claude Code and Cursor both do) and find where it stores MCP config.
- Add Glean as a server, reusing the scoped token from Day 2 via the environment.
- Reload the IDE and verify Glean's tools appear in the available tool list.
- Ask a question that needs company context, and confirm the results are ones YOU are allowed to see — not the IDE's, not a teammate's.
Working Example: Glean MCP Server in the IDE
Because Claude Code and Cursor are MCP hosts, Glean connects through the same MCP server entry — only the file location differs per editor. Retrieval still runs as the authenticated user, so the IDE inherits your access, never more. The token comes from the environment. Verified against mcp.
{
"mcpServers": {
"glean": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://<your-instance>-be.glean.com/mcp/default",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${GLEAN_MCP_TOKEN}"
}
}
}
}This is a MAP step: name what the editor can now reach. The IDE does not get its own privileges — Glean resolves the token to you and returns only what your permissions allow. Map that boundary before you trust the editor with sensitive queries. Verified against mcp.
Check for understanding
After adding Glean in your IDE, whose permissions decide what the editor can retrieve?
Check yourself
1. Glean describes three agent run-modes. Which list matches them?
2. When a host connects to Glean's MCP server with a scoped token, what happens to access?
3. In a guarded multi-tool agent loop, what is the job of the pre-action gate?
4. Across CrewAI, Google ADK, LangGraph, and the OpenAI Agents SDK, what does every Glean tool have in common?
5. Which statement about this curriculum is accurate?
In 10 seconds
“Claude Code and Cursor speak MCP, so the same Glean server you wired yesterday drops straight into the editor. Your code questions now reach the enterprise graph — scoped to your identity, not the IDE's.”
The Agent Toolkit: CrewAI, ADK, LangGraph, OpenAI on Glean