Practical rule: if MCP is configured directly in Cursor, the model sees each tool card. If a plugin wraps MCP behind its own API, the model usually sees only the plugin surface.
Easiest way to verify in your setup: ask the agent to list callable tools, then compare direct-MCP mode vs plugin mode on the same workspace. The delta tells you exactly where the abstraction boundary is.
Easiest way to verify in your setup: ask the agent to list callable tools, then compare direct-MCP mode vs plugin mode on the same workspace. The delta tells you exactly where the abstraction boundary is.