# How to Use NanoBanana MCP in Cursor for Practical Image Editing Workflows > Source: > Published: 2026-10-02 01:05:13+00:00 Long URLs are easy to copy once and surprisingly annoying to manage when a release, newsletter, or launch note contains five of them; this guide shows how to let Codex CLI shorten them without leaving the terminal. The setup is deliberately small: Codex CLI acts as the client, a hosted ShortURL MCP server exposes one tool, and your instruction in the terminal becomes a tool call. The MCP server documented by Ace Data Cloud is: ``` https://shorturl.mcp.acedata.cloud/mcp ``` It exposes a single tool named `shorturl_create`. That tool handles both individual links and batches, so you do not need separate integrations for a one-off URL and a list of release-note links. This is a useful first MCP project because the behavior is easy to verify. You provide one or more long URLs, Codex calls the tool, and you inspect the shortened results. There is no complicated agent state, database, or local service to maintain. Codex reads MCP server definitions from `~/.codex/config.toml`. Open that file in your editor and add the following block: ``` [mcp_servers.shorturl] url = "https://shorturl.mcp.acedata.cloud/mcp" type = "http" http_headers = { "Authorization" = "Bearer yourToken" } ``` Replace `yourToken` with your Ace Data Cloud API token. Keep the `Bearer` prefix and the space after it: the full value is sent through the `Authorization` header when Codex connects to the remote MCP server. A few details are worth noticing: `shorturl` is the local name of the MCP server inside Codex. It is descriptive, but it is not the remote tool name.`url` points to the hosted MCP endpoint.`type = "http"` tells Codex that this is a remote HTTP MCP server.`http_headers` carries authentication without putting the token into every prompt. Save the file, then restart your Codex session. The documentation states that the tool is loaded on the next startup, so changing the TOML while a session is already running may not make it immediately available. Treat the token like any other credential. Do not paste the completed configuration into an issue, commit it to a dotfiles repository, or include it in a screenshot. For the first test, use a direct instruction that makes the desired tool obvious: ``` Shorten this link: https://platform.acedata.cloud ``` Codex should recognize that the request matches the ShortURL capability and call `shorturl_create`. Starting with one URL helps separate connection problems from batch-input problems. If nothing happens, check the basics in this order: `~/.codex/config.toml`.` https://shorturl.mcp.acedata.cloud/mcp`.` Bearer`. That last point matters in agent workflows. “Prepare this link for sharing” leaves room for interpretation, while “Shorten this link” maps directly to the available tool. The more practical use case is shortening several links at once. For example, after preparing release notes, you can give Codex a compact task like this: ``` Shorten these links for a release email: - https://example.com/releases/2.4.0 - https://example.com/docs/migration-guide - https://example.com/changelog Return a Markdown list that keeps each original label next to its short URL. ``` The documented ShortURL MCP supports batch creation, while Codex can take care of the surrounding formatting. This division of labor is useful: the MCP tool performs the external action, and the model turns the returned values into the shape your workflow needs. You can use the same pattern for launch checklists, support replies, event resources, or a set of links collected during research. Ask for the final format you actually need—Markdown, a plain-text email section, or a checklist—but keep the URL-shortening action explicit. Tool-enabled terminal workflows are most reliable when the instruction has three parts: For example: ``` Shorten the five URLs below. Preserve their order, do not rewrite the titles, and return a two-column Markdown table with Title and Short URL. ``` This does not add hidden capabilities to `shorturl_create`; it simply gives Codex a clear way to present the tool's output. If a URL is malformed, fix the source input instead of asking the agent to guess what you intended. I like this integration as a first MCP exercise because it solves a real, boring problem with very little machinery: one config block, one remote tool, and a result you can verify immediately. The exact setup and current examples are available in the [Codex with ShortURL MCP documentation](https://platform.acedata.cloud/documents/codex-mcp-short-url).