Agent Mode
Cursor Agents execute multi-file, multi-step coding tasks autonomously. You give a goal — “add pagination to the user list endpoint and update the tests” — and the agent plans the approach, edits the relevant files, runs terminal commands, checks for errors, and iterates until the task is done. Cursor 3 (April 2026) rebuilt the whole interface around agents as the primary way to work.
How Agents Work
An agent has access to the same tools a developer would use inside the editor: read and write files, run terminal commands, search the codebase, and browse the web for documentation. The agent forms a plan, executes steps, reads the results, and self-corrects when something goes wrong — without asking for approval at each step.
You stay in control via the approve/reject workflow: before applying a set of file changes to disk, Cursor shows you the full diff. You can approve all, reject all, or selectively accept individual hunks. The agent does not write to your working tree until you approve.
Cloud Agents
Cloud Agents run on Cursor's remote infrastructure instead of your local machine. You kick one off, close the editor, and come back to a completed session. This is useful for:
- Long-running tasks (full feature implementation, large refactors) you don't want to babysit
- Running multiple agents in parallel without your machine's CPU being the bottleneck
- Agents that need to run tests or builds in a clean environment
Cloud Agents are available on Pro and above. They use the same model selection and Rules as local agents.
Parallel Agents & /multitask
Cursor 3 introduced first-class support for parallel agents. The workspace now shows multiple agent threads side-by-side — like separate browser tabs, each working on an independent task. You can switch focus between them, review diffs on one while another is still running, and approve changes independently.
Inside a session, /multitask spawns async subagents to handle parallel sub-problems. For example: “add error handling to all three service files” can dispatch three subagents simultaneously instead of working sequentially.
Built-in Integrations
Browser automation
Agents control a real browser via Playwright — navigate, click, fill forms, and verify UI behavior as part of an end-to-end task.
Database queries
Direct Postgres and Supabase integration with schema reasoning — agents can query live data to diagnose issues or verify backfills.
Linear / GitHub / Jira
Agents can read tickets, draft pull requests, and update issue state without leaving the task.
Figma
Pull design screenshots into agent context for UI implementation tasks.
Bugbot — PR Review
Bugbot is Cursor's GitHub PR review agent. It runs automatically when a PR is opened (or on demand), reads the full diff, and posts inline comments flagging bugs, logic issues, and missing tests. Bugbot is available on paid plans on usage-based billing — it draws from your credits per review.
Context Usage Breakdown
New in May 2026: agents show a real-time breakdown of what's consuming context — rules, indexed files, skills, subagents, and conversation history. This is useful when an agent starts producing confused answers mid-task. Check the breakdown to see if you've run out of effective context window and whether trimming rules or references helps.
Failure Modes to Watch For
Context drift on long tasks
Long agents accumulate context. After many steps, the model can “forget” earlier decisions and produce inconsistent code. Break large tasks into smaller agent runs rather than one giant session.
Approving diffs without reading them
The agent runs fast. The temptation is to approve everything without reviewing. One wrong approval can silently remove logic or introduce bugs. Always read the diff, especially in critical files.
Vague task descriptions
Agents do best with specific, scoped goals. “Clean up this module” produces erratic results. “Extract the validation logic from UserService into a separate Validator class, add unit tests” works well.
Checklist: Do You Understand This?
- Agents execute multi-file, multi-step tasks autonomously — you approve the final diff before changes are applied
- Cloud Agents run on Cursor's infrastructure — available on Pro+, useful for long or parallel tasks
- /multitask spawns parallel subagents within a session for independent sub-problems
- Bugbot reviews GitHub PRs automatically or on demand (usage-based billing)
- Context breakdown (May 2026) shows what is consuming the model's context window mid-task