cursor-agent

# Cursor CLI Agent Skill This skill provides a comprehensive guide and set of workflows for utilizing the Cursor CLI tool, including all features from the January 2026 update. ## Installation ### Standard Installation (macOS, Linux, Windows WSL) ```bash curl https://cursor.com/install -fsS | bash ``` ### Homebrew (macOS only) ```bash brew install --cask cursor-cli ``` ### Post-Installation Setup **macOS:** - Add to PATH in `~/.zshrc` (zsh) or `~/.bashrc` (bash): ```bash export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH" ``` - Restart terminal or run `source ~/.zshrc` (or `~/.bashrc`) - Requires macOS 10.15 or later - Works on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs **Linux/Ubuntu:** - Restart your terminal or source your shell config - Verify with `agent --version` **Both platforms:** - Commands: `agent` (primary) and `cursor-agent` (backward compatible) - Verify installation: `agent --version` or `cursor-agent --version` ## Authentication Authenticate via browser: ```bash agent login ``` Or use API key: ```bash export CURSOR_API_KEY=your_api_key_here ``` ## Update Keep your CLI up to date: ```bash agent update # or agent upgrade ``` ## Commands ### Interactive Mode Start an interactive session with the agent: ```bash agent ``` Start with an initial prompt: ```bash agent "Add error handling to this API" ``` **Backward compatibility:** `cursor-agent` still works but `agent` is now the primary command. ### Model Switching List all available models: ```bash agent models # or agent --list-models ``` Use a specific model: ```bash agent --model gpt-5 ``` Switch models during a session: ``` /models ``` ### Session Management Manage your agent sessions: - **List sessions:** `agent ls` - **Resume most recent:** `agent resume` - **Resume specific session:** `agent --resume="[chat-id]"` ### Context Selection Include specific files or folders in the conversation: ``` @filename.ts @src/components/ ``` ### Slash Commands Available during interactive sessions: - **`/models`** - Switch between AI models interactively - **`/compress`** - Summarize conversation and free up context window - **`/rules`** - Create and edit rules directly from CLI - **`/commands`** - Create and modify custom commands - **`/mcp enable [server-name]`** - Enable an MCP server - **`/mcp disable [server-name]`** - Disable an MCP server ### Keyboard Shortcuts - **`Shift+Enter`** - Add newlines for multi-line prompts - **`Ctrl+D`** - Exit CLI (requires double-press for safety) - **`Ctrl+R`** - Review changes (press `i` for instructions, navigate with arrow keys) - **`ArrowUp`** - Cycle through previous messages ### Non-interactive / CI Mode Run the agent in a non-interactive mode, suitable for CI/CD pipelines: ```bash agent -p 'Run tests and report coverage' # or agent --print 'Refactor this file to use async/await' ``` **Output formats:** ```bash # Plain text (default) agent -p 'Analyze code' --output-format text # Structured JSON agent -p 'Find bugs' --output-format json # Real-time streaming JSON agent -p 'Run tests' --output-format stream-json --stream-partial-output ``` **Force mode (auto-apply changes without confirmation):** ```bash agent -p 'Fix all linting errors' --force ``` **Media support:** ```bash agent -p 'Analyze this screenshot: screenshot.png' ``` ### ⚠️ Using with AI Agents / Automation (tmux required) **CRITICAL:** When running Cursor CLI from automated environments (AI agents, scripts, subprocess calls), the CLI requires a real TTY. Direct execution will hang indefinitely. **The Solution: Use tmux** ```bash # 1. Install tmux if not available sudo apt install tmux # Ubuntu/Debian brew install tmux # macOS # 2. Create a tmux session tmux kill-session -t cursor 2>/dev/null || true tmux new-session -d -s cursor # 3. Navigate to project tmux send-keys -t cursor "cd /path/to/project" Enter sleep 1 # 4. Run Cursor agent tmux send-keys -t cursor "agent 'Your task here'" Enter # 5. Handle workspace trust prompt (first run) sleep 3 tmux send-keys -t cursor "a" # Trust workspace # 6. Wait for completion sleep 60 # Adjust based on task complexity # 7. Capture output tmux capture-pane -t cursor -p -S -100 # 8. Verify results ls -la /path/to/project/ ``` **Why this works:** - tmux provides a persistent pseudo-terminal (PTY) - Cursor's TUI requires interactive terminal capabilities - Direct `agent` calls from subprocess/exec hang without TTY **What does NOT work:** ```bash # ❌ These will hang indefinitely: agent "task" # No TTY agent -p "task" # No TTY subprocess.run(["agent", ...]) # No TTY script -c "agent ..." /dev/null # May crash Cursor ``` ## Rules & Configuration The agent automatically loads rules from: - `.cursor/rules` - `AGENTS.md` - `CLAUDE.md` Use `/rules` command to create and edit rules directly from the CLI. ## MCP Integration MCP servers are automatically loaded from `mcp.json` configuration. Enable/disable servers on the fly: ``` /mcp enable server-name /mcp disable server-name ``` **Note:** Server names with spaces are fully supported. ## Workflows ### Code Review Perform a code review on the current changes or a specific branch: ```bash agent -p 'Review the changes in the current branch against main. Focus on security and performance.' ``` ### Refactoring Refactor code for better readability or performance: ```bash agent -p 'Refactor src/utils.ts to reduce complexity and improve type safety.' ``` ### Debugging Analyze logs or error messages to find the root cause: ```bash agent -p 'Analyze the following error log and suggest a fix: [paste log here]' ``` ### Git Integration Automate git operations with context awareness: ```bash agent -p 'Generate a commit message for the staged changes adhering to conventional commits.' ``` ### Batch Processing (CI/CD) Run automated checks in CI pipelines: ```bash # Set API key in CI environment export CURSOR_API_KEY=$CURSOR_API_KEY # Run security audit with JSON output agent -p 'Audit this codebase for security vulnerabilities' --output-format json --force # Generate test coverage report agent -p 'Run tests and generate coverage report' --output-format text ``` ### Multi-file Analysis Use context selection to analyze multiple files: ```bash agent # Then in interactive mode: @src/api/ @src/models/ Review the API implementation for consistency with our data models ```