Cursor

Cursor is an AI-assisted software development environment built around a VS Code-based editor. It brings inline and multi-line completion, scoped editing, codebase indexing, project rules, and broader agent workflows into the editor, with optional CLI, cloud agent, and pull-request review services.

It suits developers who want coding assistance in a VS Code-style workspace, while the CLI extends the product to terminal, scripting, and CI use. Model choices include Cursor models and supported third-party providers through Cursor or eligible bring-your-own-key configurations.

Cursor Tab completes multiple lines and blocks of code and can move to the next suggestion across files. Inline Edit applies an instruction to selected code and can include imports and documentation. For larger repositories, Cursor positions Chat and Agent for multi-file work, while Tab and Inline Edit handle quick or focused single-file changes.

Agent tools cover directory and file reading, codebase search, grep, file search, web search and fetch, editing, deletion, terminal usage, and MCP tools. Background agents work asynchronously in isolated Ubuntu-based machines, can clone a GitHub repository to a separate branch, install packages, and access the internet.

Agent-generated changes appear in a review interface with color-coded additions and deletions. Changes can be accepted or rejected by file or by individual line, and automatic checkpoints allow restoration to a previous state.

The interactive CLI requests approval or rejection before executing commands. Global or project-level permissions can allow or deny shell commands, reads, and writes, with deny rules taking precedence. Headless CLI mode proposes changes without applying them unless `--force` is used. Background Agents automatically run terminal commands and have internet access, creating prompt-injection and data-exfiltration risks that teams should manage carefully.

Cursor's desktop application imports VS Code settings and works with the VS Code extension ecosystem. Its beta CLI supports interactive sessions, model selection, session resume, structured output, scripting, and CI or automation use. MCP supports local stdio, SSE and Streamable HTTP transports, with tools scoped globally or per project.

For team workflows, Cloud Agents can hand off branch changes, while Bugbot analyzes pull request diffs and provides comments and fix suggestions across GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps. Team administration includes centralized settings, privacy controls, usage oversight, and SSO, while enterprise controls add options such as model access controls, repository blocklists, MCP configuration, and SCIM.

Cursor is a strong fit for developers and teams that want AI assistance in a VS Code–style editor, repository-aware multi-file changes, terminal or CI automation, and pull request review. It also works well for teams that need centralized billing, SSO, usage oversight, privacy enforcement, and enterprise policy controls.

Buyers should plan for consumption-based usage and potential on-demand charges. Background agents are a poor fit for strict no-network execution requirements because they have internet access and automatically run terminal commands. Developers who need a native JetBrains-first experience should also account for Cursor’s VS Code-based foundation.