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Set Up Cursor Agent

Editor Setup, CLI PATH Integration & Autonomous Composer Agent

Progress
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Select Your Operating System

Instructions and commands update dynamically to match your workstation platform.

Step 1 of 6 Est: 3 minutes

Download & Install Cursor AI Editor

Install the AI-first code editor designed for pair programming with frontier LLMs.

Install Cursor on Your System

Install via your system package manager or download directly from cursor.com:

PowerShell
# Install via Windows Package Manager PS > winget install Anysphere.Cursor
zsh
# Install via Homebrew Cask $ brew install --cask cursor
bash
# Download official AppImage from cursor.com $ curl -fsSL https://cursor.com/download/linux -o cursor.AppImage && chmod +x cursor.AppImage
💡
VS Code Extensions & Settings: On initial launch, Cursor prompts to import your existing VS Code extensions, keybindings, and themes with one click.
Checkpoint 1
Required

Paste your Cursor version output (or version number e.g. 0.40.4):

Step 2 of 6 Est: 2 minutes

Install Shell Command in System PATH

Enable launching projects and files from any terminal window using the cursor command.

Register Shell Command via Command Palette

Open Cursor, press Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS), type Shell Command: Install 'cursor' command in PATH, and press Enter.

PowerShell
# Test shell integration from new terminal PS > cursor --help
zsh
# Test shell integration from new terminal $ cursor --help
bash
# Test shell integration from new terminal $ cursor --help
Checkpoint 2
Required

Paste the header line from cursor --help to confirm shell registration:

Step 3 of 6 Est: 3 minutes

Configure Models & Privacy Mode

Select frontier coding models (Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4o) and enable Privacy Mode to prevent server-side data retention.

Configure Settings & Security

Open Cursor Settings by clicking the gear icon (top right) or pressing Ctrl+,:

  • Models: Ensure claude-3.5-sonnet is toggled on as the primary model.
  • General → Privacy Mode: Toggle to Enabled so code is never retained on servers or used for training.
  • API Keys (Optional): Enter your own Anthropic or OpenAI API key under Models if using custom billing.
💡
Why Claude 3.5 Sonnet? Sonnet is widely regarded as the most capable model for complex multi-file codebase refactoring and terminal tool calling.
Checkpoint 3
Required

Paste your selected active model or confirmation of Privacy Mode (e.g. Claude 3.5 Sonnet (Privacy Mode Enabled)):

Step 4 of 6 Est: 3 minutes

Master Composer & Agent Mode

Use Composer in Agent mode to orchestrate repository-wide multi-file changes and terminal commands autonomously.

Launch Composer Agent

Press Ctrl+I (or Cmd+I on macOS) to open Composer. In the mode selector at the bottom left of Composer, switch to Agent mode.

Composer Prompt Example
> @Files Review our package dependencies, create a health check endpoint in src/health.js, and run the test suite
⚠️
Command Execution Approvals: Agent mode asks for confirmation before executing terminal commands. Review proposed commands before approving them.
Checkpoint 4
Required

Paste the confirmation text showing Composer in Agent mode (e.g. Composer Agent mode active):

Step 5 of 6 Est: 3 minutes

Configure Project Rules (.cursorrules)

Define architectural patterns, coding standards, and safety boundaries that the Cursor Agent follows on every generation.

Create Root .cursorrules File

Create a .cursorrules file in your repository root:

.cursorrules
# Project Cursor Rules - Prefer TypeScript with strict typing; avoid `any`. - Every script must write persistent logs to project logs/*.log. - Always run tests and linters before reporting a task completed. - Never modify files in .env, node_modules, or build directories. - Provide clean, modular code with functional composition.
Checkpoint 5
Required

Paste lines from your .cursorrules file to verify format:

Step 6 of 6 Est: 2 minutes

Shortcuts & Run It Later Card

Review productivity hotkeys and reference shortcuts for everyday Cursor workflows.

Checkpoint 6
Required

Type Ctrl+I Composer confirmed below after verifying your hotkey works:

⚡ Run It Later — Keyboard & Agent Reference

Composer Agent Ctrl + I (Cmd + I) Launches multi-file autonomous Composer agent
Inline Edit Ctrl + K (Cmd + K) Edits highlighted code inline within active file
AI Chat Sidebar Ctrl + L (Cmd + L) Opens conversational Q&A panel with project context
Terminal Shell Launch cursor . Opens current folder inside Cursor editor from terminal

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