The agent is how you build in Cursor. You describe what you want, it reads your project, changes the files and runs what it needs. Its modes decide how much it does on its own, and how.
Where you talk to it
- In the Agents Window: the prompt box in the middle (lesson 2). This is the main place.
- In the editor: the agent panel on the right. Press Cmd+I or Cmd+L to open or close it.
The modes
- Agent
- The default. It builds: creates and edits files, runs commands, checks the result. Use it for most work.
- Ask
- Read-only. It explains and answers but changes nothing. Use it to understand code before touching it.
- Plan
- It asks you questions, then writes a plan you can read and edit. Nothing is built until you approve. Use it for anything bigger than a small change.
- Debug
- For bugs that are hard to pin down. It adds logging, asks you to make the bug happen, then fixes it from what it saw.
- Multitask
- Splits a bigger request into independent parts and hands them to several agents working at the same time. Use it when the parts do not depend on each other.
Switching modes
- Shift+Tab in the prompt box steps through the modes.
- In the editor panel, click the mode name under the prompt box (it starts as Agent) and pick one.
- In the Agents Window, Plan New Idea under the prompt box starts in Plan mode.
Each mode starts a fresh conversation, so switching clears what the agent was holding in mind. Switch at the start of a task, not halfway through.
Plan first, then build
Plan mode is the closest thing to a design review before any code is written. You see the approach, change it, and only then let the agent build.
Switch to Plan
Press Shift+Tab until the mode reads Plan, or click Plan New Idea.
Describe the goal
Say what you want and who it is for. Answer the questions it comes back with.
Read the plan
It opens in its own tab: the approach, the changes it will make, how it will check them, and a to-do list at the end. Edit anything you disagree with, directly or by replying in the chat.
Build
Click Build, on the plan or on the Review Plan card in the chat (or press Cmd+Return). The arrow next to Build offers Build in Parallel, which runs independent steps at the same time.
Go back to the plan instead of piling on fixes. Click Revert on an earlier message, sharpen the plan, and build again. A better plan beats ten follow-up corrections.
Give it context
- @ a file or folder to point at it, for example @App.jsx.
- Paste or drag a screenshot into the prompt box. It reads images, so a mockup or a bug screenshot works.
- @Browser shares what is open in Cursor's browser.
- If you are not sure which file matters, skip the @. The agent searches the project on its own.
While it works
- Type your next message and press Return. It waits its turn.
- Press Cmd+Return to send it right away and steer what the agent is doing.
- To undo, hover an earlier message and click Restore Checkpoint. Your files go back to how they were at that point.
Write requests it can act on
Vague:
Make a button.
Specific:
Add a secondary button next to "View project" on each card.
Same height, outlined instead of filled, label "Share".
Keep the existing spacing between cards.Describe the outcome and the constraints, the way you would brief a developer. Leave out how to code it. The agent is better at that part than at guessing what you meant.
You can direct the agent
- You know the modes and when to use each
- You can switch modes with Shift+Tab or the mode menu
- You can plan a change before anything is built
- You can add context and undo with checkpoints
Next, quick edits in the editor with Cmd+K.