Cloud Agents (formerly "Background Agents") run in isolated virtual machines in the cloud, each with a full development environment. They clone your repo, write code, run tests, and open pull requests — while you keep working, or while you're away entirely. You can run an unlimited number in parallel, including several on the same task to compare approaches.
| Entry Point | How |
|---|---|
| Editor | Cloud dropdown in the agent pane — or prefix any prompt with & for instant cloud handoff |
| Web | cursor.com/agents — manage your fleet from any browser |
| iOS app | Kick off and monitor agents from your phone; Live Activities, artifacts, and merge PRs on the go (all paid plans) |
| Slack | Mention @cursor in a thread to spawn an agent with the discussion as context |
| GitHub / Bitbucket | Comment @cursor on an issue or PR |
| Linear & API | Delegate issues to Cursor, or drive agents programmatically |
Each agent's VM is configured via .cursor/environment.json — let the agent set up its own environment interactively, snapshot the result, or supply a Dockerfile for fully reproducible installs (deps, secrets, services). Local ↔ cloud handoff works in both directions, and cloud agents can spawn subagents (/in-cloud) or babysit a PR through CI (/babysit).
Cloud agents produce artifacts — screenshots, videos, and logs of what they built and tested — and you can take remote desktop control of the agent's VM to inspect or intervene directly.
Automations are scheduled or event-triggered cloud agents: nightly dependency updates, triaging fresh GitHub issues, responding to a Slack emoji, and more. Create one with the /automate skill.
Cursor's CLI puts the agent in your terminal — perfect for scripts and CI. Install it, start an interactive session, then run a headless prompt.