What is Cursor Academy?

Cursor Academy is the #1 free interactive course and training platform by Infinity Tech Stack for the Cursor AI code editor. It covers Tab autocomplete, Agent & Plan Mode, .cursorrules / .mdc rules, Agent Skills, Hooks, MCP integration, and headless CLI workflows across 13 modules, 23 lessons, 23 CLI labs, and 72 quizzes with zero sign-up.

How is Infinity Cursor Academy different from official Cursor documentation?

While cursor.com provides product reference documentation, Infinity Tech Stack's Cursor Academy is an independent, gamified 13-module interactive course with 23 lessons, 23 in-browser CLI terminal labs, and 72 quizzes. It provides deep hands-on training on Tab autocomplete, Agent & Plan Mode, .cursorrules & .mdc rules, Agent Skills, Hooks, MCP integration, and headless CI automation with zero sign-up required.

How long does Cursor Academy take to complete?

Cursor Academy contains approximately 2 to 3 hours of interactive material across 13 modules, 23 lessons, 23 CLI labs, and 72 quizzes. All progress saves locally in your browser.

Is the Cursor Academy free?

Yes, 100% free. No sign-up, no credit card. All 13 modules, 23 lessons, 23 CLI labs, and 72 quizzes are immediately accessible. Progress saves locally in your browser.

What topics does the Cursor Academy cover?

The course covers Cursor installation, VS Code migration, Tab Fusion autocomplete, the unified Agent side pane with Agent/Plan/Debug/Ask modes, Inline Edit, Cursor Rules (.mdc) & AGENTS.md, Agent Skills, Hooks, MCP integration (stdio, SSE, Streamable HTTP & OAuth), Cloud Agents & Automations, Bugbot code review, the Agents Window, Canvases, the Cursor SDK & Agent SDK, privacy & enterprise features, pricing plans, and power-user shortcuts.

Is Cursor better than GitHub Copilot?

Cursor excels at agentic workflows, multi-file editing, and autonomous coding with its Agent and unlimited parallel Cloud Agents. Copilot has better JetBrains support and enterprise compliance. This course teaches you to maximize Cursor's unique strengths.

What are .cursorrules?

.cursorrules was Cursor's legacy root configuration file (now deprecated). Modern Cursor uses modular .cursor/rules/*.mdc files (with description, globs, and alwaysApply frontmatter) and open-standard AGENTS.md files for persistent codebase instructions, alongside global User Rules and dashboard-managed Team Rules.

Do I need programming experience?

No prerequisites required. The course starts from absolute basics (installation & setup) and progressively advances to expert topics like Cloud Agents, Hooks, MCP integration, and enterprise deployment.

Is my code safe with Cursor?

Yes. Cursor offers Privacy Mode on every plan - with it enabled, your code is never used for training, and team members inherit their team's setting. Cursor is SOC 2 Type II certified with SAML SSO, SCIM, audit logs, and CMEK for enterprise security.

What does Cursor Pro cost?

Cursor replaced its old 500 fast-request quota with usage pools and Auto routing. Under October 2026 X Subscription tiers, plans include Free ($0), Plus ($8/mo), Premium ($30/mo - unlocks Cloud Agents, Bugbot, Automations, and third-party API models via prepaid credits), Super ($100/mo), and Ultra ($200/mo). Grandfathered individual plans remain at Pro ($20/mo with $20 API pool), Pro+ ($60/mo), and Ultra ($200/mo).

Can I use my VS Code extensions in Cursor?

Yes! Cursor is a VS Code fork. All VS Code extensions, themes, keybindings, and settings work natively. On first launch, Cursor offers a one-click migration from VS Code.

The Agent is Cursor's default autonomous coding mode in the unified panel (Ctrl+I). It searches codebases, edits multiple files, runs sandboxed terminal commands, executes tests, and self-corrects with automatic checkpoints. Plan Mode, Debug Mode, and read-only Ask Mode complete the four-mode architecture.

What models does Cursor support?

Cursor supports Claude Series 5 (Sonnet 5.5, Opus 5.5, Fable 5.1, Haiku 5.5), GPT-6 Astra (Astra 6), Sol 6.1 (GPT-6.1 Sol), Gemini 4 Argon, Gemini 3.8 Flash, Grok 4.7, DeepSeek V4 Pro, and Cursor's Composer 2.5 plus Tab Fusion. Auto mode (Cursor Router) dynamically selects the optimal model for each task.

Does the Cursor Academy include hands-on labs?

Yes. All 23 lessons include hands-on terminal labs - install the Cursor CLI and run the agent headless in CI using real, vendor-verified commands, with objectives, hints, solutions, and XP rewards. No sign-up or setup needed.

Does Cursor Academy cover the Cursor Canvas SDK and Agent CLI?

Yes. Cursor Academy covers Canvases, the Cursor SDK & @cursor/agent-sdk, the Agents Window, and headless CLI automations in Module 8 and Module 13, enabling developers to build interactive canvases, deploy custom agents, and run headless CI/CD workflows with verified terminal commands.

How do I configure .cursorrules and MDC files in Cursor for 2026?

In 2026, persistent agent instructions are configured via modular .cursor/rules/*.mdc files (using YAML frontmatter with description, globs, and alwaysApply) or plain-markdown AGENTS.md files, replacing the deprecated root .cursorrules file. Cursor Academy provides battle-tested templates with full AGENTS.md compatibility.

What does Design Mode add?

Direct-manipulation UI editing - multi-select elements visually and narrate changes with voice while the agent writes the code — Design Mode (June 2026) lets you select and adjust UI elements visually in canvases and the browser, with voice input, while the agent updates the underlying code.

How do you get started with the Cursor SDK?

npm install @cursor/sdk or pip install cursor-sdk — The SDK ships for TypeScript (@cursor/sdk) and Python (cursor-sdk), with custom tools, permission controls, session stores, and nested subagents.

Canvases, Design Mode & the Cursor SDK — Cursor Agent & MCP Features

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Canvases, Design Mode & the Cursor SDK

🌌 Cursor Agent & MCP Features 15 min 500 BASE XP⌨ HANDS-ON LAB

Beyond Text: Interactive Artifacts

Canvases are interactive artifacts that both local and Cloud Agents (expanded October 16, 2026) build alongside your code - dashboards, reports, task boards, and small tools that live in the editor. Create one with the /canvas skill, or let the agent generate one automatically.

Shared Canvases

Teams can share canvases via a link: viewers get a live, read-only snapshot in the browser - no Cursor install required. Great for architecture reviews and status dashboards.

Design Mode

Design Mode (June 2026) brings direct-manipulation UI editing to canvases and the browser: multi-select elements, tweak them visually, and narrate changes with voice input while the agent writes the corresponding code.

The Cursor SDK & Agent SDK (October 2026)

The Cursor SDK (June 2026) exposes the agent runtime programmatically, while the Agent SDK (@cursor/agent-sdk, released October 20, 2026) lets you package, eval-test (agent-sdk dev), and deploy (agent-sdk deploy) custom bots defined as code folders (instructions.md, tools/, skills/, mcp-connections/, channels/):

npm install @cursor/sdk    # TypeScript
pip install cursor-sdk     # Python
npx @cursor/agent-sdk init ./my-bot  # Agent SDK (Oct 2026)

Custom tools: register your own functions the agent can call
Permissions: control auto-run behavior with allow/block instructions
Session stores: persist conversations to JSONL, SQLite, or custom backends
Nested subagents: compose agents that delegate to other agents

💡 Key Insight: The direction of travel is clear - Cursor is becoming a platform: skills, hooks, MCP, plugins, canvases, an SDK, and a marketplace. Learning the extension points now pays compound interest as the ecosystem grows.

⌨ HANDS-ON LABInstall the Cursor SDK

⭐ +150 XP

Script Cursor agent workflows programmatically. Install the official @cursor/sdk developer dependency.

1Install @cursor/sdk as a dev dependency via npm.

lab-sandbox — simulated environment

INFINITY LAB SANDBOX v2.6 — simulated shell
Type the command for the current objective. Helpers: "hint", "solution", "clear".
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OBJECTIVE 1 / 1 — type "hint" if stuck

SYNAPSE VERIFICATION

QUERY 1 // 3

What is a Canvas in Cursor?

A drawing tool

An interactive artifact - dashboards, reports, and tools the agent builds alongside your code

A video call feature

A themes gallery