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, 6 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, 6 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, 6 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, 6 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 autocomplete, the Agent side pane with Agent/Plan/Ask modes, Inline Edit, Cursor Rules & AGENTS.md, Agent Skills, Hooks, MCP integration, Cloud Agents & Automations, Bugbot code review, the Agents Window, Canvases, the Cursor 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 (and the modern .cursor/rules/*.mdc format) are project-level configuration files that give Cursor's AI persistent instructions about your codebase - coding standards, conventions, and behavior rules. Cursor also supports AGENTS.md files, 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 Pro is $20/month. It includes unlimited Tab completions, a generous first-party pool for Auto, Composer 2.5, and Grok 4.5, plus a $20/month API-model allowance, Bugbot access, and Cloud Agents. Pro+ is $60 and Ultra is $200 with larger allowances.

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 autonomous coding mode. It can plan changes, create/modify multiple files, run terminal commands, execute tests, and self-correct based on error output - with automatic checkpoints so you can roll back any step. Plan Mode and read-only Ask Mode complete the picture.

What models does Cursor support?

Cursor supports Claude Series 5 (Sonnet 5.5, Opus 5.5), GPT-6 Astra (Astra 6), Sol 6.1 (GPT-6.1 Sol), Cursor's Composer 2.5, GPT-5.6, Gemini 3.8 Flash, and Grok 4.5. Auto mode intelligently routes to the optimal model for each task.

Does the Cursor Academy include hands-on labs?

Yes. Hands-on terminal labs are built into the lessons - 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 the Cursor Canvas SDK, the Agents Window, and headless CLI automations in Module 9 and Module 10, enabling developers to build custom canvases, automate multi-agent workflows in CI/CD, and run the agent headless with verified terminal commands.

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

In Cursor, persistent agent instructions are configured via .cursorrules in the repository root or modular .cursor/rules/*.mdc files for specific directories and file globs. Cursor Academy provides battle-tested templates for Next.js, TypeScript, Python, and Rust with full AGENTS.md compatibility.

What is a 'defensive commit'?

A git commit made before Agent sessions to create a clean rollback point — Defensive commits create a clean rollback point before Agent Mode sessions - checkpoints cover conversation-level undo, but Git covers everything.

If your project rules are being ignored, what should you check first?

That the files use the .mdc extension - plain .md files in .cursor/rules/ are ignored — The most common rules gotcha: project rule files must end in .mdc. A plain .md file in .cursor/rules/ is silently ignored.

Power User Shortcuts & Tips [2026]

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Power User Shortcuts & Tips

💎 Pricing & Power Tips 15 min 200 BASE XP⌨ HANDS-ON LAB

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action	Pro Tip
`Ctrl+I` / `Ctrl+L`	Toggle Agent side pane	Your hub for chat, agent tasks, and modes
`Ctrl+K`	Inline Edit	Select code first - works in the terminal too
`Shift+Tab`	Rotate Agent / Plan / Ask	Plan first on big changes
`Ctrl+/`	Cycle models	Jump between Composer 2.5 and frontier models
`Ctrl+E`	Toggle agent layout	Sidebar ↔ full editor layout
`Ctrl+→`	Partial Tab accept	Accept suggestions word-by-word
`Ctrl+Enter`	Accept all changes	`Ctrl+Backspace` rejects them
`Ctrl+Shift+L`	Add selection to chat	Fastest way to give the agent exact context
`Ctrl+Shift+J`	Cursor Settings	Rules, models, features in one place
`Ctrl+Shift+Space`	Voice mode	Dictate prompts hands-free

Productivity Workflows

Defensive Commits: Always git commit before major Agent sessions - checkpoints help, but Git is your ultimate rollback
Plan First: Shift+Tab into Plan Mode for anything touching more than a handful of files
Custom Skills: Save frequently-used workflows as skills with /create-skill
Worktrees: The Agents Window isolates parallel agents in Git worktrees automatically
Screenshots: Paste UI screenshots into the agent pane for visual debugging - the AI can see them

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue	Solution
Slow responses	Start a fresh conversation, switch to a faster model (Gemini 2.0 Flash, Composer 2.5)
High memory usage	Close unused tabs, restart Cursor periodically
Agent going in circles	Restore a checkpoint, switch to Plan Mode, tighten the prompt
Rules not applying	Check the extension - project rules must be `.mdc`, not `.md`

⌨ HANDS-ON LABAudit Custom Keybindings

⭐ +100 XP

Optimize your workflow with keyboard shortcuts. Ensure your user keybindings file exists and is accessible.

1Verify or create ~/.cursor/keybindings.json for custom shortcuts.

lab-sandbox — simulated environment

INFINITY LAB SANDBOX v2.6 — simulated shell
Type the command for the current objective. Helpers: "hint", "solution", "clear".
$

OBJECTIVE 1 / 1 — type "hint" if stuck

SYNAPSE VERIFICATION

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What keyboard shortcut allows you to accept Tab suggestions word-by-word?

Shift+Tab

Ctrl+Right Arrow

Alt+Enter

Ctrl+Space