The problem
How it works
Cursor’s documentation describes cloud agents (formerly background agents) that clone a connected GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or Azure DevOps repository into an isolated VM, work on a separate branch and push the result for review. You can start them from Cursor Desktop, cursor.com/agents, the iOS app, Slack, Linear, a @cursor comment on an issue or pull request, or the API, and run many in parallel. The docs put most of the weight on the environment: a snapshot, agent-led setup or a Dockerfile in .cursor/environment.json so the agent can install dependencies, run tests and use MCP servers.
Results and limitations
Cursor says agents return merge-ready pull requests with screenshots, videos and logs of how they checked their work, and that you can take over the agent’s remote desktop to try the change without checking out the branch.
Before you try it
Cloud agents need a Premium, Teams or Enterprise plan (not Free or Plus), bill at the chosen model’s rate, and ask for a spend limit on first use. Unlike the foreground agent they auto-run terminal commands with internet access by default, which Cursor itself flags as a prompt-injection and data-exfiltration risk; restrict outbound domains and use runtime secrets, which are redacted from transcripts and commits. Results depend on your setup and were not independently reproduced by Top 200 Repos.
Tools and repositories
No ranked repository is involved. This use case still stands on its own source.
- Tools
- Cursor · GitHub · Docker
- Prerequisites
- A Cursor plan that includes cloud agents and a source-control connection set up by an account admin.
Try it yourself: Brief a cloud agent on one scoped task
Fill the fields to adapt the prompt. Empty fields stay as visible [placeholders].
Work on [Repository] on a new branch named [Branch name]. Task: [Task]. Before changing code, read the relevant files and list your plan in the pull request description. Success means [Success criteria]; run the test command [Test command] and include its output. Do not touch files outside [Allowed paths], do not change CI configuration or secrets, and do not fetch any URL that is not a package registry or official documentation. Open a draft pull request with screenshots or logs that show how you checked the change, and stop there for my review.Set up the environment and network restrictions first; an agent that cannot run the tests cannot verify its own work.
Sources
- Cloud Agents (opens in a new tab)
Project documentation · cursor.com · Undated · Source checked 11 Nov 2026, 10:02 UTC
What this source supports
- Agents run in isolated cloud VMs, work on a branch and push changes
- Start from desktop, web, iOS, Slack, Linear, GitHub comments or the API
- Environment setup via snapshot, agent-led setup or .cursor/environment.json
- Pull requests come with screenshots, videos and logs; remote desktop takeover
- Requires Premium, Teams, Enterprise or a legacy paid plan; spend limit on first use
- Cloud Agents: Secrets and Network (opens in a new tab)
Project documentation · cursor.com · Undated · Source checked 11 Nov 2026, 10:02 UTC
What this source supports
- Cloud agents auto-run terminal commands and have internet access by default
- Cursor names prompt injection and data exfiltration as risks
- Runtime secrets are redacted from transcripts, commits and tool results
- Network egress can be restricted per team or environment