Cursor Basics
Grok 4.5 in Cursor: The Flagship Model, Explained
Grok 4.5 is Cursor's flagship model, built together with SpaceXAI for coding and broader knowledge work — Cursor calls it the smartest model it has trained. It ships on every paid plan across desktop, web, CLI, SDK, Automations and iOS, offers high/medium/low effort levels, costs more than Composer, and launched everywhere except the EU.
On this page
What is Grok 4.5?
Cursor's own definition: "Grok 4.5 is Cursor's flagship model, built together with SpaceXAI for coding and other knowledge work." Two things in that sentence matter. It is a first-party model — trained by Cursor with SpaceXAI, not licensed from a lab — which changes how it's billed and governed. And it is positioned as a general model: Cursor pitches it beyond code, at demanding tasks that need creative problem-solving across domains.
- What Cursor claims
- "The smartest model Cursor has trained" — outperforms ComposerCursor's own fast coding model, tuned for the editor and priced well below frontier models; the recommended day-to-day model for executing a plan. Press Enter for the full definition. on coding, with broader utility.
- Effort levels
- High / medium / low — a per-request dial for how much compute a task gets.
- Where it runs
- Desktop, Web and cloud agents, CLI, SDK, Automations, iOS.
- Plans
- Included in Pro, Pro+, Ultra, Teams and Enterprise; draws from the First-Party Models usage pool.
- Regions
- Every country Cursor supports except the EU at launch; EU planned.
Per cursor.com/help/models-and-usage/grok-4-5, checked 2026-07-16.
This is covered hands-on in Cursor First Hour — 4 short modules, free to read.
Grok 4.5 or Composer — which should I use?
Cursor's guidance is refreshingly unhedged: ComposerCursor's own fast coding model, tuned for the editor and priced well below frontier models; the recommended day-to-day model for executing a plan. Press Enter for the full definition. stays the everyday driver for speed and cost; Grok 4.5 is for the hardest tasks. "Grok 4.5 costs more than Composer," so running it on routine edits buys latency and spend without buying accuracy you'd notice.
- Situation
- Routine edits, quick questions, everyday agent work
- Pick
- Composer 2.5The current Composer release, better at long-running tasks and at judging when a job needs a light touch versus deep work. Press Enter for the full definition.
- Why
- Fast and cheap; the default for a reason
- Situation
- Cross-layer debugging, architectural decisions, thorny migrations
- Pick
- Grok 4.5 (high effort)
- Why
- The extra reasoning is what you're paying for
- Situation
- Hard-ish tasks where cost matters
- Pick
- Grok 4.5 (medium/low effort)
- Why
- The effort dial trades depth for spend without switching models
- Situation
- A task where a specific third-party model demonstrably wins
- Pick
- That model
- Why
- Note it triggers the Token Rate fee on Teams/Enterprise, unlike Grok 4.5
| Situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Routine edits, quick questions, everyday agent work | Composer 2.5The current Composer release, better at long-running tasks and at judging when a job needs a light touch versus deep work. Press Enter for the full definition. | Fast and cheap; the default for a reason |
| Cross-layer debugging, architectural decisions, thorny migrations | Grok 4.5 (high effort) | The extra reasoning is what you're paying for |
| Hard-ish tasks where cost matters | Grok 4.5 (medium/low effort) | The effort dial trades depth for spend without switching models |
| A task where a specific third-party model demonstrably wins | That model | Note it triggers the Token Rate fee on Teams/Enterprise, unlike Grok 4.5 |
Effort levels make Grok 4.5 three price-performance points, not one.
First-party models are exempt from the Token Rate fee that Teams and Enterprise accounts pay on pinned third-party requests. A team standardizing hard-task work on Grok 4.5 instead of a pinned third-party model avoids that line item entirely — see our Token Rate explainer for the mechanics.
Why can't I see Grok 4.5 — EU, admin settings, or plan?
Three gates, in the order to check them:
- 1Region. Cursor launched Grok 4.5 "in every country where Cursor normally offers models, except the EU," with EU availability planned in the coming weeks. If you're in the EU, that's the whole answer today.
- 2Team enablement. On team plans, admins must switch the model on at cursor.com/dashboard/team-settings/models before members see it in the picker.
- 3Plan. It's included on Pro, Pro+, Ultra, Teams and Enterprise — free-tier users won't find it.
Don't standardize a European team on Grok 4.5 until the EU gap closes — and when it does, re-check the data-residency picture too, since first-party models are the one stack where Cursor (not a third-party lab) is the region authority. Our data-residency guide covers what is and isn't guaranteed.
Frequently asked questions
Who built Grok 4.5?
Cursor, together with SpaceXAI — Cursor describes it as the smartest model it has trained, positioned as its flagship for coding and other knowledge work. It is first-party: trained by Cursor rather than licensed from an outside lab.
Is Grok 4.5 available in the EU?
Not at launch. Cursor states it is available in every country where Cursor normally offers models except the EU, with EU availability planned in the coming weeks. Check the help page for current status before planning a European rollout.
Does Grok 4.5 cost extra?
It draws from the First-Party Models usage pool on all paid plans and costs more than Composer per request. On Teams and Enterprise it is exempt from the Token Rate fee that applies to pinned third-party models — a real offset for heavy users.
What are effort levels in Grok 4.5?
A per-request dial — high, medium or low — controlling how much compute the model spends on a task. High effort suits the hardest problems; lower settings keep cost and latency down on tasks that don't need maximum depth.
How do I enable Grok 4.5 for my team?
A team admin turns it on at cursor.com/dashboard/team-settings/models. Until then, team members won't see it in the model picker even on an eligible plan.
Sources & last verified
Cursor ships frequently. Facts verified against primary sources on July 16, 2026.