1 min lesson
Extensibility cuts across all three
Put this idea into your own words: "Every layer can be extended with the same primitives, which is what makes the system coherent rather than a pile of features."
Step 1 of 3
Extensibility cuts across all three
Every layer can be extended with the same primitives, which is what makes the system coherent rather than a pile of features.
Learn more
Advanced table
The same primitives layer onto whichever surface you teach
- Primitive
- MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. servers
- What it adds
- External tools and data the agent can call.
- Where it applies
- Editor, CLI, SDK, Cloud AgentsAgents that run in a Cursor-managed virtual machine, check out the repo, do the work and open a pull request, then shut down, with no load on your laptop. Press Enter for the full definition.
- Primitive
- Rules / AGENTS.md
- What it adds
- Standing context and conventions the agent follows.
- Where it applies
- Editor, CLI, SDK
- Primitive
- Skills
- What it adds
- Packaged, reusable how-to a SKILL.md teaches the agent.
- Where it applies
- Editor, CLI
- Primitive
- Hooks
- What it adds
- Code that runs at lifecycle points in the agent loop.
- Where it applies
- Editor, CLI
- Primitive
- Subagents
- What it adds
- Scoped helper agents the main agent delegates to.
- Where it applies
- Editor, CLI
- Primitive
- Plugins
- What it adds
- A bundle of subagents, skills, hooks and rules for distribution.
- Where it applies
- Editor + CLI
| Primitive | What it adds | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| MCPModel Context Protocol. A standard that lets an AI agent pull in context from outside the repo, like Jira tickets or internal docs. Press Enter for the full definition. servers | External tools and data the agent can call. | Editor, CLI, SDK, Cloud AgentsAgents that run in a Cursor-managed virtual machine, check out the repo, do the work and open a pull request, then shut down, with no load on your laptop. Press Enter for the full definition. |
| Rules / AGENTS.md | Standing context and conventions the agent follows. | Editor, CLI, SDK |
| Skills | Packaged, reusable how-to a SKILL.md teaches the agent. | Editor, CLI |
| Hooks | Code that runs at lifecycle points in the agent loop. | Editor, CLI |
| Subagents | Scoped helper agents the main agent delegates to. | Editor, CLI |
| Plugins | A bundle of subagents, skills, hooks and rules for distribution. | Editor + CLI |
The same primitives layer onto whichever surface you teach. Master them once, reuse them everywhere.
The mapping itself is a DX skill. When a developer asks how to do something, picking the right surface is half the answer.
Surface selection by scenario
- Quick refactor while coding
- Editor: Agent modeCursor's full-capability mode: the AI can read the codebase, write and edit files, move them and run terminal commands. Contrast with Ask mode, which is read-only. Press Enter for the full definition. or 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., with Tab carrying the small edits.
- Lint or fix on every PR
- Headless: CLI agent in CI, reading the same rules and mcp.json as the editor.
- Agent inside your own product
- Programmable: the Agent SDKA programmatic interface for running Cursor agents from your own scripts, services or CI, locally or in the cloud. Press Enter for the full definition., so you ship the harness, not a chat window.
- Multi-hour autonomous task
- Background / Cloud Agent in an isolated VM, triggered from chat or CI.
- Compile announcement question
- Place Origin, mobile and model work on the map, then separate available-now facts from waitlists, betas and roadmap language.
Reach for the smallest surface that fits the job, then teach why.