1 min lesson
Choosing a model per task
Work through this case. "Production is down with a database error and the bug is gnarly. Which way do you lean on the model picker?" Say what you would do and why.
Step 1 of 2
The picker is a routing decision, not a loyalty contest.
Cursor exposes the frontier models alongside Cursor's own models (Grok 4.7Cursor and SpaceXAI's current lead Cursor model, in the weekly pool at $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output, with a 256k context window and a 500k variant; above 256k input tokens it bills at 2x the standard rate. Press Enter for the full definition. and 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. among them) in one picker. You don't have to know them all. You do need a rule of thumb for which way to lean when the task changes.
For demos and quick, low-reasoning lookups, like asking when you signed up once the tables are wired, a fast 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. model blends speed and medium intelligence. When production is down with a database error, or the bug is genuinely gnarly, reach for a smarter, longer-running model.
We've seen that Opus is a bit more creative. The GPT models are a bit more problem solving.
Interactive widget. Tab through its controls; the result updates in the panel below as you change them.
Lean fast for low-reasoning lookups; lean smart and long-running for hard debugging. Auto can route for you on plans that include it.