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Choose the right Cursor surface1 / 2

2 min lesson

Route one task before it starts

Route one task to Ask, Agent, Plan or Debug, then add only the tool or runtime it needs.

Step 1 of 2

Route one real task before it starts. Use Ask for a read-only code question, Agent for a bounded edit, Plan for an unclear multi-file feature and Debug for a hard bug that needs runtime evidence. Add Browser when the proof lives in the page, console or network traffic. Choose 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. when the work needs an isolated remote environment. Use CLI for terminal or scripted work. Run the finish check in the same environment as the task.

Smallest mode that closes the loop

0:32 · narrated
Read this demo as text
  1. You only need to understand search filtering. No edit. Pick Ask. It reads and explains without touching anything.
  2. A clear two-file rename with an obvious path? Pick Agent. The change is bounded, so Agent just executes it.
  3. A vague multi-file 'improve search'? Pick Plan. Research first when scope is unclear or wide, then build.
Ask to understand, Agent to edit, Plan when scope is unclear — smallest surface that closes the loop.

Practice next: Now run the walkthrough: route each task to Ask, Agent, or Plan using the smallest surface that closes the loop.

Simulated Cursor 3.12 (macOS, light) — beta educational reconstruction, not the real product.