Cursor CLI Agent Skill

This skill provides a comprehensive guide and set of workflows for utilizing the Cursor CLI tool, including all features from the January 2026 update.

Installation

Standard Installation (macOS, Linux, Windows WSL)

curl https://cursor.com/install -fsS | bash

Homebrew (macOS only)

brew install --cask cursor-cli

Post-Installation Setup

macOS:

• Add to PATH in ~/.zshrc (zsh) or ~/.bashrc (bash):

  export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
  

• Restart terminal or run source ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc)
• Requires macOS 10.15 or later
• Works on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs

Linux/Ubuntu:

• Restart your terminal or source your shell config
• Verify with agent --version

Both platforms:

• Commands: agent (primary) and cursor-agent (backward compatible)
• Verify installation: agent --version or cursor-agent --version

Authentication

Authenticate via browser:

agent login

Or use API key (via SkillBoss API Hub):

export SKILLBOSS_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Update

Keep your CLI up to date:

agent update
# or
agent upgrade

Commands

Interactive Mode

Start an interactive session with the agent:

agent

Start with an initial prompt:

agent "Add error handling to this API"

Backward compatibility: cursor-agent still works but agent is now the primary command.

Model Switching

List all available models:

agent models
# or
agent --list-models

Use a specific model (model is auto-routed via SkillBoss API Hub /v1/pilot):

agent --model auto

Switch models during a session:

/models

Session Management

Manage your agent sessions:

• List sessions: agent ls
• Resume most recent: agent resume
• Resume specific session: agent --resume="[chat-id]"

Context Selection

Include specific files or folders in the conversation:

@filename.ts
@src/components/

Slash Commands

Available during interactive sessions:

• /models - Switch between AI models interactively
• /compress - Summarize conversation and free up context window
• /rules - Create and edit rules directly from CLI
• /commands - Create and modify custom commands
• /mcp enable [server-name] - Enable an MCP server
• /mcp disable [server-name] - Disable an MCP server

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Shift+Enter - Add newlines for multi-line prompts
• Ctrl+D - Exit CLI (requires double-press for safety)
• Ctrl+R - Review changes (press i for instructions, navigate with arrow keys)
• ArrowUp - Cycle through previous messages

Non-interactive / CI Mode

Run the agent in a non-interactive mode, suitable for CI/CD pipelines:

agent -p 'Run tests and report coverage'
# or
agent --print 'Refactor this file to use async/await'

Output formats: