Cursor ecosystem learning map

Cursor is Anysphere's coding-agent family: a local editor, a terminal CLI, cloud sandbox agents, a git forge, security review, visual UI direction, and an SDK. The fastest first hour is still Tab + Agent in the editor. This page is a map. It does not walk you through clicks.

Who this is for

• Front-end / full-stack engineers moving from autocomplete to “let the agent edit the repo”
• People who already know VS Code and are installing Cursor for the first time
• Tech leads choosing among editor / CLI / Cloud / Bugbot / Origin / Security / Design / SDK

Not this page: enterprise contracts, per-token price grids, or Anysphere internals.

Product landscape

Official docs treat these as product surfaces, not another Rules recap.

Cursor family
├── Cursor editor (VS Code fork) — the local default
│   ├── Tab          — multi-line complete, cross-file jumps, auto-import
│   ├── Inline Edit  — Cmd+K / Ctrl+K on the current selection
│   ├── Chat / Agent — Cmd+I / Ctrl+I; one agent, four constraints
│   │   ├── Agent    — edit files, run commands
│   │   ├── Ask      — read-only Q&A
│   │   ├── Plan     — editable plan, then implement
│   │   └── Debug    — hypotheses → logs → you reproduce → evidence
│   └── Design Mode  — Agents Window browser: click / draw / voice (Cmd+Shift+D)
├── Cursor CLI (`agent`) — interactive terminal, or `agent -p` headless / CI
├── Cloud Agents (formerly Background Agents)
│   └── Isolated VMs: clone, branch, test, open PRs
│       Start from: editor Cloud dropdown, cursor.com/agents, mobile / PWA,
│       Slack / GitHub `@cursor`, or prefix a CLI message with `&`
├── Bugbot — automated PR review (bugs / security / quality)
│   └── Autofix spawns a Cloud Agent. Official name is Autofix, not a product called “Fixer”
├── Origin — Cursor's git forge (early beta). Host / mirror / PR / browse
├── Security Agents — Security Reviewer (PR) + Vulnerability Scanner (cron)
├── PR Routing & Approval — assign reviewers; approve low-risk PRs
└── Cursor SDK — `@cursor/sdk` / `cursor-sdk` / Bridge. Same agent, in your process

Also on the official nav (one line here, official pages — no extra Tutorial):

Surface	Pick it when	Official
Mobile / iOS / PWA	Start or review Cloud Agents from a phone	Mobile
JetBrains	Stay in IntelliJ / PyCharm / WebStorm via ACP	JetBrains
Xcode	Xcode 26.3+ built-in MCP	Xcode
Plugins	Bundle rules / skills / MCP / hooks	Plugins
Automations	Cloud Agents on a schedule or event. Hosts Bugbot, Security Agents, PR Routing	Automations

Closest cousins on this site: Cloud Agents ≈ Claude remote / Dispatch and Gemini Jules; Design Mode ≈ Claude Design (in-app overlay vs standalone canvas); CLI ≈ Claude Code / Codex in a terminal; Origin ≈ “hosted code”, not Rules.

Quick decision: which should I use?

What do you want?
├── Finish the line / next edit / this selection
│   ├── Next edit → Tab (do not start an Agent turn)
│   └── This selection / function → Inline Edit (Cmd+K / Ctrl+K)
├── Ask, edit, plan, or debug in the local repo
│   └── Editor Agent (Cmd+I; Cmd+. for the mode menu)
│       ├── Understand first, do not touch files → Ask
│       ├── Clear multi-file work / tests → Agent
│       ├── Large or fuzzy change → Plan (Shift+Tab in the input)
│       ├── Reproducible bug, unknown cause → Debug
│       └── Point at the running UI → Design Mode (Cmd+Shift+D)
├── You are in a terminal, or a script / CI needs headless
│   └── Cursor CLI (`agent`)
│       ├── Interactive → `agent`
│       ├── Read-only → `agent --mode=ask`
│       ├── Plan first → `agent --mode=plan` / `--plan`
│       └── Script / CI → `agent -p`; add `--force` to apply edits
├── You are away, need parallelism, or want an isolated VM + PR
│   └── Cloud Agents
│       ├── Editor / web / iOS / Android PWA
│       ├── Slack, GitHub, Linear: `@cursor`
│       └── In a CLI session, prefix the message with `&`
├── Host the code itself (not just review a GitHub PR)
│   └── Origin (Pro / Teams / Enterprise; claim a codebase name)
├── Security scan or PR security gate
│   └── Security Agents (`/review-security`; Automations)
├── Route reviewers / auto-approve low-risk PRs
│   └── PR Routing & Approval (`APPROVAL_POLICY.md`)
├── Call the same agent from your TypeScript / Python / other runtime
│   └── Cursor SDK (`@cursor/sdk` / `cursor-sdk` / Bridge)
└── The PR is already pushed (or you want a diff review first)
    └── Bugbot
        ├── Hosted auto-review / comment `cursor review`
        ├── Local `/review-bugbot` before you push
        └── Machine should also patch → Autofix (Cloud Agent), not Debug Mode

You care about	Pick	Next
IDE with Tab + Agent + rules	Cursor editor	Tutorial
Click / draw / voice on the running UI	Design Mode	Design Mode
Terminal or headless CI, same Cursor rules / MCP	Cursor CLI	CLI
Away / parallel / isolated VM + PR	Cloud Agents	Cloud Agents
Machine reviews the PR first	Bugbot	Cookbook · Bugbot
Host / mirror / browse the repo	Origin	Origin
Security bugs on PRs or on a cron	Security Agents	Security Agents
Assign reviewers / approve low-risk PRs	PR Routing	PR Routing
Same agent inside your process	SDK	Cursor SDK
Phone	iOS app / Android PWA	Mobile
JetBrains / Xcode	ACP / Xcode MCP	JetBrains · Xcode
Package skills + MCP	Plugins	Plugins
Schedule or event-driven Cloud runs	Automations	Automations
Terminal, fine-grained permissions, Anthropic stack	Claude Code	Claude map
Stay inside stock VS Code + GitHub	GitHub Copilot	Copilot page

The full capability matrix, shortcuts, and config templates live on the cheatsheet. This overview does not repeat that table.

Concepts in one line

Full “what / why” lives in the glossary.

Concept	One line	Where
Tab	Completion model; accept / reject trains the next suggestion	Editor
Modes	Agent / Ask / Plan / Debug — constraints, not four products	Editor / CLI
Design Mode	Visual prompts in the Agents Window browser	Editor
Rules / AGENTS.md	Persistent instructions in model context	Editor / CLI / Cloud
Skills / Commands	On-demand workflows; / to run	Editor / Cloud
MCP / Hooks / Subagents	External tools, lifecycle scripts, isolated children	Editor / CLI / Cloud (different limits)
Cloud Agents	Agents on isolated VMs; formerly Background Agents	Cloud
Bugbot	PR reviewer; Autofix then spawns a Cloud Agent	PR / /review-bugbot
CLI agent	Official terminal entry; -p for headless	Terminal / CI
Origin	Cursor git forge; binary origin	Hosted code
Security Agents	PR reviewer + cron scanner on Automations	Cloud / /review-security
PR Routing	Assign reviewers; maybe auto-approve	Automations
SDK	Same agent from @cursor/sdk / cursor-sdk / Bridge	Your process

Feature quick reference

Editor

Feature	Purpose	Doc
Tab	Cheap completions, no agent turn	Tutorial · Tab
Inline Edit	Cmd+K on a selection	same
Agent / Ask / Plan / Debug	Four constraints on one local agent	Tutorial · Modes
Design Mode	Click / draw / voice in the Agents Window browser	Design Mode
Rules / AGENTS.md	Persist package manager and folder conventions	Tutorial · Project context

CLI / Cloud / review / host / SDK

Feature	Purpose	Doc
agent	Same agent in a terminal	CLI
agent -p / --force	Scripts and CI; --force to write files	same
Cloud Agents	Remote VM work and PRs	Cloud Agents
Bugbot	Reviews a PR diff; default check is neutral	Cookbook · Bugbot
Autofix	Bugbot starts a Cloud Agent on findings	same
Origin	Host, mirror, browse, PR	Origin
Security Agents	PR + cron security	Security Agents
PR Routing	Route / approve	PR Routing
SDK	In-process agent	Cursor SDK

Learning path

Stage 1 — First useful change in five minutes

Step	What	Link
1	Install, sign in, open a folder	Tutorial · Install
2	Cmd+I: explain this repo	Tutorial · First example
3	One low-risk edit, review the diff, run existing checks	same
4	Tell Tab / Inline Edit / Ask / Agent / Plan / Debug apart	Tutorial · Modes

Stage 2 — Teach the project

Step	What	Link
1	Root AGENTS.md	Tutorial · Project context
2	Split .cursor/rules/*.mdc by glob	Cookbook · Rules
3	.cursorignore for secrets	Cheatsheet · Ignore

Stage 3 — Real workflows

Step	What	Link
1	Bugs / Debug Mode	Cookbook · Bugs
2	Plan → implement → verify	Cookbook · Features
3	Bugbot on PRs	Cookbook · Bugbot
4	MCP / Hooks / parallel agents	Cookbook
5	Visual UI edits	Design Mode
6	Lookup	Cheatsheet
7	Definitions	Glossary

Stage 4 — Leave the local window

Step	What	Link
1	Install agent, run one interactive turn	CLI
2	Dispatch one Cloud task	Cloud Agents
3	Cloud ≠ Bugbot ≠ Debug	Glossary · Cloud · Bugbot
4	Host code on Origin, or scan / route PRs	Origin · Security Agents · PR Routing
5	Embed the agent	SDK

Related pages

• Cursor tutorial
• Cookbook
• Design Mode
• Cloud Agents
• Cursor CLI
• Origin
• Security Agents
• PR Routing
• Cursor SDK
• Cheatsheet
• Glossary
• AI coding tools overview