Last updated: November 3, 2026
Cursor Cloud Agents can now build interactive canvases you share by link, and a new Environments API (beta) lets you create, build and manage agent environments in code. Cursor also raised environment size, made pull requests open ready for review by default and added admin controls for secrets and default environments.
Contents
- What’s new in October 2026
- Cloud agents vs local agents
- Plans, billing and access
- How to script environments with the API
- Canvases from cloud agents
- Workflows and prompt patterns
- Limitations
- Frequently asked questions
Cloud agents run in isolated virtual machines with full development environments, so they can work in parallel and do not need your computer to stay online, according to Cursor’s Cloud Agents documentation. This guide covers what changed in October 2026 and how to use it.
What’s new in October 2026
The October 16 changelog announced three changes. The weekly Cloud Agents release notes added more through the week of October 19.
| Change | What it does |
|---|---|
| Canvases from cloud agents | Agents can build interactive canvases during a task; share a finished one by link (Oct 16) |
| Environments API (beta) | Create and manage cloud environments programmatically (Oct 16) |
| Larger environments | Up to 300 repositories, with large environments loading 5x faster (Oct 16) |
| Ready-for-review PRs | Agents open pull requests ready for review unless a draft is requested; a Never open PRs as drafts switch enforces it (week of Oct 19) |
| Secrets controls | Per-environment Secrets section on the dashboard, plus an admin switch to disable personal secrets (week of Oct 19) |
| Team default environment | Team members who start an agent with no repository now run on a shared default no-repo environment (week of Oct 19) |
| Config from the repo | New environments created by an agent boot from the repository’s committed .cursor/environment.json (week of Oct 19) |
| Self-Hosted Machines | Open an agent’s live workspace from the desktop app and set a team default pool (week of Oct 19) |
Smaller additions include a Verify with Agent link next to Trigger build, a new web transcript and sign-in cards when an MCP tool needs extra permission.
Cloud agents vs local agents
The closest alternative inside Cursor is a local agent, which you can now steer from your phone with Cursor Remote Control for local agents. The trade-offs, based on Cursor’s documentation:
| Aspect | Cloud agent | Local agent |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Isolated VM in Cursor’s cloud | Your computer |
| Computer must stay on | No | Yes, including for remote control |
| Parallel runs | As many as you want | Limited by your machine |
| Environment | Saved environment with builds, secrets and network rules | Your local setup |
| Hand-off | Pushes a branch and opens a pull request | Edits in your working copy |
For other vendors’ cloud agents, compare our Cline Cloud Agents guide and our Replit Cloud Agents guide.
Plans, billing and access
- Plans: Premium and higher, Teams, Enterprise or a legacy paid plan. Free and Plus do not include Cloud Agents (Cursor docs).
- Billing: runs use your plan’s usage at the selected model’s rate. A larger context window can raise token use. You set a spend limit on first use.
- Source control: an admin connects GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket Cloud or Azure DevOps first. You need read-write access to the repository.
- Where to start one: cursor.com/agents, the desktop app (choose Cloud under the agent input), iOS, Slack, GitHub, Linear or the API.
Cursor does not publish a separate per-run price for Cloud Agents. Our Cursor usage limits by plan explains how plan usage works.
How to script environments with the API
The Cloud Agents API reference documents the beta Environments endpoints at https://api.cursor.com/v1/environments. The API accepts Basic or Bearer authentication and may change before general availability.
- Create a user API key in Cursor Dashboard, API Keys, or use a service account API key.
- Create an environment with
POST /v1/environments, sendingowner(personalorteam),name,reposandenvironmentJson, a JSON-encoded copy of your.cursor/environment.json. - Add secrets with
PUT /v1/environments/{id}/secrets/{name}. Values are never returned, and Build Secrets cannot be set through the API yet. - Start a build with
POST /v1/environments/{id}/builds. To test a feature branch, senddraft: truewithrefs. - Confirm what agents will boot from with
GET /v1/environments/{id}/builds/active. - Launch work with
POST /v1/agents, settingenvto{"type": "cloud", "name": "your environment"}and aprompt.text.
Useful details from the reference:
- Build settings:
pullLatestCodedefaults towhen_stale,stalenessThresholdHoursdefaults to 24 (0 to 8,760) andinstallTimeoutMinutesdefaults to 90 (5 to 300). SendbuildSettingsin its own PATCH request. - Secret precedence: values passed at start (such as
envVars) win, then environment secrets, then personal secrets, then team secrets. - Retries: a
503 upstream_erroron a build start means Cursor could not confirm the build. List builds before retrying to avoid a duplicate.
To build agents in your own code instead, see our Cursor Agent SDK guide.
Canvases from cloud agents
Canvases are interactive artifacts, such as dashboards, audits and reports, that render next to the chat, per the Canvases documentation. Cloud agents can now build them as part of a task.
- Share: choose Publish on the canvas toolbar, copy the link and send it. Teammates get read-only access in the browser.
- Who can share: paid plans (Premium and higher, Teams, Enterprise, and legacy Pro, Pro+ and Ultra) for members of a team. Legacy Privacy Mode blocks sharing.
- Manage: the Shared Canvases dashboard page lists only canvases you published. Admins can turn sharing off in team settings.
- Repeat: package a canvas layout, data queries and formatting rules as a skill so each run produces the same shape.
Workflows and prompt patterns
- Review canvas with every PR. “Fix the flaky checkout tests, open a PR and build a canvas listing each failure and its fix.”
- Multi-repo changes. Create one team environment that holds your API, web app and shared library, then ask a single agent for coordinated pull requests.
- Environment as code. Commit
.cursor/environment.json. An agent that starts on a single repository with no environment now boots from it, and the dashboard marks file-defined environments Config as code. - Locked-down secrets. Turn on Disable personal secrets so agents only receive team and environment secrets.
Limitations
- The Cloud Agents API v1, including Environments, is a public beta; webhooks are not in v1 yet.
- A single-repository environment cannot change its repository through the API, and multi-repository environments must keep at least two.
- Shared canvases are visible only to your team, so they are not a public reporting channel.
- Secrets are injected when an agent starts, so running agents do not pick up new values.
- Cloud agents with restricted egress no longer reach every
*.cloudfront.nethost by default; add any you need to the allowlist.
Frequently asked questions
What are Cursor Cloud Agents?
Cursor Cloud Agents are coding agents that run in isolated virtual machines in Cursor’s cloud instead of on your computer. Each VM holds cloned repositories, dependencies, secrets and network access, so the agent can build, test and open pull requests. They were formerly called Background Agents.
Which Cursor plans include Cloud Agents?
Cursor’s documentation says Cloud Agents need Premium and higher, Teams, Enterprise or a legacy paid plan. Free and Plus do not include them. Usage is billed against your plan at the selected model’s rate, and you set a spend limit the first time you use them.
What is the Cursor Environments API?
It is a beta set of endpoints under api.cursor.com/v1/environments, announced on October 16, 2026. You can create, list, update and delete saved Cloud Agent environments, read their change history, start and inspect builds, and manage environment secrets.
Can I share a canvas built by a Cursor cloud agent?
Yes. Use Publish on the canvas toolbar and send the link. Teammates open a read-only snapshot in the browser. Sharing needs an eligible paid plan, team membership and a privacy mode that allows data storage, and admins can turn it off.
How many repositories can a Cloud Agent environment hold?
The October 16 changelog said environments now support up to 300 repositories and load large environments 5x faster. The current API reference lists a maximum of 500 repositories per environment, so check the reference before you plan a very large workspace.
Sources
- Cloud Agent Canvases and Environment Improvements (Cursor changelog, October 16, 2026)
- Cloud Agents release notes (Cursor docs)
- Cloud Agents API reference, Environments endpoints (Cursor docs)
- Cloud Agents overview (Cursor docs)
- Canvases (Cursor docs)
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