# Cursor Cloud Agents
Autonomous AI agents running on isolated cloud VMs (not your local machine) as part of [[Cursor.com]]. Formerly called "Background Agents". They clone your repo from GitHub/GitLab, work on a separate branch, and push changes for review.
## How It Works
1. Clone your repo into a dedicated VM with full dev environment
2. Work autonomously: edit code, run terminal commands, use browsers, access MCP servers
3. Always run in [[Cursor Max Mode]] (full context window)
4. Push changes to a branch when done; you review and merge
## Access Points
- Cursor Desktop (cloud dropdown)
- Cursor Web (cursor.com/agents)
- Slack (`@cursor`)
- GitHub (PR/issue comments: `@cursor`)
- Linear (`@cursor`)
- API
- Mobile PWA (iOS Safari / Android Chrome)
- [[Cursor CLI]] (`agent -c "prompt"`)
## Requirements
- Connected GitHub/GitLab account with read-write repo access
- Trial or paid plan with on-demand usage enabled
- Spend limit configured in dashboard
## Secrets Management
Via the Secrets tab at cursor.com/dashboard/cloud-agents (workspace/team scoped). `.env.local` files are NOT automatically included.
## Self-Hosted Cloud Agents (March 2026)
Run agents on your own infrastructure. Code, build outputs, and secrets stay on internal machines. Supports isolated VMs and multi-model selection.
## Pricing
Charged at API pricing for the selected model. On-demand usage must be enabled. You can run as many cloud agents in parallel as you want.
## References
- Documentation: https://www.cursor.com/docs/cloud-agent
- Changelog: https://cursor.com/changelog
## Related
- [[Cursor.com]]
- [[Cursor CLI]]
- [[Cursor Max Mode]]
- [[Cursor BugBot]]
- [[AI Agents]]