Cursor launches a web app to manage AI coding agents

Cursor, the creator of the popular AI coding editor, has introduced a new web application that allows users to effortlessly manage a network of AI coding agents directly from their browser. This launch represents a significant advancement in Cursor's offerings, expanding beyond its integrated development environment (IDE), which serves as the primary tool for developers to access its functionalities. Initially, Anysphere, the company behind Cursor, focused solely on providing an AI-powered IDE. However, it has actively worked to diversify its product range and enhance user experiences through more agent-driven features. In May, the company rolled out background agents—AI systems capable of autonomously tackling coding tasks without requiring user input. Following this, a Slack integration was introduced in June, enabling users to delegate assignments to these agents by tagging @Cursor, akin to the operations of Cognition's AI coding agent, Devin. With the recent web app launch, users can now issue natural language requests from their desktop or mobile devices to assign tasks to background agents, such as developing new features or debugging existing code. The application also provides capabilities to monitor agents engaged in various tasks, track their progress, and integrate completed changes back into the codebase. Andrew Milich, Cursor's head of product engineering, shared with TechCrunch that both the Slack integration and the new web app aim to "remove the friction" for users dependent on Cursor's tools. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, as Anysphere reported last month that Cursor has surpassed $500 million in annual recurring revenue, predominantly fueled by its monthly subscription model. Notably, over half of the Fortune 500 companies, including NVIDIA, Uber, and Adobe, now utilize Cursor. To further leverage this growth, Anysphere has launched a new Pro tier for Cursor at $200 per month. Milich noted that customers are eager for Cursor to be more widely accessible and to tackle a broader range of their challenges. The background agents are designed to allow users to initiate tasks via Slack or the web app, with the agent taking the initial steps. Should the agent fall short, users can easily switch to the IDE to continue from where the agent left off. Additionally, each agent has a unique shareable link for easy tracking of progress and code modifications made by team members. All subscribers with access to background agents can utilize the Cursor web app, including those on the $20-per-month Pro plan and higher tiers, although users on the free plan do not have this access. While Cursor is not the first to offer AI coding agents, the company emphasizes its commitment to delivering reliable, functional products rather than mere prototypes that look good on paper but fail in practice. The team is optimistic, highlighting that advancements in AI reasoning models are making coding agents increasingly viable. In a recent discussion with Ben Thompson from Stratechery, Anysphere CEO Michael Truell forecasted that AI coding agents could manage at least 20% of a software engineer's responsibilities by 2026.