SOP-001: Installation & Setup

Document Control

Field	Value
SOP ID	SOP-001
Version	1.0
Status	Active
Last Updated	2024-12

Purpose

This SOP provides step-by-step instructions for installing Cursor AI Code Editor on Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms, including CLI installation.

Scope

• Desktop application installation (all platforms)
• CLI (cursor-agent) installation
• Initial verification steps

Prerequisites

• Administrator/sudo access on your machine
• Internet connection
• 2GB+ available disk space

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Procedure

Windows Installation

Flow: Download .exe → Run Installer → Launch Cursor → Sign in

Step 1: Navigate to cursor.com/downloads

Step 2: Click the Windows download button (.exe)

Step 3: Run the downloaded installer

Step 4: Follow installation prompts (accept defaults)

Step 5: Launch Cursor from Start Menu or Desktop

Step 6: Sign in with GitHub or email

System Requirements

Windows 10 or later required.

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macOS Installation

Flow: Download .dmg → Mount Image → Drag to Applications → Launch → Sign in

Universal build supports both Intel and Apple Silicon.

Step 1: Navigate to cursor.com/downloads

Step 2: Download the .dmg file

Step 3: Open the downloaded .dmg

Step 4: Drag Cursor to the Applications folder

Step 5: Launch from Applications or Spotlight

Step 6: If prompted, click "Open" to allow the app from unidentified developer

Step 7: Sign in with GitHub or email

System Requirements

macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later. Supports both Apple Silicon and Intel.

---

Linux Installation

Option A: APT Repository (Debian/Ubuntu) - Recommended

# Step 1: Add Cursor's GPG key
curl -fsSL https://downloads.cursor.com/keys/anysphere.asc | \
  gpg --dearmor | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/cursor.gpg > /dev/null

# Step 2: Add the repository
echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/cursor.gpg] \
  https://downloads.cursor.com/aptrepo stable main" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cursor.list > /dev/null

# Step 3: Update and install
sudo apt update
sudo apt install cursor

Option B: YUM/DNF Repository (RHEL/Fedora)

# Step 1: Add repository
sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/cursor.repo << 'EOF'
[cursor]
name=Cursor
baseurl=https://downloads.cursor.com/yumrepo
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://downloads.cursor.com/keys/anysphere.asc
EOF

# Step 2: Install
sudo dnf install cursor

Option C: AppImage (Portable)

# Step 1: Download AppImage from cursor.com/downloads

# Step 2: Make executable and run
chmod +x Cursor-*.AppImage
./Cursor-*.AppImage

APT/YUM Recommended

The APT and YUM packages provide desktop icons, automatic updates, and CLI tools that AppImage doesn't include.

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CLI Installation (cursor-agent)

Flow: Run curl → Add to PATH → Verify with --version → Start using cursor-agent

Step 1: Install with curl

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

Step 2: Add to PATH (if not automatic)

For Bash:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

For Zsh:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Step 3: Verify installation

cursor-agent --version

Step 4: Start an interactive session

cursor-agent

---

Verification Checklist

• [ ] Cursor application launches without errors
• [ ] Sign-in completes successfully
• [ ] Welcome screen or recent projects visible
• [ ] (CLI) cursor-agent --version returns version number
• [ ] (CLI) cursor-agent starts interactive session

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Windows SmartScreen warning	Click "More info" then "Run anyway"
macOS "unidentified developer"	System Preferences > Security > Allow
Linux permission denied	Check file permissions, run with sudo if needed
CLI not found after install	Restart terminal or source your shell config
Network error during install	Check firewall settings, try VPN off

See Also

• SOP-002: VS Code Migration
• SOP-003: First-Time Configuration
• SOP-013: CLI Installation (detailed CLI guide)
• Troubleshooting Guide