Cursor launches Automations to run AI coding agents on triggers

In short: Cursor launched Automations on March 5, 2026, letting developers start AI coding agents automatically based on simple triggers.

What happened

Cursor, the maker of the coding tool /cursor, released a new system called Automations. It is designed to automatically launch AI agents inside a coding workspace.

An AI agent is a software helper that can take actions on its own, like writing or updating code, instead of only answering questions. With Automations, these agents can start working when something happens, such as a new change in the codebase (the project’s shared code folder), a message in Slack (a popular work chat app), or a timer you set.

Cursor’s engineering lead, Jonas Nelle, said this moves teams away from a “prompt-and-monitor” setup, where a person has to keep telling an agent what to do and then watch it closely. He compared the new approach to a “conveyor belt,” where agents can run in the background and bring in a human at key moments, like review time. The goal is to help engineers manage work produced by multiple agents without having to track each one by hand.

Why it matters

More companies are trying to use multiple AI agents at once, especially for routine work. Tools like Automations aim to make that practical in day-to-day coding by reducing the need for constant check-ins, while still keeping people in control when decisions matter.

Cursor did not share pricing, full feature details, or user feedback yet, since the launch happened today.

Source: TechCrunch AI