Cursor's Builds feature prepares cloud-agent development environments before a task arrives. Announced on August 13, it takes repository cloning, dependency installation and install scripts out of the start of each session. Cursor says its own environments now boot ten times faster and reach the first model token three times faster. Those measurements concern startup, not the time needed to finish a coding task.
Builds run hourly by default. Successful builds become the starting point for future agents, which fork a ready machine. A failed dependency update or install script does not replace the last successful build, allowing agents to continue while the broken environment is investigated.
The Cloud Agents dashboard shows build logs, captured commit SHAs and which build each agent used. Teams can also set how far an environment may lag behind the default branch.
Setup still has two stages. Dependencies belong in the build's install command; services that need to start fresh remain in the start command. Private-registry credentials can use team or environment secrets during builds, while user secrets are added only when an agent starts. Cursor announced Builds at no additional charge, with default enablement beginning August 17.