Cursor modes explained: Agent, Ask, and where Composer went

What it actually is

A mode in Cursor sets what the AI in your chat pane is allowed to do to your project. You type into the same box either way. The pane itself is called Agent, and you open it with Cmd+I (Ctrl+I on Windows).

Think of modes as the terms you set with a contractor. Agent mode hands over the keys: the AI edits files and runs terminal commands until the job is done, which is Cursor’s version of agentic coding. Ask mode is a walkthrough consultation: the contractor inspects everything, answers your questions, and touches nothing. Plan mode makes them draw a blueprint you sign off on before any wall comes down.

Here is the current lineup, from Cursor’s own docs and changelogs:

Mode	What it does
Agent	The default. Edits files, runs commands, fixes its own errors
Ask	Read-only. Answers questions about your code, never edits
Plan	Researches your code, asks clarifying questions, writes a plan you review before it builds
Debug	Adds log statements, has you reproduce the bug, then makes a targeted fix
Design	Lets you click or draw on your running app in Cursor’s browser and prompt against what you selected

Notice who’s missing: Composer. Cursor merged its old Chat and Composer panes into a single interface in version 0.46 (February 2025), with Agent as the default. The name returned in Cursor 2.0 later that year, attached to something new: Composer is now Cursor’s in-house coding model, the one the company says is 4x faster than similarly intelligent models. When you see Composer in Cursor today, you’re looking at the model dropdown.

Why your AI just did this

The mode decides what your prompt can accomplish, so Cursor keeps steering you toward the right one. Type a request that smells like a large feature and Cursor suggests Plan mode on its own. Press Shift+Tab in the chat input and you rotate through modes without touching the mouse. Since version 2.4, the agent can even request a mode switch mid-conversation when it decides another mode fits the task better, and you approve or reject the handoff.

Modes also explain the classic “my AI refuses to write code” moment. Ask mode runs in a read-only sandbox, and Cursor enforces that even if you’ve turned on “Run everything.” Ask it to fix a bug from there and you get a thorough explanation with zero edits. That’s the mode working as designed, and the cure is one Shift+Tab away.

Your .cursorrules or .cursor/rules instructions travel with the agent whichever mode you pick.

When you’ll run into it

The mode picker is the small dropdown in the chat input of the Agent pane. The confusion usually starts somewhere else: a tutorial from 2024 tells you to “open Composer” or weighs Chat against Composer (Normal and Agent), and your screen shows neither name. The workflow in the video is often still right. The labels are two product overhauls old.

Each mode also announces itself by answering differently. In Plan mode the agent responds with clarifying questions and a plan file instead of code; plans save to your home directory by default, and “Save to workspace” moves one into your project. In Debug mode it asks you to click through the bug yourself while its log statements record what happens, then removes them after the fix. In Ask mode, no diff ever appears, however clearly you request one. The model dropdown is where you’ll spot versions like Composer 2.5, the choice that drives what your tokens and credits pay for.

If you also use Claude Code, the idea transfers. Its plan mode plays the same role as Cursor’s Plan mode: think first, touch later.

What to check

• Check the mode picker first when the agent explains instead of edits. Ask is read-only by design, and Cursor enforces that even with “Run everything” on
• Translate before following an old tutorial: the Composer pane is today’s Agent pane (Cmd+I), and Chat-style questions belong in Ask mode
• Press Shift+Tab to rotate modes instead of hunting for the dropdown mid-thought
• Pick your mode and your model as two separate choices. Composer in the model dropdown is Cursor’s own model, not a mode
• Read the whole plan before you click build in Plan mode, and save it to your workspace if you want it versioned next to your code
• Approve the agent’s mode-switch requests deliberately, since each mode changes what it’s allowed to do

Say it like a dev

Instead of: “Cursor is ignoring me, it won’t change my files” Say: “I was in Ask mode, which is read-only. I switched to Agent so it can apply the edits.”

Instead of: “the tutorial says to open Composer but I don’t have it” Say: “That guide predates Cursor 0.46. The old Composer pane is the Agent pane now, so I’ll follow along with Cmd+I.”

Instead of: “should I use Chat or Composer for this feature?” Say: “I’ll start in Ask to understand the code, switch to Plan to agree on an approach, then let Agent build it.”