Custom modes
Custom modes for Cursor
Custom modes allows you to compose new modes with tools and prompts that fits your workflow. These are in addition to Agent and Ask mode which are built-in.
Beta feature. You can enable custom modes from Settings
→ Features
→ Chat
→ Custom modes
Creating a custom mode
To create a custom mode, you can open the mode menu and click Add custom mode
. From there, you will have the option to select name, icon, shortcut as well as enabled tools and custom instructions.
We’re considering adding a .cursor/modes.json
file to your project to make it easier to create and share custom modes.
Example modes
Teach
Encourages detailed explanations and frequent clarifying questions, without automatically applying edits or running tools.
Tools | Custom Instructions |
---|---|
All Search | Focus on explaining concepts thoroughly and ask clarifying questions before providing solutions |
Refactor
Focuses exclusively on enhancing existing code structure, without introducing new functionality or reading additional files.
Tools | Custom Instructions |
---|---|
Edit & Reapply | Focus solely on improving existing code structure without adding new functionality |
Plan
Generates comprehensive implementation plans without directly modifying code, documenting the approach clearly in a plan.md
file.
Tools | Custom Instructions |
---|---|
Codebase , Read file , Terminal | Create detailed implementation plans without making direct code changes. Write it to plan.md |
Research
Collects extensive information from various sources, including web searches and codebase exploration, before recommending solutions.
Tools | Custom Instructions |
---|---|
Codebase , Web , Read file , Search files | Gather comprehensive information from multiple sources before suggesting solutions |
Yolo
Aggressively applies all available tools, making bold changes proactively with minimal user confirmation.
Tools | Custom Instructions |
---|---|
All tools with Auto-apply edits and Auto-run enabled | Take initiative and make bold changes with minimal confirmation |
Review
Analyzes code quality and recent modifications thoroughly, utilizing git commands and other tools, without automatically resolving issues.
Tools | Custom Instructions |
---|---|
Codebase , Grep , Read file , Terminal | Analyze code quality and recent changes without automatically fixing issues |
Debug
Conducts an in-depth investigation by gathering extensive context from source files and terminal outputs, then proposes precise, targeted fixes.
Tools | Custom Instructions |
---|---|
All Search , Terminal , Edit & Reapply | Thoroughly investigate issues by gathering extensive context before proposing targeted fixes |
Custom mode settings
Read more about tools