--- name: cursor-delegate description: Delegate coding tasks to the Cursor Agent CLI (`cursor-agent`) only when the user explicitly requests it, while the orchestrator retains review and landing responsibility. risk: critical category: agent-orchestration source: https://github.com/amElnagdy/delegate-skills source_repo: amElnagdy/delegate-skills source_type: community date_added: '2026-08-26' license: MIT license_source: https://github.com/amElnagdy/delegate-skills/blob/master/LICENSE compatibility: Requires the `cursor-agent` CLI installed and authenticated, Node 18+, and git. The optional `--add-dir` flag requires cursor-agent 2026.07.23 or newer. The orchestrating agent must be able to run shell commands and read files. Shell examples assume bash/zsh (macOS/Linux, or Git Bash/WSL on Windows). metadata: version: 0.5.0 --- # Cursor Delegate ## When to Use - You want to delegate a bounded coding task to a separate `cursor` implementer (`Cursor Agent`) and then review its diff yourself. - The user explicitly asked for delegation to this implementer. You are the **orchestrator**. Hand a bounded coding task to a separate **implementer** — the Cursor Agent CLI — then review what it produced and land it yourself. You write the brief and own the judgment; Cursor does the typing in its own session; you verify and commit. The loop needs only a shell command and file access, so any comparable orchestrator can drive it. ## When NOT to use this - The task is small enough to do inline; delegation overhead is not worth it. - The `cursor-agent` CLI is not installed or authenticated (run `cursor-agent login`). - You want to write the code yourself, or you only need Cursor's opinion on code you wrote (a `--read-only` dispatch covers that — see below — but a plain review may not need delegation at all). ## Runtime availability This docs-only bundle does not include `scripts/relay.mjs`. The commands below cannot run from this installed directory. Obtain and review an explicitly authorized upstream runtime separately, including its license and permission behavior; do not invent a replacement or automatically install it. In examples, `` means that reviewed runtime directory. ## Prerequisites (check once) 1. `cursor-agent --version` succeeds. If not, follow the installer for your platform at [cursor.com/cli](https://cursor.com/cli), inspect what it will run, and authenticate with `cursor-agent login`. 2. `cursor-agent status` shows you logged in. 3. You are in (or will point `--cd` at) the target git repository. The relay passes `--trust`, so point it only at repositories you trust. ## Choose the model Omitting `--model` uses your Cursor default (usually `auto` — Cursor picks). To pin one, pass `--model ` with a name from the account's live `cursor-agent models` output — select from that list rather than inventing a name. Parameterized forms like `[context=1m,effort=high]` are forwarded as-is. The model that actually served the run is recorded as `resolvedModel` in `result.json`. ## The loop Run these five steps per task. Steps 1, 4, and 5 require judgment; 2 and 3 are mechanical. ### 1. Write the brief Cursor sees only the text you send plus what it can inspect in the workspace — no chat history or shared context. Include the goal, current state, what to change, what to leave untouched, the project's **actual** gates, and a report contract. Tell Cursor not to commit. Keep one task per brief. See [references/writing-the-brief.md](references/writing-the-brief.md). ### 2. Dispatch Confirm that the user authorized the selected approval mode, external provider/data sharing and writable scope. Default `--force` is broad automatic command approval; prefer `--no-force` unless that scope is authorized. Treat approval refusals as boundaries, not reasons to disable hooks or sandboxing. Logs and briefs may contain source code or secrets; restrict their permissions and retention. Use a separately obtained and reviewed upstream helper; no executable helper is bundled here. It wraps `cursor-agent -p`, feeds the brief on stdin, captures the structured event stream, and writes `result.json`. (`` must be the reviewed upstream runtime folder, not this docs-only catalog directory.) ```bash node "/scripts/relay.mjs" --brief brief.txt --cd /path/to/repo # read-only (plan mode — review/diagnosis, no edits): add --read-only # write-capable without automatic command approval: add --no-force # explicitly override Cursor's sandbox for this run: add --sandbox enabled|disabled # pin a model from `cursor-agent models`: add --model # resume the most recent session: add --resume-last (delta brief only) # resume a specific session: add --session (delta brief only) # hard time limit (watchdog): add --timeout 2h (the 30m default suits short runs; implementation briefs routinely need 1-2h) # see all options: node .../relay.mjs --help ``` The child process's cwd pins the workspace. On Cursor `2026.07.23` or newer, use repeatable `--add-dir` flags only for extra workspace directories. The relay writes artifacts under the system temp dir by default and never commits. See [references/dispatch-and-poll.md](references/dispatch-and-poll.md). ### 3. Wait for completion The helper blocks until Cursor finishes. Run it with the orchestrator's background-command facility, or background it in the shell and poll for `result.json`. A pre-run usage error exits 2 and writes no result; a missing `cursor-agent` exits 127 and writes `status: "cursor_agent_unavailable"`. Trust process state and the working tree over a progress display. Completion means the process exited and `result.json` exists. Cursor's full report is the `finalMessage` field in `result.json` (also printed in full on stdout between the report markers). **Windows + hooks caveat:** if the user has Cursor hooks configured (`~/.cursor/hooks.json`, or Claude Code `PreToolUse` hooks, which cursor-agent imports), dispatching from a Git Bash (MSYS) console makes cursor-agent feed PowerShell-syntax hook wrappers to bash, so every command Cursor tries to run is blocked — edits still land, gates do not run. Dispatch from a PowerShell or cmd console instead. Details: [references/dispatch-and-poll.md](references/dispatch-and-poll.md). ### 4. Review — do not trust the self-report Treat Cursor's final message and gate claims as claims: - Re-run the project's gates yourself. - Read the diff against the brief, starting with `touchedFiles`. - Run relevant guard skills if installed. - Round-trip migrations and grep for dangling references after removals or renames. See [references/review-and-land.md](references/review-and-land.md). ### 5. Land it The implementer edits the working tree; **the orchestrator commits.** Commit only after the gates pass and the diff holds. If rework is needed, send a delta brief with `--resume-last` or `--session `, then review again. ## Autonomy and permissions A fresh run defaults to **write-capable with `--force`**: Cursor runs commands without approval unless your Cursor config explicitly denies them, so ordinary gates (tests, linters, builds) run headlessly. `--no-force` keeps the run write-capable but withholds automatic command approval; commands that require approval are refused because a headless run cannot prompt. `--read-only` switches to Cursor's **plan mode** (read-only analysis, no edits, no `--force`). The relay always passes `--trust` to keep headless runs from stalling on the workspace-trust prompt, which is why `--cd` must only ever point at repositories you trust. Pass `--sandbox enabled` or `--sandbox disabled` only when you need to override Cursor's sandbox for that dispatch. The requested value is recorded as `sandbox` in `result.json`; it does not claim what Cursor actually applied. The permission mode Cursor reports is recorded as `permissionMode`; inspect `touchedFiles` and the diff after every run. ## Read-only second opinions `--read-only` doubles as a clean way to get an adversarial second opinion for analysis; plan mode is not a proven isolation boundary. Use a disposable read-only filesystem or equivalent enforced containment for sensitive reviews: dispatch a brief that lists the agreed points, then each contested point with both positions, and ask Cursor to defend or concede each — deliverable in its final message, touching no files. ## Authorization model Delegation is something the human opts into. Once they have ("run this queue", "proceed"), committing verified, gate-passing work is the agreed contract. Two limits remain: **surface, don't absorb** (report Cursor's design decisions, defensible-but-unasked turns, and non-blocking nitpicks) and **stop for scope changes** (if correct completion needs going beyond the brief, ask instead of expanding the mandate). See [references/review-and-land.md](references/review-and-land.md). ## References - [references/writing-the-brief.md](references/writing-the-brief.md) — structure, report contract, real gates, and delta briefs. - [references/dispatch-and-poll.md](references/dispatch-and-poll.md) — flags, artifacts, `result.json`, polling, and failure recovery. - [references/review-and-land.md](references/review-and-land.md) — review checklist, commit boundary, and rework through Cursor sessions. - [references/multi-task-queues.md](references/multi-task-queues.md) — sequential queues, constraint carry-forward, progress tracking, and the final coherence pass. ## Limitations - Docs-only import — executable `scripts/relay.mjs` not included; see upstream for full runtime. Requires `cursor-agent` CLI, Node 18+, git. - Relay never commits — it only returns structured result JSON; you review and land the commit. > Adapted from [amElnagdy/delegate-skills](https://github.com/amElnagdy/delegate-skills) (MIT) — docs-only, runtime not bundled. --- Source attribution: amElnagdy/delegate-skills contributors, via Agentic Awesome Skills Original project: https://github.com/amElnagdy/delegate-skills License: MIT + CC-BY-4.0 License information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub. ## Upstream license notice MIT License Copyright (c) 2026 Ahmed Mohammed (amElnagdy) Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. # Mega AI Hub resource metadata Creator / publisher: amElnagdy/delegate-skills contributors, via Agentic Awesome Skills Original project: https://github.com/amElnagdy/delegate-skills Attribution basis: Recorded upstream repository Fields of work: Development & Engineering Roles: Software Developer Specialties: Specialty not specified Tools: Tool not specified Country applicability: Country not specified Classification basis: Dave AI task classification from package title, description, and declared metadata Instruction SHA-256: 7f42e4197573d2630c959af19be0c98345c90c9f6926184cfba34f27d2f536e0 Metadata reviewed: 2026-10-27 This metadata supersedes earlier Mega AI Hub catalog attribution. 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