Cursor: what it remembers, who owns it, and what it costs
thecontinuitylayer.com/coding-agents/cursorAn AI code editor with an Agent chat, Tab completions and rules: persistent instructions the Agent follows in every conversation.
- 1Yes
Does Cursor remember across sessions?
Yes, by Anysphere's own page.
Rules are persistent instructions so you do not repeat yourself in each conversation; Memories, auto-generated rules, keep context across sessions, scoped to the project.
Yes means: Persistent instructions or stored memory carry into a new session without you pasting them again.
- 2Yes
Can you see what Cursor remembered?
Yes, by Anysphere's own page.
Project rules are files in .cursor/rules/; Memories are managed from Cursor Settings, Rules.
Yes means: A file or panel lists the stored memory.
- 3Partly
Can you edit Cursor's memory?
Partly, by Anysphere's own page.
Rules are Markdown files you create and edit; the Memories page does not describe editing an individual memory.
Yes means: The memory is editable by you.
- 4Partly
Can you delete or turn off Cursor's memory?
Partly, by Anysphere's own page.
A rule is removed by deleting its file and team rules can be turned off; the Memories page does not say how to delete or turn off memories.
Yes means: A documented way to delete it or switch it off.
- 5Partly
Does Cursor keep memory in a file you own?
Partly, by Anysphere's own page.
Project rules are versioned files in .cursor/rules/; user rules are stored on your Cursor account and left out of profile exports; where memories are stored is not stated.
Yes means: The memory lives in a plain file on your machine or in your repository.
- 6Yes
Does Cursor read a format other tools read?
Yes, by Anysphere's own page.
An AGENTS.md in the project root is picked up automatically, and a CLAUDE.md is read the same way.
Yes means: It reads a shared convention such as AGENTS.md, so the same file works elsewhere.
- 7Partly
Does Cursor use your code for training by default?
Partly, by Anysphere's own page.
With Privacy Mode off, Cursor may store and use code, prompts and editor actions to train models; with it on, nothing is used for training. It is on by default for Teams and Enterprise; the default for individual plans is not stated. Opt out in Settings, General, Privacy Mode.
Yes means: Here no is the good answer: the maker's page says your data is not used for training. Yes means it is unless you opt out; partly means it depends on the plan or the page does not give the default.
- 8Yes
What does Cursor cost?
Yes, by Anysphere's own page.
A free plan exists; the entry paid tier is Plus at $8 a month, then Premium $30, Super $100 and Ultra $200. The older Pro at $20 stays only for existing subscribers.
Yes means: A free tier exists and the entry paid price is published.
What these grades say about continuity, and what they do not.
Every grade on this site is read from the maker's own pages. The Continuity Framework asks five things of any system that carries state: that it carry, govern, evolve, prove and forget. These tests reach carry, govern, prove and forget; they do not reach evolve, which no maker's page documents in a gradeable way. A high letter is a good coding agent, not a continuity layer.
- C1 RemembersCarry
- Remembering across sessions is question C1: state outlives the session that created it.
- C2 See itProve
- Being able to see the stored memory is the smallest form of question P1: the owner can inspect what is carried.
- C3 Edit itGovern
- An editable memory means the owner, not only the agent, has write authority (question G1, in part).
- C4 Delete itForget
- Deleting or switching off memory is rung 5 of the erasure ladder for the store the agent keeps; summaries and indexes it built are not covered unless documented. Rung 5 of the erasure ladder: delete the record.
- C5 Your fileCarry
- Memory in a file you own is portability by construction: question C3 answered without an export.
- C6 PortableCarry
- Reading a shared convention such as AGENTS.md is question C2: the same file works when the agent changes.
- C7 TrainingGovern
- Not training on your code by default is a scope boundary on the maker's side: what leaves the record and where it may go.
License as stated: Proprietary; no license stated in the docs.. Every grade above is read from Anysphere's own page on the day shown. If a page has changed, tell us.