Cursor Sign In: Editor, CLI and Dashboard

Four separate sign-ins

Cursor sign-in by surface
Surface	How it works	When it goes wrong
Desktop editor	Sign in from the editor, which opens a browser and hands the session back through a callback URL.	If the browser completes but the editor never notices, the callback was intercepted. Try off the VPN.
CLI	agent login opens the same browser flow and links the CLI to your existing account.	On a headless machine, set CURSOR_API_KEY instead. There is no browser to complete.
Web dashboard	Sign in at cursor.com to reach billing, usage and team settings.	This is the surface to use when the editor will not authenticate, to confirm the account exists and is active.
Origin CLI	origin auth login signs in separately and also configures a git credential helper.	Being signed in to agent does not sign you in to origin. They are different binaries.

The callback is where it breaks

Cursor signs you in by handing off to a browser and receiving the result back. That handoff is the fragile part, and it fails in a specific, recognisable way: the browser tab announces success while the editor sits there as though nothing happened.

When that happens, the network is almost always responsible. Corporate proxies that inspect traffic, VPNs that rewrite local addresses, and firewall rules that block loopback callbacks all produce it. The diagnosis takes under a minute: disconnect from the VPN, or tether to a phone, and try again. If it works, you have a network problem to raise with whoever runs it, not a Cursor problem.

Being on the wrong account

This one is quiet and expensive. Anyone with both a personal Cursor account and a work one can end up with the editor on one and the CLI on the other, and nothing in either interface makes that obvious. What surfaces instead is an unexpected usage limit, or work that does not appear where a teammate expects it.

agent status answers it directly for the CLI. Do that first whenever usage numbers look wrong, before assuming a billing fault.

Headless machines

There is no browser to complete a flow on a CI runner or inside a container, and the intended answer is an API key rather than a workaround.

export CURSOR_API_KEY=...
agent -p "run the test suite and summarise failures"

Keep that key in your CI provider's secret store. It authenticates an agent that can write files and execute shell commands, so it warrants the same handling as a deploy token rather than the same handling as a read-only token.

Origin signs in separately

The Origin CLI is a different binary with its own authentication. Running origin auth login also configures a git credential helper, so git push and git pull against Origin remotes work without further setup. Being signed in to agent does nothing for origin, and the reverse is equally true.

Behaviour described against the CLI docs and the dashboard as of 25 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How do I sign in to Cursor?

The editor opens your browser, you authenticate there, and the browser hands the session back to the application. The CLI uses the same flow through `agent login`. The web dashboard at cursor.com is a third, separate sign-in that covers billing, usage and team settings.

Why does Cursor sign-in fail or hang after the browser step?

Because the callback never reached the application. Corporate proxies, VPNs and strict firewall rules intercept it, and the symptom is a browser that says you are signed in next to an editor that disagrees. Testing on a different network, such as a phone hotspot, confirms it in under a minute.

Why does Cursor keep signing me out?

Usually one of three things: a network layer dropping the session, two installations of Cursor on the same machine each holding their own state, or a switch between a personal and a work account. On Windows, having both the System and User installers present is a common cause of the second.

How do I sign in to Cursor on the CLI?

Run `agent login`, complete the browser flow, then confirm with `agent status`, which prints which account you actually landed on. Signing in on the CLI does not consume a second seat and does not come with a separate usage allowance.

How do I switch Cursor accounts?

Sign out and back in on each surface you use, because they hold state independently. On the CLI that is `agent logout` followed by `agent login`. Verify with `agent status` rather than assuming, since the wrong-account state looks identical to the right one until a usage limit surprises you.

Can I sign in to Cursor without a browser?

For the CLI, yes: set the CURSOR_API_KEY environment variable, or pass --api-key on each invocation. That is the intended path for containers, CI runners and any machine with no interactive session. The desktop editor expects the browser flow.

Do I need an account to use Cursor?

Yes, including on the free Hobby plan. The account is what your usage allowance and settings attach to. No payment method is required for Hobby.