Install Cursor AI code editor on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

setup_cursor_ubuntu.md

Install Cursor AI editor on Ubuntu 24.04

1. Use the Download button on www.cursor.com web site. It will download the NAME.AppImage file.

2. Copy the .AppImage file to your Applications directory

cd ~/Downloads
mkdir -p ~/Applications
mv NAME.AppImage ~/Applications/cursor.AppImage

3. Install libfuse2

sudo apt update
sudo apt install libfuse2

4. Make it an executable

chmod +x ~/Applications/cursor.AppImage

5. Run

~/Applications/cursor.AppImage --no-sandbox

6. Add cursor shortcut

Add to .bashrc or .zshrc

alias cursor='~/Applications/cursor.AppImage --no-sandbox'

This Python script installs or removes the Cursor AI IDE for the current user on Linux, always downloading the latest stable version. It sets up the AppImage, icon, desktop launcher, and bash alias, using a Firefox User-Agent header to avoid HTTP 403 errors.

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
cursor_installer.py – installs or removes the Cursor AI IDE for the current user only.

✔ AppImage → ~/.local/bin/cursor.appimage
✔ Icon     → ~/.local/share/icons/cursor.png
✔ Launcher  → ~/.local/share/applications/cursor.desktop

Usage:
    python3 cursor_installer.py install
    python3 cursor_installer.py uninstall

Notes:
* The latest AppImage is obtained from the official Cursor endpoint
    `https://www.cursor.com/api/download?platform=linux-x64&releaseTrack=stable`.
* Some servers return **HTTP 403** if the *User-Agent* header is missing.
    This script now sends a generic User-Agent to avoid blocks.
"""

import argparse
import json
import os
import stat
import sys
import urllib.request
from pathlib import Path
from urllib.error import HTTPError

API_URL = "https://www.cursor.com/api/download?platform=linux-x64&releaseTrack=stable"
ICON_URL = (
    "https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/cursor1/original/2X/a/a4f78589d63edd61a2843306f8e11bad9590f0ca.png"
)

HOME = Path.home()
APPIMAGE_PATH = HOME / ".local" / "bin" / "cursor.appimage"
ICON_PATH = HOME / ".local" / "share" / "icons" / "cursor.png"
DATA_HOME = Path(os.environ.get("XDG_DATA_HOME", HOME / ".local" / "share"))
DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH = DATA_HOME / "applications" / "cursor.desktop"
BASHRC_ALIAS_COMMENT = "# Cursor alias"

HEADERS = {
    "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36 "
    "(KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/122.0.0.0 Safari/537.36"
}

def _ensure_dirs():
    for d in (
        APPIMAGE_PATH.parent,
        ICON_PATH.parent,
        DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH.parent,
    ):
        d.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)


def _download(url: str, dest: Path):
    """Downloads a file (supports JSON wrapper) and adds User-Agent."""
    print(f"Downloading {url} → {dest}")
    try:
        req = urllib.request.Request(url, headers=HEADERS)
        with urllib.request.urlopen(req) as resp:
            ctype = resp.headers.get("Content-Type", "")
            if "application/json" in ctype:
                data = json.loads(resp.read().decode())
                final_url = data.get("url") or data.get("downloadUrl")
                if not final_url:
                    print("[ERROR] Unexpected download JSON.")
                    sys.exit(1)
                return _download(final_url, dest)
            with open(dest, "wb") as fp:
                while True:
                    chunk = resp.read(8192)
                    if not chunk:
                        break
                    fp.write(chunk)
    except HTTPError as e:
        print(f"[ERROR] Download failed: {e}")
        sys.exit(1)


def _add_exec_permission(path: Path):
    path.chmod(path.stat().st_mode | stat.S_IXUSR)


def _write_desktop_entry():
    entry = f"""[Desktop Entry]
Name=Cursor AI IDE
Exec={APPIMAGE_PATH} --no-sandbox
Icon={ICON_PATH}
Type=Application
Categories=Development;
"""
    DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH.write_text(entry)
    print(f"Launcher created at {DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH}")


def _add_alias_to_bashrc():
    bashrc = HOME / ".bashrc"
    if bashrc.exists() and BASHRC_ALIAS_COMMENT in bashrc.read_text():
        return
    alias_block = f"""

{BASHRC_ALIAS_COMMENT}
function cursor() {{
    "{APPIMAGE_PATH}" --no-sandbox "$@" > /dev/null 2>&1 & disown
}}
"""
    with bashrc.open("a") as fp:
        fp.write(alias_block)
    print("Alias added to ~/.bashrc (reopen shell).")


def _remove_alias_from_bashrc():
    bashrc = HOME / ".bashrc"
    if not bashrc.exists():
        return
    lines = bashrc.read_text().splitlines()
    new_lines = []
    skip = False
    for line in lines:
        if line.strip() == BASHRC_ALIAS_COMMENT:
            skip = True
            continue
        if skip and line.startswith("}"):
            skip = False
            continue
        if not skip:
            new_lines.append(line)
    bashrc.write_text("\n".join(new_lines))

def install():
    if APPIMAGE_PATH.exists():
        print("Cursor AI IDE is already installed.")
        return

    print("Installing Cursor AI IDE…")
    _ensure_dirs()
    _download(API_URL, APPIMAGE_PATH)
    _add_exec_permission(APPIMAGE_PATH)
    _download(ICON_URL, ICON_PATH)
    _write_desktop_entry()
    _add_alias_to_bashrc()
    print("Installation complete! It will appear in the applications menu.")


def uninstall():
    print("Removing Cursor AI IDE…")
    for p in (APPIMAGE_PATH, ICON_PATH, DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH):
        if p.exists():
            print(f"Deleting {p}")
            p.unlink()
    _remove_alias_from_bashrc()
    for d in (
        APPIMAGE_PATH.parent,
        ICON_PATH.parent,
        DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH.parent,
    ):
        try:
            d.rmdir()
        except OSError:
            pass
    print("Uninstallation complete.")

def main():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Installs or removes the Cursor AI IDE for the current user only.")
    parser.add_argument("action", choices=["install", "uninstall"], help="Desired action")
    args = parser.parse_args()

    if args.action == "install":
        install()
    elif args.action == "uninstall":
        uninstall()
    else:
        print("Invalid action. Please use 'install' or 'uninstall'.")
        sys.exit(1)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

@tarcisiomiranda this is awesome, thank you!
I've done this manually and just added a function just like you suggested there but a little different:

cursor() {
    nohup ~/Applications/Cursor.AppImage --no-sandbox "$@" > /dev/null 2>&1 &
    printf ""
}

I'm going to try disown.

This Python script installs or removes the Cursor AI IDE for the current user on Linux, always downloading the latest stable version. It sets up the AppImage, icon, desktop launcher, and bash alias, using a Firefox User-Agent header to avoid HTTP 403 errors.

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
cursor_installer.py – installs or removes the Cursor AI IDE for the current user only.

✔ AppImage → ~/.local/bin/cursor.appimage
✔ Icon     → ~/.local/share/icons/cursor.png
✔ Launcher  → ~/.local/share/applications/cursor.desktop

Usage:
    python3 cursor_installer.py install
    python3 cursor_installer.py uninstall

Notes:
* The latest AppImage is obtained from the official Cursor endpoint
    `https://www.cursor.com/api/download?platform=linux-x64&releaseTrack=stable`.
* Some servers return **HTTP 403** if the *User-Agent* header is missing.
    This script now sends a generic User-Agent to avoid blocks.
"""

import argparse
import json
import os
import stat
import sys
import urllib.request
from pathlib import Path
from urllib.error import HTTPError

API_URL = "https://www.cursor.com/api/download?platform=linux-x64&releaseTrack=stable"
ICON_URL = (
    "https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/cursor1/original/2X/a/a4f78589d63edd61a2843306f8e11bad9590f0ca.png"
)

HOME = Path.home()
APPIMAGE_PATH = HOME / ".local" / "bin" / "cursor.appimage"
ICON_PATH = HOME / ".local" / "share" / "icons" / "cursor.png"
DATA_HOME = Path(os.environ.get("XDG_DATA_HOME", HOME / ".local" / "share"))
DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH = DATA_HOME / "applications" / "cursor.desktop"
BASHRC_ALIAS_COMMENT = "# Cursor alias"

HEADERS = {
    "User-Agent": "Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/537.36 "
    "(KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/122.0.0.0 Safari/537.36"
}

def _ensure_dirs():
    for d in (
        APPIMAGE_PATH.parent,
        ICON_PATH.parent,
        DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH.parent,
    ):
        d.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)


def _download(url: str, dest: Path):
    """Downloads a file (supports JSON wrapper) and adds User-Agent."""
    print(f"Downloading {url} → {dest}")
    try:
        req = urllib.request.Request(url, headers=HEADERS)
        with urllib.request.urlopen(req) as resp:
            ctype = resp.headers.get("Content-Type", "")
            if "application/json" in ctype:
                data = json.loads(resp.read().decode())
                final_url = data.get("url") or data.get("downloadUrl")
                if not final_url:
                    print("[ERROR] Unexpected download JSON.")
                    sys.exit(1)
                return _download(final_url, dest)
            with open(dest, "wb") as fp:
                while True:
                    chunk = resp.read(8192)
                    if not chunk:
                        break
                    fp.write(chunk)
    except HTTPError as e:
        print(f"[ERROR] Download failed: {e}")
        sys.exit(1)


def _add_exec_permission(path: Path):
    path.chmod(path.stat().st_mode | stat.S_IXUSR)


def _write_desktop_entry():
    entry = f"""[Desktop Entry]
Name=Cursor AI IDE
Exec={APPIMAGE_PATH} --no-sandbox
Icon={ICON_PATH}
Type=Application
Categories=Development;
"""
    DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH.write_text(entry)
    print(f"Launcher created at {DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH}")


def _add_alias_to_bashrc():
    bashrc = HOME / ".bashrc"
    if bashrc.exists() and BASHRC_ALIAS_COMMENT in bashrc.read_text():
        return
    alias_block = f"""

{BASHRC_ALIAS_COMMENT}
function cursor() {{
    "{APPIMAGE_PATH}" --no-sandbox "$@" > /dev/null 2>&1 & disown
}}
"""
    with bashrc.open("a") as fp:
        fp.write(alias_block)
    print("Alias added to ~/.bashrc (reopen shell).")


def _remove_alias_from_bashrc():
    bashrc = HOME / ".bashrc"
    if not bashrc.exists():
        return
    lines = bashrc.read_text().splitlines()
    new_lines = []
    skip = False
    for line in lines:
        if line.strip() == BASHRC_ALIAS_COMMENT:
            skip = True
            continue
        if skip and line.startswith("}"):
            skip = False
            continue
        if not skip:
            new_lines.append(line)
    bashrc.write_text("\n".join(new_lines))

def install():
    if APPIMAGE_PATH.exists():
        print("Cursor AI IDE is already installed.")
        return

    print("Installing Cursor AI IDE…")
    _ensure_dirs()
    _download(API_URL, APPIMAGE_PATH)
    _add_exec_permission(APPIMAGE_PATH)
    _download(ICON_URL, ICON_PATH)
    _write_desktop_entry()
    _add_alias_to_bashrc()
    print("Installation complete! It will appear in the applications menu.")


def uninstall():
    print("Removing Cursor AI IDE…")
    for p in (APPIMAGE_PATH, ICON_PATH, DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH):
        if p.exists():
            print(f"Deleting {p}")
            p.unlink()
    _remove_alias_from_bashrc()
    for d in (
        APPIMAGE_PATH.parent,
        ICON_PATH.parent,
        DESKTOP_ENTRY_PATH.parent,
    ):
        try:
            d.rmdir()
        except OSError:
            pass
    print("Uninstallation complete.")

def main():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Installs or removes the Cursor AI IDE for the current user only.")
    parser.add_argument("action", choices=["install", "uninstall"], help="Desired action")
    args = parser.parse_args()

    if args.action == "install":
        install()
    elif args.action == "uninstall":
        uninstall()
    else:
        print("Invalid action. Please use 'install' or 'uninstall'.")
        sys.exit(1)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

This script is very nice, but it is missing the installation of libfuse when required, so you will have to install it before running.

sudo apt-get install fuse libfuse2

@jonathan-apptega thanks for the comment
@luisbonilla90 yeah, the nohup command is better.

Just updated the gist here:
https://gist.github.com/tarcisiomiranda/c9059e4071dcdaafa8a16eb6ae049d33

This script is very nice, but it is missing the installation of libfuse when required, so you will have to install it before running.

Please put a warning in your comment - installing fuse on Ubuntu 24 can break systems and we don't want some person to randomly copy and paste it!

@jonathan-apptega thanks for the comment @luisbonilla90 yeah, the nohup command is better.

Just updated the gist here: https://gist.github.com/tarcisiomiranda/c9059e4071dcdaafa8a16eb6ae049d33

Do not use this script on Ubuntu 24.04
This will break your system. libfuse2 is not working correctly and has compatibility issues with Ubuntu 24.04, it can break graphical session startup, especially if the desktop tries to auto-launch Cursor or index it (e.g., via GNOME Shell, tracker, etc.).
I faced the same issue. Things were working fine until I turned off my system and tried to log back in. I was stuck on the login screen.

@jonathan-apptega thanks for the comment @luisbonilla90 yeah, the nohup command is better.
Just updated the gist here: https://gist.github.com/tarcisiomiranda/c9059e4071dcdaafa8a16eb6ae049d33

Do not use this script on Ubuntu 24.04 This will break your system. libfuse2 is not working correctly and has compatibility issues with Ubuntu 24.04, it can break graphical session startup, especially if the desktop tries to auto-launch Cursor or index it (e.g., via GNOME Shell, tracker, etc.). I faced the same issue. Things were working fine until I turned off my system and tried to log back in. I was stuck on the login screen.

Yes, you are right, please don't use it until you know the risks.

In my case I had to start Ubuntu in recovery mode with network features and from the terminal I run this command:

apt install ubuntu-desktop-minimal

That will fix the issue.

I found a way to run Cursor on Ubuntu 24.04 without installing libfuse2. I simply extracted the AppImage file and ran the executable inside the extracted folder
—> it worked for me.

👉 Link to install and update Cursor for Ubuntu 24.04 (branch Cursor-ubuntu24.04)

Note: The main branch is for Ubuntu 22.04.
My main branch checks the Ubuntu version and only installs Cursor if it's Ubuntu 22.04, to avoid issues on other ubuntu versions.

I found a way to run Cursor on Ubuntu 24.04 without installing libfuse2. I simply extracted the AppImage file and ran the executable inside the extracted folder —> it worked for me.

👉 Link to install and update Cursor for Ubuntu 24.04 (branch Cursor-ubuntu24.04)

Note: The main branch is for Ubuntu 22.04. My main branch checks the Ubuntu version and only installs Cursor if it's Ubuntu 22.04, to avoid issues on other ubuntu versions.

Isso funcionou para min em 11/06/2025

I found a way to run Cursor on Ubuntu 24.04 without installing libfuse2. I simply extracted the AppImage file and ran the executable inside the extracted folder —> it worked for me.
👉 Link to install and update Cursor for Ubuntu 24.04 (branch Cursor-ubuntu24.04)
Note: The main branch is for Ubuntu 22.04. My main branch checks the Ubuntu version and only installs Cursor if it's Ubuntu 22.04, to avoid issues on other ubuntu versions.

Isso funcionou para min em 11/06/2025

Thanks! This works for me too.