Cursor Computer Use: Cursor's agent can now drive desktop apps and the iOS Simulator

Cursor Computer Use, announced on October 23, 2026, lets Cursor's agents operate desktop applications, clicking and typing in them the way a person would. "Cursor can now control your computer," the company wrote on X. "Agents can drive desktop apps like the iOS Simulator to test the features they build." In a follow-up post, Cursor said Computer Use "lets agents click and type across any app on your computer, not just the browser." It's the newest step in Cursor's push to make its agents check their own work, after remote control for local agents on the iPhone on October 6.

This story is based on Cursor's two announcement posts on X, Cursor's documentation on computer use for cloud and self-hosted agents, its changelog and download page, and its community forum, checked October 25, 2026. A developer guide published by Flavio Copes on October 24 is cited for setup details Cursor hasn't documented itself, and is labeled as such.

The short version

• What's new: Cursor's agents can drive any desktop app, with the iOS Simulator as Cursor's headline example, so an agent can launch an app it built and tap through it.
• How to use it: update Cursor; the agent uses Computer Use on its own when a task needs it, or you can @-mention it in a prompt, Cursor says.
• Already documented: computer use for cloud agents (each in an isolated VM with a desktop) and for self-hosted workers on macOS and Linux started with --computer-use.
• Permissions (macOS): the "Cursor Computer Use" helper app needs Accessibility and Screen Recording, which a person has to approve.
• Not yet published: a changelog entry, supported operating systems for local use, and which plans include it.

What does Cursor Computer Use do?

Cursor's documentation describes computer use for its cloud agents this way: "Agents can use a mouse and keyboard to control the desktop and browser," allowing them "to interact with the software they build like a human developer." The docs say agents can start dev servers, open an app, "click through UI flows" and "verify their changes work before pushing a PR."

The October 23 announcement extends that idea to desktop apps generally, with the iOS Simulator as the example. "Cursor uses it on its own when a task needs it," the company said. That matters for mobile developers: a web app can be checked with a browser tool, but a native iOS app had needed a person, or a separate tool, to tap through it.

As late as October 6, 2026, Cursor said local desktop control wasn't ready. On its community forum, a Cursor staff member replied to a feature request on July 18, 2026, that "native local desktop control with explicit opt-in permissions is something we're exploring," and repeated on October 6 that it was "still something we're exploring."

How do you turn on Cursor Computer Use?

Cursor's instructions so far are one line on X: "You can also ask for it by @-mentioning Computer Use in your prompt. Update Cursor to try it," linking to its download page. It hasn't published written setup steps in its docs. Flavio Copes's guide describes the same flow: update Cursor, then in an Agent conversation type @ and pick Computer Use. Cursor's download page listed version 3.27 as the latest build on October 25, without mentioning Computer Use.

For self-hosted workers, Cursor's docs give the command agent worker --computer-use start. The docs say computer use "works on macOS and Linux workers, for both My Machines and Team Pools," and that "both features are explicit opt-ins and are never enabled by the server."

What permissions does it need?

On macOS, Cursor's docs say the worker needs Accessibility "to move the mouse and type" and Screen Recording "to take screenshots." Both must be granted to the Cursor Computer Use helper app, "not to Terminal, your shell, or the Cursor app." Apple requires a person to approve Screen Recording in System Settings, so an MDM profile can't grant it, and macOS Sequoia and later periodically ask the user to re-confirm it. Cursor warns: "Don't script around the prompts." Flavio Copes's guide describes the same two permissions for the local feature.

On Linux, self-hosted workers need xdotool, ffmpeg and X11 utilities, which Cursor says it doesn't install for you.

Letting an agent see your screen and type for you widens what it can reach, including any app that's open and signed in. For how the main coding agents limit what their tools can touch, see the case against unattended agents.

How does it compare with Copilot and Claude computer use?

GitHub and Anthropic shipped similar features earlier in 2026. This table uses each company's own documentation.

Last verified: October 25, 2026

Our GitHub Copilot computer use story covers GitHub's version and its warnings in detail, and our Claude Code vs Codex vs Cursor comparison covers the three tools' prices and sandboxes.

What's confirmed, reported and uncertain

• Confirmed (Cursor): the October 23 announcement and its iOS Simulator example; that Computer Use works across any app on your computer, that the agent can use it on its own or when @-mentioned, and that you get it by updating Cursor; computer use on cloud agents and on self-hosted macOS and Linux workers; the macOS permission requirements for the self-hosted helper app.
• Reported (Flavio Copes's guide, October 24): the local permission prompts for Accessibility and Screen Recording.
• Uncertain: which operating systems the local feature supports, which plans include it, how it counts toward usage, and whether Enterprise admins can turn it off. Cursor's changelog and docs had no entry for it on October 25.