A desktop GUI for Cursor Agent across your projects

A Cursor Agent session is useful until you have several repositories open and cannot remember which terminal is waiting for approval, which branch contains the fix, or where an earlier explanation went. Reopening an editor does not automatically organize those independent CLI conversations. The problem grows when a maintenance task, a feature, and an investigation all need attention at once.

Aiola gives each project a workspace and each conversation a thread. You can return to the relevant chat, inspect its changes, and open the terminal or browser beside it. Central provides a view across projects, so switching from a client repository to your own application does not require rebuilding your entire working arrangement.

This page is about the cursor-agent CLI running inside Aiola. Cursor’s editor is a separate development surface; installing Aiola does not turn it into an editor extension. You can continue using your preferred editor while Aiola organizes agent conversations and project work.

The model work still uses your own Cursor access. Aiola does not resell models or add token markup. It also does not make every capability of the Cursor editor available through the CLI. Available models, permissions, and controls depend on the installed agent and authenticated account. Choose a thread’s provider based on the actual task rather than assuming every provider exposes identical options.

Install Cursor Agent using the provider setup instructions and run cursor-agent login in a terminal. Authentication happens in the CLI; Aiola’s Providers page does not ask you to paste a Cursor API key. Confirm the CLI works before troubleshooting the desktop interface.

Open Central Settings → Providers and use Re-check to read installation and authentication state. The page can show the binary path, version, account information, and discovered models. Enable the authenticated provider, then choose which models should appear in pickers. A workspace default selects from globally enabled models; changing that default does not install or authenticate Cursor.

The 2.0.5 release improved PATH discovery across shell and package-manager locations. It also changed the Cursor login check to trust cursor-agent status and preserve cached models when an account email is absent. If detection fails, distinguish an unsuccessful probe from a confirmed logged-out state before repeatedly signing in.

Start a draft in the intended project, choose Cursor and an available model, and set the execution location before sending the first message. Local mode runs in the project checkout. Worktree mode gives the thread a separate checkout and branch. This is a per-thread choice, not an automatic behavior applied to every conversation.

For example, investigate a failing endpoint in one thread while another drafts a UI change. Choose separate worktrees if both will edit files concurrently. Give each thread a clear boundary and the same relevant requirements. Worktrees isolate working files, but overlapping changes can still conflict when you integrate them.

Use Review to read the resulting diff, Files to inspect surrounding code, and Terminal to run the project’s checks. Treat the agent’s summary as a guide to inspection. Stage and commit only after you understand the changes; an apparently successful conversation is not evidence that the application still behaves correctly.

Aiola’s skills catalog combines provider and workspace sources and lets you inspect reusable instructions. The 2.0.5 release added discovery for Cursor’s user directory, project directory, and built-in skills. Within Cursor threads, the slash menu and skills panel show the Cursor and Claude skills the CLI actually loads.

This does not mean a skill written for one provider grants every other provider the same tools. Review the instructions and their assumptions before attaching one. Workspace context also matters: starting from Central requires selecting a target project. Reusable workspace agents keep their instructions and memory within that workspace, rather than carrying private project memory into unrelated repositories.

Aiola supports exactly six CLIs: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok CLI, OpenCode, and Antigravity. You can choose a different provider in another thread without moving the repository into a different project manager. Bring your own Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, xAI, Google, or OpenCode-configured access; provider subscriptions and limits remain separate.

The local workspace brings together threads, tasks, GitHub, terminals, and planning. Hosted Analytics, App Logs, Feedback, hosted MCP, and Setup Health require Pro or an active trial. They are useful when work begins with a production signal, but they are not included merely because Cursor authentication succeeds.

Aiola desktop 2.0.8 runs on macOS 12 or later and Windows 10 or later, 64-bit. Downloading is free. GUI Lifetime is a one-time license for the local GUI, with launch pricing of $49 for the first 10 customers, $89 for the next 30, then $129; checkout confirms the current rung.

Pro monthly and yearly tiers are based on analytics volume. The 7-day Pro trial is only for eligible first-time customers on Pro Monthly with 100k events, and requires a payment card. Other tiers and yearly billing do not include that trial. Budget separately for your provider access.

Aiola does not supply a hosted Cursor runner or guarantee a particular model roster. Your repository and agent processes remain on the desktop, and running the agent requires provider connectivity. If one terminal session already fits your workflow, start there; Aiola becomes useful when keeping multiple conversations, repositories, and reviews organized is the recurring cost.