Cursor IDE Auto-Updater Setup

This project provides scripts to install Cursor IDE on Linux with automatic updates that integrate seamlessly with your system's package manager.

🚀 Quick Start

Installation (One-time setup)

# Clone or download this repository
git clone <repository-url>
cd cursor-ide-setup

# Run the installer (requires sudo)
sudo ./install-cursor.sh

Check for Updates & Upgrade

To check for Cursor updates:

sudo apt update

To upgrade Cursor (if an update is available):

sudo update-cursor

Note: sudo apt upgrade does NOT upgrade Cursor automatically. You must run sudo update-cursor to perform the upgrade.

Testing Installation

Verify everything works:

./test-installation.sh

📋 What Gets Installed

Component	Location	Purpose
Cursor IDE	/usr/local/bin/cursor	The main application binary (AppImage)
Updater Script	/usr/local/bin/update-cursor	Downloads and installs updates
Check Script	/usr/local/bin/check-cursor-update	Checks for updates without downloading
Desktop Entry	/usr/share/applications/cursor.desktop	Makes Cursor appear in your app menu
APT Hook	/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99-cursor-update	Triggers check after apt update
Version File	/usr/local/share/cursor-ai/version.txt	Tracks the installed version
Icon File	/usr/local/share/cursor-ai/cursor.png	Application icon for desktop entry
System Config	/etc/sysctl.d/60-cursor-unprivileged-userns.conf	Kernel config (created only if needed)

🔧 Features

• One-time setup: Install once, then check for updates and upgrade as needed
• Native feel: Updates integrate with your system's package manager
• Safe updates: Backup previous version during update
• Launch issue detection: Automatically fixes common AppImage startup problems
• Clean installation: Follows Linux filesystem standards
• Easy removal: Complete uninstall script provided
• Debug support: Comprehensive debugging tools included

📖 Usage

Installation

sudo ./install-cursor.sh

The installer will:

1. Check and install dependencies (wget, curl, jq)
2. Download the latest Cursor IDE from Cursor's official API
3. Set up the application in /usr/local/share/cursor-ai/ and /usr/local/bin/
4. Create a desktop entry for your app menu
5. Detect and fix common launch issues (FUSE library, sandbox errors)
6. Install the auto-updater system

Daily Usage

• Launch Cursor: Open your application menu and search for "Cursor"
• Check for updates: sudo apt update
• Upgrade Cursor: sudo update-cursor

Uninstallation

sudo ./uninstall-cursor.sh

Using the Makefile

# Install
sudo make install

# Test
make test

# Uninstall
sudo make uninstall

# See all options
make help

🛠 How It Works

Installation Process

1. Dependencies: Ensures wget, curl, and jq are installed
2. Download: Fetches the latest Cursor AppImage from Cursor's official API
3. Setup: Places files in standard Linux locations
4. Launch Issues: Detects and fixes common AppImage startup problems (FUSE, sandbox)
5. Integration: Creates desktop entry and APT hook

Auto-Update Process

1. Check: sudo apt update queries Cursor's API for the latest version
2. Compare: Compares with locally installed version
3. Notify: Displays update availability message
4. Update: sudo update-cursor downloads and installs new version if available
5. Backup: Keeps backup of previous version during update

File Structure

/usr/local/share/cursor-ai/
├── cursor.png          # Application icon
└── version.txt         # Version tracking file

/usr/local/bin/
└── cursor              # Main application binary (AppImage)
└── version.txt         # Current version info

/usr/local/bin/
├── update-cursor           # Update script
└── check-cursor-update     # Check for updates script

/usr/share/applications/
└── cursor.desktop      # Desktop entry

/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/
└── 99-cursor-update    # APT hook configuration

/etc/sysctl.d/
└── 60-cursor-unprivileged-userns.conf  # Kernel config (created only if needed)

🔍 Troubleshooting

Debug Installation Issues

If you encounter problems during installation, use the debug script:

sudo ./debug-install.sh

This will test:

• Network connectivity to Cursor's servers
• API endpoint accessibility
• Download URL validation
• Architecture detection
• Dependencies availability

Common Issues

"Command not found: jq"

sudo apt update && sudo apt install jq

Cursor won't start (FUSE error)

# Install FUSE library
sudo apt update && sudo apt install libfuse2

Cursor won't start (sandbox error)

# Check if --no-sandbox flag was added to desktop entry
grep "no-sandbox" /usr/share/applications/cursor.desktop

# If not present, the installer should have detected this automatically
# Try reinstalling: sudo ./install-cursor.sh

Updates not working

# Check if the updater script exists and is executable
ls -la /usr/local/bin/update-cursor

# Test the updater manually
sudo update-cursor

Cursor not appearing in app menu

# Refresh the desktop database
sudo update-desktop-database

Permission errors

# Ensure scripts are run with sudo
sudo ./install-cursor.sh

Manual Version Check

# Check installed version
cat /usr/local/share/cursor-ai/version.txt

# Check for updates (without downloading)
sudo check-cursor-update

# Check latest available version from API
curl -s "https://cursor.com/api/download?platform=linux-x64&releaseTrack=stable" | jq -r '.version'

Logs

The updater provides colored output during system updates:

• 🔵 Blue: Status messages
• 🟢 Green: Success messages
• 🟡 Yellow: Warnings
• 🔴 Red: Errors

⚡ Advanced Usage

Configuration File

The project includes a config.conf file with default settings that can be customized:

# View current configuration
cat config.conf

# Key settings you can modify:
# - CURSOR_INSTALL_DIR: Installation directory
# - DOWNLOAD_TIMEOUT: Download timeout in seconds
# - AUTO_UPDATE_ENABLED: Enable/disable auto-updates
# - USE_COLORS: Enable/disable colored output

Disable Auto-Updates

sudo rm /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99-cursor-update

Re-enable Auto-Updates

sudo ./install-cursor.sh  # Will recreate the APT hook

Custom Installation Directory

Edit the CURSOR_DIR variable in install-cursor.sh before running:

# Change these lines in install-cursor.sh
CURSOR_DIR="/your/custom/data/path"
CURSOR_BINARY="/your/custom/bin/path/cursor"

Or modify the config.conf file:

CURSOR_INSTALL_DIR="/your/custom/data/path"

Project Structure

cursor-ide-setup/
├── install-cursor.sh       # Main installer script
├── uninstall-cursor.sh     # Complete removal script
├── test-installation.sh    # Installation validation
├── debug-install.sh        # Debug and troubleshooting
├── config.conf            # Configuration settings
├── Makefile              # Build automation
├── README.md             # This documentation
├── CHANGELOG.md          # Version history
└── ISSUES.md             # Known issues and solutions

🤝 Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests!

Development

To modify the scripts:

1. Edit the appropriate script file
2. Test in a virtual environment
3. Ensure proper error handling
4. Update this README if needed

📄 License

This project is open source. Use at your own risk.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Cursor team for creating an amazing AI-powered code editor
• Linux community for filesystem standards and best practices