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Cursor plugins

#tools#ai

"Plugin" in the Cursor world isn't one thing — it's a loose bucket for three different extension surfaces:

  • VS Code extensions. Because Cursor is a VS Code fork, most extensions work as-is. Cursor ships its own marketplace (backed by Open VSX), so the install flow is familiar but the catalog is smaller than the Microsoft Marketplace. Use for language support, linters, themes, git UIs.
  • @-context providers. First-class ways to feed the agent extra context: @files, @folders, @docs (indexed third-party docs), @web (live search), @git. These ship with Cursor; you don't install them.
  • MCP servers. The modern "plugin" for agent capabilities — a browser, a database client, an email tool. Configured via .cursor/mcp.json or user settings, not installed from a marketplace.

Mental model: VS Code extensions extend the editor, MCP servers extend the agent, and @ providers are the built-in bridge between the two. When someone says "Cursor plugin", ask which of the three they mean.