Cursor hooks let you run logic around the agent loop. They can observe events, inject guidance, or block unsafe actions.

Use hooks for small, deterministic guardrails. Do not use them to reimplement a continuous integration system inside the editor.

Where Hooks Live

Cursor supports project and user hooks. Cloud Agents can run command-based hooks from .cursor/hooks.json when the hook type is supported in the cloud environment.

Project hooks are best for repository safety checks. User hooks are best for personal workflow preferences.

Hook Types

Cursor supports command hooks and prompt hooks. Command hooks can run scripts and use exit codes to influence the agent. A command hook that exits with code 2 can block an unsafe action before it happens and return the reason to the agent.

Good hook use cases include:

• Blocking edits to generated files.
• Warning when a command targets production.
• Adding repository-specific context at session start.
• Recording agent activity for local audit.

Keep Hooks Small

A hook should be fast, readable, and easy to disable during diagnosis. If a hook needs complex state, it probably belongs in a checked-in script with tests.

For example, a hook can call:

bun scripts/check-generated-file-edit.ts "$CURSOR_FILE"

The script owns the logic. The hook owns the integration point.

Local and cloud support are not identical. If a hook must run in Cloud Agents, keep it command-based, check it into the repository, and verify that the cloud support matrix covers the event you are using.

Security Posture

Hooks run code. Review them with the same suspicion you would apply to a build script. A malicious or sloppy hook can leak secrets, approve dangerous commands, or hide failures from the developer.