Does Pane replace Cursor?

No. Pane is not an IDE and does not replace Cursor. Cursor is an excellent code editor with built-in AI completions. Pane is an agent manager for running Claude Code, Codex, Aider, or other CLI agents in parallel. The two tools are complementary: keep Cursor for editing and inline AI completions, use Pane for parallel agentic workflows.

Can I use Pane and Cursor together?

Yes. This is the recommended setup. Use Cursor for your editing, completions, and file exploration. Use Pane for running Claude Code agents on larger tasks — refactors, new features, issue-to-PR workflows. Open the same repository in both tools simultaneously. Pane operates on worktrees (separate git checkouts), so there is no conflict with your Cursor workspace.

What about .cursorignore?

Pane does not have an equivalent to .cursorignore. Claude Code uses your .gitignore for file scoping. Pane creates worktrees that inherit your repository's full file tree. If you need to limit what the agent reads, use CLAUDE.md to describe which directories are off-limits, or pass specific paths in your prompt.

How do I migrate my Cursor rules?

Copy your .cursorrules file to CLAUDE.md at the repository root. The file format is plain text or markdown in both cases. Cursor rules and CLAUDE.md both provide project context to the AI — the content transfers directly. Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md automatically on every session; you do not need to reference it in your prompt.

← back to runpane.com

Migrate from Cursor

This guide is for Cursor users moving toward agentic workflows — running Claude Code or other terminal agents on larger, longer-horizon tasks. Cursor is still a great IDE. This is about the layer of work that is better served by terminal agents and a dedicated manager for running them in parallel.

concept mapping

cursor	pane	note
.cursorrules	CLAUDE.md	place at repo root; Claude Code reads it automatically on every session
Composer / Agent tab	a pane running Claude Code	each pane is a terminal running any CLI agent; worktree created automatically
tab model	worktree model	Cursor tabs share one workspace; Pane panes each get a separate git checkout — see note below
@-mentions for context	@filename + MCP servers	Claude Code supports @filename syntax; MCP servers extend context to external tools
auto-indexing	no equivalent	Claude Code reads files on demand; no background index
⌘L (chat)	agent terminal in each pane	the agent terminal is the chat; no separate chat panel
⌘I (Composer)	⌘K (command palette)	Pane's ⌘K opens git actions, not an AI composer — the agent lives in the terminal

The tab vs worktree mental model is the most important difference. Cursor's tabs let you view multiple files in one working directory. Pane's panes each have a separate git checkout of the repo. That isolation is what makes parallel agents safe — but it means you are not editing files "in Pane" the way you edit them in Cursor. Pane is for running agents; your editor stays your editor.

step-by-step migration

→ Step 1. Copy .cursorrules to CLAUDE.md at the repository root. The content is plain text in both cases — it transfers directly. Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md automatically on every session without a prompt reference.
→ Step 2. Identify your current Cursor Composer sessions. Each active, long-horizon Composer session maps to one Claude Code pane in Pane. Translate the task description into a prompt for Claude Code.
→ Step 3. Install Pane and open your repository. The first pane creates a worktree on a new branch automatically. Launch Claude Code with your task prompt.
→ Step 4. If you have custom keybindings in Cursor, note the actions (not the keys) and find the equivalent Pane shortcuts. Pane's ⌘K command palette lists all available actions.

what you give up

→ Inline AI completions. Pane is not an IDE. It has no inline completions. Keep Cursor (or VS Code with Copilot, or Zed) for that layer.
→ Cursor's IDE integration. File tree navigation, refactor commands, symbol search, debugger integration — none of these exist in Pane. Pane is a terminal manager, not an editor.
→ Auto-indexing. Cursor indexes your codebase to give the AI fast, accurate file references. Claude Code has no background index — it reads files on demand. For large codebases, this means the agent's first response may miss files it would have found with indexing.

what you gain

→ Parallel agents across worktrees. Run three Claude Code agents on three features simultaneously, each in an isolated worktree, without conflicts.
→ Full git workflow, keyboard-first. Diff, commit, push, rebase, squash, merge — all from keyboard shortcuts. ⌘D for diff. ⌘K for commit. No mouse required.
→ Cross-IDE. Pane works alongside any editor — VS Code, Helix, Neovim, Cursor. You are not locked into an editor to use Pane.
→ Agent-agnostic. Claude Code, Codex, Aider, Goose, or any CLI agent. Switch agents mid-task by switching what you launch in the pane's terminal.

frequently asked questions

Download*

Windows SmartScreen warningDirect downloads can show a SmartScreen warning while Pane is unsigned. Pane is fully open source, so you can audit the code and build from source yourself.1. Click More info2. Click Run anyway3. Continue the installerThe PowerShell install downloads the official release directly and avoids most browser download friction.npm global install

Paste that in PowerShell.MacLinux