CLI Debug Mode and /btw Support

Source: Cursor Date: 2026-04-14 URL: https://cursor.com/changelog/04-14-26

Summary

Cursor CLI adds /debug (hypothesis generation and log analysis for hard-to-reproduce bugs), /btw (side questions without interrupting main agent task), /config (interactive settings panel for model and runtime preferences), and /statusline customization. Model picker now accessible without clearing prompts. Auto-run extends to Debug Mode and Plan Mode. Proactive auto-run suggestions after three consecutive manual enablements.

Implications

Agent-IDE feature race. /btw is a novel interaction primitive — asking side questions while an agent is running without context-switching or stopping the task. This addresses one of the core friction points of working with long-running agents: you can’t easily query the agent about tangential concerns without derailing the main task. No CLI competitor has an equivalent.

Agent-IDE feature race (/debug). The /debug command (hypothesis generation + log analysis) operationalizes the Debug Mode capability from the GUI (2.2) inside the CLI. Proactive auto-run suggestion after three manual enablements is a subtle behavioral nudge: Cursor is learning usage patterns and reducing friction based on demonstrated intent, not just explicit configuration.

Watch: Whether /btw evolves into a parallel context thread (side conversations that don’t share context with the main agent) and whether /debug integrates with MCP server log sources for external system debugging.