Script to install and update the Cursor code editor

When searching the internet, I couldn't find a script to install and update Cursor, this editor that uses Artificial Intelligence with AI agents to assist and speed up development.

Script to install

#!/bin/bash

# Script: cursor-install.sh
# Description: This script automates the installation of the Cursor editor on Linux.
# It downloads the latest version of Cursor, installs it as an AppImage in /opt,
# and creates a shortcut in the system's application menu.
#
# Features:
# - Checks for and requests sudo privileges
# - Downloads the latest version of Cursor
# - Installs the AppImage to /opt
# - Creates a shortcut in the application menu
# - Handles download and installation errors

if [ "$EUID" -ne 0 ]; then
  echo "Requesting sudo access to install Cursor..."
  exec sudo "$0" "$@"
  exit $?
fi

if [ -f "/opt/cursor.appimage" ]; then
  echo "Cursor is already installed at /opt/cursor.appimage"
  echo "To update, use the cursor-update.sh script"
  exit 1
fi

TEMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
cd "$TEMP_DIR"

echo "Checking for the latest version of Cursor..."
if ! DOWNLOAD_INFO=$(curl -s -H "sec-ch-ua: \"Google Chrome\";v=\"135\", \"Not-A.Brand\";v=\"8\", \"Chromium\";v=\"135\"" \
  -H "sec-ch-ua-mobile: ?0" \
  -H "sec-ch-ua-platform: \"Linux\"" \
  "https://www.cursor.com/api/download?platform=linux-x64&releaseTrack=stable"); then
  echo "Error: Failed to fetch download information"
  exit 1
 

Script to update Cursor:

#!/bin/bash

# Script: cursor-update.sh
# Description: This script updates an existing installation of the Cursor editor on Linux.
# It downloads the latest version of Cursor, backs up the previous version,
# and updates the installation in /opt.
#
# Features:
# - Checks for and requests sudo privileges
# - Checks if Cursor is already installed
# - Downloads the latest version of Cursor
# - Backs up the previous version
# - Updates the installation in the same location

if [ "$EUID" -ne 0 ]; then
  echo "Requesting sudo access to update Cursor..."
  exec sudo "$0" "$@"
  exit $?
fi

if [ ! -f "/opt/cursor.appimage" ]; then
  echo "Error: Cursor is not installed at /opt/cursor.appimage"
  echo "Please run the installation script first"
  exit 1
fi

TEMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
cd "$TEMP_DIR"

echo "Checking for the latest version of Cursor..."
if ! DOWNLOAD_INFO=$(curl -s -H "sec-ch-ua: \"Google Chrome\";v=\"135\", \"Not-A.Brand\";v=\"8\", \"Chromium\";v=\"135\"" \
  -H "sec-ch-ua-mobile: ?0" \
  -H "sec-ch-ua-platform: \"Linux\"" \
  "https://www.cursor.com/api/download?platform=linux-x64&releaseTrack=stable"); then
  echo "Error: Failed to fetch download information"
  exit 1
fi

DOWNLOAD_URL=$(echo "$DOWNLOAD_INFO" | grep -o '"downloadUrl":"[^"]*"' | cut -d'"' -f4)
VERSION=$(echo "$DOWNLOAD_INFO" | grep -o '"version":"[^"]*"' | cut -d'"' -f4)

if [ -z "$DOWNLOAD_URL" ] || [ -z "$VERSION" ]; then
  echo "Error: Failed to parse download information"
  exit 1
fi

echo "Downloading Cursor version ${VERSION}..."
if ! curl -L -o cursor.AppImage "$DOWNLOAD_URL"; then
  echo "Error: Failed to download the Cursor AppImage"
  exit 1
fi

chmod +x cursor.AppImage

echo "Updating Cursor..."
mv /opt/cursor.appimage /opt/cursor.appimage.bak
mv cursor.AppImage /opt/cursor.appimage

echo "Update complete! The previous version was backed up to /opt/cursor.appimage.bak"
echo "You can now run the updated version of Cursor (version ${VERSION})"

# Cleanup
cd /
rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"
 

I use Linux, so I developed these scripts for this Operating System (OS), but if you need them for a different OS, just let me know.

Check out more useful everyday scripts on my GitHub (albertosouza): 🔗 https://github.com/albertosouza/scripts