Developer data protection
Cursor
Review Cursor CLI as a new client
An approved Cursor IDE does not by itself document the effective settings of a newly introduced CLI. Review the CLI’s authenticated account, organisation controls, configuration, permissions and execution location. Compare the observed values with the IDE approval, then decide what can carry forward and what needs a separate check.
For Engineering platform and endpoint IT
Record what changes before extending workplace access.
Illustrative client labels only. Effective settings and approval outcomes are unverified.01
Name the change in the workflow
A developer may add a CLI to run from a terminal, automation session or different machine. That changes more than the way a prompt is typed. The process may start in a different directory, inherit a different environment or authenticate separately from the graphical editor.
Start the worksheet with the already approved IDE configuration. Then record the proposed CLI version, launch context and intended tasks. Do not fill the CLI column by copying the IDE column. Mark a value confirmed only when current documentation or the effective client state supports it.
Source context: Cursor: CLI overview
02
Verify the account and administrative boundary
Record which identity and team the CLI uses and who owns the subscription. Confirm that the organisation’s intended privacy and administrative policies apply to that account. A user recognising the same brand or email address is not sufficient evidence that every control is equivalent.
Cursor documents team Privacy Mode enforcement and an Allowed Team IDs device policy. Those are Cursor controls, with their own scope and prerequisites. Check how the intended CLI deployment participates rather than assuming a desktop editor setting or an Aona installation enforces the same account restriction.
Source context: Cursor: Privacy and Data Governance · Cursor: CLI authentication
03
Compare effective configuration, not screenshots alone
Cursor documents global CLI settings in cli-config.json and project permissions in .cursor/cli.json; only permissions are configurable at project level. Review these sources and the administrator responsible rather than copying editor settings. Preserve the effective values and a short evidence reference, not credentials or a full environment dump.
A repository can carry local configuration while the terminal inherits machine state. Check both at the point the CLI starts. Avoid changing global settings during this comparison. If a setting is missing, unclear or unsupported in the chosen client, leave the decision open and obtain a current vendor answer.
| Boundary | IDE approval record | CLI evidence needed |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Approved user and team | Actual CLI sign-in and team scope |
| Configuration | Known managed and local settings | Documented sources and effective values |
| Permissions | Approved interaction mode | CLI mode and operation permissions |
| Execution | Local editor workspace | Working directory, environment and remote location |
Source context: Cursor: CLI configuration · Cursor: CLI permissions
04
Use a read-only approval worksheet
The download is a comparison record, not a script that configures either client. Its synthetic account labels and blank evidence cells make the unreviewed state clear. Fill it from approved administration screens, documentation and a separate test environment; do not export tokens, shell history or customer data.
Use the linked exclusion guide when a filesystem question needs a canary test. Use the Privacy Mode guide for transfer, retention and training terms. This page owns the change decision: which facts remain valid after adding the CLI, which differ and who accepts the remaining gap.
05
Approve a bounded introduction
The resulting approval should identify permitted tasks, account, machine or environment, client version and required controls. Include a rollback or pause owner if the team cannot establish the intended boundary. A CLI that has not been reviewed can remain outside the approved workflow without invalidating every permitted IDE task.
Recheck on client upgrades, sign-in changes, new remote environments and administrative-policy changes. Keep a versioned comparison rather than a timeless “same as the IDE” statement. That gives engineering a clear route to add useful tooling and security a record of the actual decision.
Put it into practice
Cursor IDE-to-CLI approval worksheet
Record account, configuration and execution differences before extending an IDE approval.
Illustrative client labels only. Effective settings and approval outcomes are unverified.
| Control | Approved IDE | Proposed CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Account/team | Record existing evidence | Verify actual sign-in |
| Privacy/admin policy | Record scope | Verify applicability |
| Configuration/permissions | Record effective settings | Inspect independently |
| Execution location | Record workspace | Local, remote or automation |
Work through your review
Use the checks to organise the evidence you need. Your selections stay in this tab.
0 of 3 reviewed
Example files for this task
Keep the source material and the instructions together. You can also download the complete worksheet or matrix as CSV.
README.mdInspect
# Cursor client approval worksheet
This pack is inert and contains no configuration changes, credentials or network calls. It does not establish that IDE settings transfer to a CLI.
Use client-comparison.csv with current official documentation and approved administrative evidence. Record only non-secret identifiers and evidence locations. Refer to the separate canary guide for file-access testing and the Privacy Mode guide for provider data terms.
## Guide and source references
Canonical guide: https://aona.ai/resources/guides/cursor-ide-cli-security-settings/
Source review: 2026-09-21
- Cursor: CLI overview: https://cursor.com/docs/cli/overview
- Cursor: CLI authentication: https://cursor.com/docs/cli/reference/authentication
- Cursor: CLI configuration: https://cursor.com/docs/cli/reference/configuration
- Cursor: CLI permissions: https://cursor.com/docs/cli/reference/permissions
- Cursor: Privacy and Data Governance: https://cursor.com/docs/enterprise/privacy-and-data-governance
client-comparison.csvInspect
boundary,ide_record,cli_record,evidence,owner,decision
Account and team,RECORD,UNVERIFIED,,ASSIGN,OPEN
Client version,RECORD,UNVERIFIED,,ASSIGN,OPEN
Privacy and administrative policy,RECORD,UNVERIFIED,,ASSIGN,OPEN
Managed configuration,RECORD,UNVERIFIED,,ASSIGN,OPEN
User and project configuration,RECORD,UNVERIFIED,,ASSIGN,OPEN
Permission mode,RECORD,UNVERIFIED,,ASSIGN,OPEN
Working directory,RECORD,UNVERIFIED,,ASSIGN,OPEN
Inherited environment scope,RECORD,UNVERIFIED,,ASSIGN,OPEN
Local or remote execution,RECORD,UNVERIFIED,,ASSIGN,OPEN
approval-record.mdInspect
# CLI introduction decision
Illustrative client labels: APPROVED_IDE_EXAMPLE and PROPOSED_CLI_EXAMPLE. No actual account or policy values are supplied.
Permitted tasks: ____________________
Approved account/team and administrator: ____________________
Machines or execution environments: ____________________
CLI version and launch method: ____________________
Differences resolved: ____________________
Unresolved differences and owners: ____________________
Decision: NOT YET REVIEWED
Review date: ____________________
Pause/rollback owner: ____________________
Recheck triggers: version, identity, policy, launch environment, remote workspace.
Before you proceed
Keep these distinctions clear
- Copying the IDE column
- Record effective CLI evidence even when the intended policy is identical.
- Collecting sensitive evidence
- A settings comparison needs scope and references, not raw tokens, private configuration values or environment dumps.
Apply it to employee AI use
Bring your actual data path.
Aona can help evaluate the employee endpoint paths introduced by a new coding client.
Aona coverage and Cursor administrative controls are separate. Confirm native release, OS, transport and intended CLI action; do not infer universal support.
Bring the client comparison and one permitted synthetic task to a scoped developer endpoint review.
Review your use caseFAQ
Questions for this decision
Does this guide say Cursor IDE and CLI settings never transfer?
Should we copy the IDE configuration file into the CLI?
Do we need to repeat all code-disclosure training?
Can Aona enforce Cursor’s team sign-in policy?
Evidence behind the guide
Sources and scope
Prepared by Aona. Sources checked 2026-09-21. The cited material supports the specific points below; it does not certify a product or your use case.
- Cursor: CLI overview
Establishes the CLI as a distinct client and documents its usage.
vendor · checked 2026-09-21 - Cursor: CLI authentication
Describes supported CLI authentication paths.
vendor · checked 2026-09-21 - Cursor: CLI configuration
Documents CLI configuration mechanisms.
vendor · checked 2026-09-21 - Cursor: CLI permissions
Documents permission configuration for the CLI.
vendor · checked 2026-09-21 - Cursor: Privacy and Data Governance
Documents team Privacy Mode and account/device policy considerations.
vendor · checked 2026-09-21