cursor-goal

A Codex-style /goal loop for Cursor Agent chat, with durable local state outside the workspace by default.

The agent loop runs in your existing Cursor chat, similar to Codex Goal mode. The CLI manages goal state, verification, and checkpoint accounting while you and the in-chat /goal skill do the work.

Install (npm): npm install -g cursor-goal && cursor-goal-install-skill --global

Repo: https://github.com/Niko96-dotcom/cursor-goal · npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/cursor-goal

What it copies from Codex Goal mode

• /goal <objective> sets or replaces the active goal.
• /goal / cursor-goal shows the current goal.
• /goal pause, /goal resume, /goal clear, and /goal edit manage lifecycle.
• Goal text is both the starting prompt and completion criteria.
• Durable local state and audit logs without writing workspace .goal/ by default.
• Each checkpoint ends with GOAL_STATUS / GOAL_REASON and optional shell verification.
• Continuation is suppressed when verification fails with no tool calls.

Requirements

• Node.js 22+
• Cursor Agent chat (for the loop itself)
• cursor-goal on PATH and the goal skill installed (see Install)

Install

npm (recommended)

npm install -g cursor-goal
cursor-goal-install-skill --global

From source

git clone https://github.com/Niko96-dotcom/cursor-goal.git
cd cursor-goal
npm install
npm run build
npm link
npm run install-skill:global

Full paths, uninstall, and troubleshooting: docs/install.md.

Use /goal in Cursor (primary)

/goal Make the auth test suite pass without changing public API behavior. Verify with npm test -- auth.

The skill runs the loop in the current chat:

1. Sets durable local state via cursor-goal when needed.
2. Makes checkpoint progress with normal Cursor tools.
3. Ends each checkpoint with GOAL_STATUS / GOAL_REASON.
4. Records evidence with cursor-goal checkpoint (verification + state update).
5. Continues while status is active and budget remains.

CLI (state + verification helpers)

cursor-goal                                         # status
cursor-goal "<objective>" --verify "npm test"       # set goal
cursor-goal pause | resume | clear | edit "<obj>"   # lifecycle
cursor-goal prompt                                  # print continuation contract
cursor-goal checkpoint --tool-calls 3 <<'EOF'       # after a checkpoint
...
GOAL_STATUS: CONTINUE
GOAL_REASON: two tests still failing
EOF

Setting or resuming a goal prints: Continue in Cursor Agent chat with: /goal resume

Alias: cgoal (same binary).

Strong goal pattern

/goal <desired end state>, verified by <specific command or artifact>, while preserving <constraints>. Use <allowed files/tools>. Between checkpoints, record what changed, what evidence was checked, and the next best action. If blocked, stop with the blocker and the input needed.

More examples: examples/goal-prompts.md.

How it works

Cursor chat (/goal)  →  work + GOAL_STATUS lines
                     →  cursor-goal checkpoint  →  verify shell cmd  →  local state
                     →  continue in chat if still active

By default, state is stored under the user state directory ($XDG_STATE_HOME/cursor-goal/... or ~/.local/state/cursor-goal/...) so a workspace does not gain a .goal/ directory. Use --state-dir .goal or CURSOR_GOAL_STATE_SCOPE=workspace for legacy workspace-local state.

Verification

See docs/smoke-test.md. npm test is zero-token smoke for CLI lifecycle + checkpoint recording.

Docs

Doc	Purpose
docs/install.md	Install, skill, uninstall, troubleshooting
docs/smoke-test.md	Automated and manual verification
docs/publishing.md	Releases and npm CI
docs/codex-goal-research.md	Codex Goal-mode alignment notes
docs/native-parity.md	Native Codex vs Cursor parity harness and contract
CHANGELOG.md	Version history

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md.

Disclaimer

This project is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OpenAI (Codex) or Cursor. Codex and Cursor are trademarks of their respective owners. cursor-goal implements a similar workflow inspired by public Codex Goal-mode documentation.

License

MIT