Launching Aikido for Cursor AI

Cursor AI has quickly become the hot AI code editor, rapidly gaining popularity with developers looking to write code faster and more efficiently. But while Cursor accelerates coding, how can devs trust that Gen AI code is secure?

TL;DR: with Aikido x Cursor, devs can secure their code as it’s written generated.

If you’ve missed the hype so far, Cursor is an “AI Native” IDE built on VSCode. It operates in an increasingly crowded field of Gen AI coding copilot startups, competing with Github Co-pilot, Cognition, Poolside, Magic, and Augment amongst others.

While Cursor was founded in 2022, but it wasn’t until mid-2024 that Cursor began its meteoric rise to the front of the Gen AI code race, around the same time that Cursor added Sonnet 3.5M as their default model... Below is a snapshot from last week’s ‘The Pragmatic Engineer” by Gregely Orosz, the #1 tech newsletter on substack, covering how developers rank different IDEs with GenAI features:

While respondents are likely mostly early adopters, it is still pretty impressive to see Cursor as a new entrant capturing hearts & minds so quickly. It’s no surprise they’ve since raised $60m in Series A funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital, OpenAI, Jeff Dean, Noam Brown, and the founders of Stripe, GitHub, Ramp, Perplexity, and OpenAI, among others.

That’s why Aikido Security is excited to launch our new integration with Cursor AI. Aikido x Cursor brings real-time security into the Cursor IDE, helping developers write and generate secure code from the start—without breaking stride.

How the Integration Works

Today you can integrate Aikido directly into your Cursor IDE. Aikido will scan your codebase for secrets, API keys and SAST code issues as you develop, whenever you open or save a file.

If any issues are detected, Aikido highlights them in the editor and displays issues in the Problems panel. When you hover over a detected SAST issue, additional tl;dr context about the problem is provided. In some instances, you can even fix issues with Cursor’s suggestions in chat (though its still rusty).

1. Detect Vulnerabilities Instantly
   Aikido scans code as it’s generated, identifying security vulnerabilities in real time. Clear, concise explanations ensure you know what the issue is and why it matters—no overcomplicated reports.
2. Fix Issues with One Click
   When a vulnerability is flagged, Cursor can generate fix suggestions in one click. You can apply it directly from within Cursor’s chat interface. Be aware that not all of Cursor’s suggestions are valid.
3. Stay Focused
   Everything happens within the Cursor IDE. There’s no need to switch tools, run external scans, or juggle separate platforms. Aikido integrates seamlessly into the IDE, so you can focus on building while knowing your code is secure.

Why It Matters

There’s no doubting the impact Gen AI will have on engineering. AI code generators or co-pilots are not infallible. On one hand, Gen AI can be used to increase security (more on this very soon!). On the other hand, they will also inevitably introduce vulnerabilities as well. We are all waiting for the day that AI can finish the nitty gritty. Today we are a step closer.

This integration allows developers to stay in the fast lane and build secure applications while leveraging the best of AI-driven tools while being assured the output is secure. Get security done. Get back to building.

Get Started

The Aikido integration is available now for Cursor users. For now, you will need a paid subscription to integrate. Follow the steps below:

Step 1. Head over to the Visual Studio Code Marketplace and follow the instructions on how to install an extension in Cursor.

Step 2. In Aikido, go to the Cursor IDE integration page and create your token.

Step 3. Check out the examples in our docs on the Visual Studio Marketplace to test whether everything works well.

Step 4. Get back to building.

Secure your code as it's written generated.