Cursor NixOS Flake

A clean, simple NixOS flake for packaging the Cursor AI-powered code editor.

📦 What This Flake Provides

This flake packages Cursor as a Nix package that can be easily integrated into any NixOS system or used standalone.

Packages:

• packages.x86_64-linux.cursor - The Cursor editor with full desktop integration
• packages.x86_64-linux.default - Same as cursor (default package)

Features:

• ✅ Complete Desktop Integration - Includes icon extraction and desktop entry
• ✅ Icon Support - Automatically extracts and installs Cursor icon from AppImage
• ✅ MIME Type Associations - Supports opening various file types with Cursor
• ✅ Version Management - Built-in version checking (cursor --version)
• ✅ Update Disabled - Prevents Cursor's built-in updater (managed by Nix instead)

🚀 Quick Start

Using in Your NixOS Configuration

Add this flake as an input to your main system flake:

{
  inputs = {
    nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
    cursor-flake = {
      url = "path:/path/to/cursor-flake"; # Update this path
      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    };
    # ... other inputs
  };

  outputs = { nixpkgs, cursor-flake, ... }: {
    nixosConfigurations.your-hostname = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      # ...
      modules = [
        ./configuration.nix
        {
          # Add Cursor to your system packages
          environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
            cursor-flake.packages.x86_64-linux.cursor
            # ... other packages
          ];
        }
        # Or in home-manager:
        {
          home-manager.users.your-username = { pkgs, ... }: {
            home.packages = [
              cursor-flake.packages.x86_64-linux.cursor
              # ... other packages
            ];
          };
        }
      ];
    };
  };
}

Standalone Usage

You can also build and run Cursor directly from this flake:

# Build the package
nix build .#cursor

# Run Cursor
./result/bin/cursor

# Or run directly without building
nix run .#cursor

🔄 Updating Cursor

When a new version of Cursor is released, use the included update script:

Method 1: Automatic with URL

./update-cursor.sh "https://downloads.cursor.com/production/[hash]/linux/x64/Cursor-1.6.0-x86_64.AppImage"

Method 2: Interactive

./update-cursor.sh
# Follow the prompts to enter version or URL

Method 3: Version number

./update-cursor.sh "1.6.0"
# Script will prompt for the full download URL

The script will automatically:

• ✅ Update the version in flake.nix
• ✅ Update the download URL
• ✅ Fetch and update the SHA256 hash
• ✅ Test that the package builds correctly
• ✅ Verify the version is correct
• ✅ Confirm icon extraction and desktop entry creation

📁 Repository Structure

cursor-flake/
├── flake.nix              # Main flake configuration (package-only)
├── flake.lock             # Flake lock file
├── update-cursor.sh       # Update script for new versions
├── README.md              # This file
├── LICENSE                # MIT License
└── archive-old-system-configs/  # Archived old system configs
    ├── configuration.nix  # (archived - was for full system setup)
    ├── home.nix          # (archived - was for home-manager)
    └── ...               # (other archived files)

🔧 Development

Testing Changes

# Test that the package builds
nix build .#cursor

# Test that it runs
./result/bin/cursor --version

# Clean build (removes cached results)
nix build .#cursor --rebuild

Manual Updates

If you prefer to update manually:

1. Get the new AppImage URL from cursor.sh
2. Update version and URL in flake.nix
3. Get the new hash:

   nix-prefetch-url "https://downloads.cursor.com/production/[hash]/linux/x64/Cursor-X.Y.Z-x86_64.AppImage"

4. Update the hash in flake.nix
5. Test: nix build .#cursor

🏗️ Architecture

This flake uses appimageTools.extract and appimageTools.wrapType2 to properly package the Cursor AppImage with all necessary dependencies and desktop integration. The packaging process:

• Extracts AppImage contents to access embedded icons and metadata
• Bundles required system libraries using appimageTools
• Installs icons to standard XDG locations (/share/pixmaps, /share/icons/hicolor/)
• Creates desktop entry with proper MIME type associations
• Sets up environment variables for optimal compatibility
• Disables built-in updater (managed by Nix instead)
• Creates temporary directories to avoid permission issues
• Provides clean cursor command with version support

🆚 Migration from Complex Structure

This flake was simplified from a previous version that included full NixOS system configurations. The old structure has been archived in archive-old-system-configs/ for reference.

Benefits of the new structure:

• ✅ Focused: Just packages Cursor, nothing else
• ✅ Reusable: Easy to integrate into any NixOS system
• ✅ Maintainable: No complex system configurations to maintain
• ✅ Safe: No risk of breaking your system during updates
• ✅ Consistent: Matches the pattern of other package flakes

📜 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file.

🤝 Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome! Please test any changes by running:

nix build .#cursor
./result/bin/cursor --version

🔗 Related

• Cursor Official Website
• NixOS Documentation
• Nix Flakes Documentation