Cursor · macOS

Cursor Agent Notifications: Know When the Agent Is Done

Long agent runs are exactly when you switch to something else — and exactly when Cursor finishes or stops to ask permission for a shell command. This guide covers how to get a reliable sound and visual notification on your Mac when the Cursor agent completes, using Cursor's built-in setting or AI Done Now for native, clickable alerts.

The zero-config way: AI Done Now

AI Done Now is a native macOS menu bar app that delivers a sound and a clickable notification banner whenever Cursor needs you:

  • The Cursor agent finishes a task
  • Cursor wants to run a shell command
  • Cursor wants to use an MCP tool

  1. 1. Get the app

    One-time purchase, all future updates included. No data leaves your Mac except your license key for activation.

    Buy Now

  2. 2. Install & activate

    Download the app, open it, and enter your license key. You're ready in under a minute.

  3. 3. Start monitoring Cursor

    Open AI Done Now from your menu bar and click Start next to Cursor. No settings to edit, nothing to restart.

Sound + banner

See the alert even with your volume off.

Click-to-focus

Clicking the notification jumps back to your tool.

All four tools

One app for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Gemini CLI.

The built-in way: Cursor's notification setting

Cursor ships a basic completion sound and system notification you can switch on in settings.

  1. 1. Open Cursor Settings

    Press Cmd+Shift+J (or Cursor menu → Settings) and search for "notifications".

  2. 2. Enable the completion sound and system notification

    Toggle on the sound played when the agent finishes and the system notification option if available in your version.

Where the manual setup falls short

  • -Notifications are easy to miss when Cursor is minimized or on another desktop/space.
  • -Clicking the notification doesn't reliably bring the right Cursor window to the foreground.
  • -It only covers Cursor — if you also run Claude Code, Codex or Gemini CLI in a terminal, they stay silent.

Frequently asked questions

Does Cursor notify you when the agent finishes?

Cursor has a built-in completion sound you can enable in Settings, but it's easy to miss when the app is minimized. AI Done Now adds a native macOS notification banner plus sound, and clicking the banner focuses Cursor instantly.

How do I get a system notification when the Cursor agent completes?

Install AI Done Now and click Start next to Cursor in the menu bar app. You'll get a native macOS banner and sound whenever the agent finishes, wants to run a shell command, or wants to use an MCP tool — no configuration needed.

Can I get notified when Cursor asks for permission to run a command?

Yes. AI Done Now notifies you when Cursor pauses for approval on a shell command or MCP tool call, so long agent runs don't silently stall while you're in another app.

Using other AI coding tools?

Claude Code notifications

Get notified when Claude Code finishes.

Codex notifications

Get notified when Codex finishes.

Gemini CLI notifications

Get notified when Gemini CLI finishes.

Full setup and troubleshooting in the documentation.