Grass vs Cursor: Which Should You Use for Mobile Agent Access?

If you are running Claude Code, OpenCode, or any agent outside of Cursor's ecosystem, Cursor's mobile interface cannot reach those sessions — Grass is built for exactly that scenario. If your entire workflow runs through Cursor and you want to dispatch tasks and check in later, Cursor's mobile agent is the natural choice. The two products solve adjacent but distinct problems, and the right answer depends on which agents you run and how much real-time control you need.

TL;DR

• Cursor's mobile agent is a PWA for dispatching and monitoring Cursor's own cloud-hosted agent
• Grass is a native iOS app for real-time monitoring and control of Claude Code, OpenCode, or any agent running on your own machine or server
• Cursor mobile requires a Pro plan ($20/mo) with usage-based pricing; Grass is free for local use
• Cursor agents run in Cursor's cloud; Grass connects to your machine or a Daytona workspace
• If you run Claude Code, Cursor's mobile interface has no visibility into those sessions at all

What is Cursor's mobile agent?

Cursor is an AI code editor built on VS Code by Anysphere. In June 2025, Cursor launched a web and mobile interface at cursor.com/agents — a PWA (progressive web app) that lets you dispatch tasks to Cursor's background agents and monitor their progress from any browser, including mobile. It is not a native app; it can be installed to the home screen on iOS or Android for a native-like feel, but it runs in a browser. Background agents run in Cursor's managed cloud infrastructure. Cursor reported over $500M in annualised revenue as of mid-2025 and is used by more than half the Fortune 500. The Cursor agent documentation covers the full agent capability set.

What is Grass?

Grass is a native iOS app (with an Android PWA) that connects to coding agents running on your own machine or a remote server like Daytona. You run grass start in your project directory, scan the QR code with the Grass app, and get live output, permission modals, and bidirectional chat from your phone. Grass supports Claude Code and OpenCode. It has no cloud infrastructure of its own — your agent runs where you put it. Grass is free for local use.

Head-to-head: Cursor mobile vs Grass

The clearest difference is agent support. Cursor's mobile interface only surfaces Cursor's own agent — if you run Claude Code locally, start an AI coding agent on a Daytona workspace, or use OpenCode, Cursor's mobile UI has no visibility into those sessions. Grass is agent-agnostic on your own infrastructure.

The second difference is the control model. Cursor's background agents are designed to run autonomously — the mobile UI is a dispatch and check-in interface, with the IDE as the primary workplace. Cursor's own framing makes this explicit: the mobile agent is for when you are away from your laptop; when you return, you pick up the work in Cursor. Grass is designed for continuous oversight: live output streaming, per-action approval modals, and the ability to redirect the agent mid-session without opening a laptop.

When to use Cursor's mobile agent

Cursor's mobile agent is the right choice when your workflow is already Cursor-native. If you use Cursor as your primary IDE, run Cursor's agent for most tasks, and want to dispatch work and check in on progress from your phone, the mobile interface fits naturally. It also has team collaboration features — sharing agent run links, reviewing diffs, triggering agents from Slack — that are useful in multi-developer environments. If you are comfortable with your code running on Cursor's cloud infrastructure and you are on a Pro plan, there is no friction to using the mobile interface.

When to use Grass

Grass is the right choice when you are running agents outside of Cursor's ecosystem or when you need granular real-time control over what the agent does. Specifically:

You run Claude Code or OpenCode. Cursor's mobile interface cannot see these sessions. Grass connects to mobile coding agent access for any agent running on your own machine — no cloud handoff required.

You want per-action oversight. Claude Code runs in default permission mode: it pauses at agent approval gates before writing files, running bash commands, or fetching URLs. Grass surfaces these as native modals on your phone. If knowing exactly what the agent does before it does it matters to you, Grass provides that control loop.

Your code stays on infrastructure you control. Grass has no cloud infrastructure of its own — it connects to wherever you choose to run your agent, whether that's your local machine, a VPS, or a Daytona workspace. Nothing is routed through Grass's servers. Cursor's background agents run on Anysphere's managed infrastructure — your code leaves your machine.

You run long Claude Code sessions. According to Anthropic's research on agent autonomy, the 99.9th percentile Claude Code turn duration exceeded 45 minutes as of early 2026 — and that's a single turn, not a full session. Cursor's mobile interface cannot reach those sessions at all. Grass is built for exactly this scenario.

You are not on Cursor Pro. Cursor's mobile agent requires a Pro plan with usage-based pricing enabled. Grass is free for local use — download the app, install the CLI, start a session.

The bottom line

Cursor's mobile agent and Grass are not competing for the same workflow. If you live in Cursor and want to delegate tasks from your phone, Cursor's mobile agent is the right tool — it is designed around that pattern. If you run Claude Code or OpenCode, or if you want live oversight of what your agent is doing rather than async check-ins, Grass fills the gap Cursor's mobile interface leaves. For developers running long Claude Code sessions overnight or on Daytona workspaces, Cursor's mobile UI does not reach those sessions at all — Grass does.

Frequently asked questions

Can Grass connect to a Cursor agent session?

No. Cursor's agent runs on Cursor's own cloud infrastructure — there is no way to connect an external tool like Grass to a Cursor agent session. Grass connects to Claude Code and OpenCode sessions running on infrastructure you control (your machine or a Daytona workspace). If your workflow is Claude Code or OpenCode, Grass is the right tool. If your workflow is exclusively Cursor's agent, Cursor's own mobile interface is the only option.

Does Cursor's mobile interface work on iOS and Android?

Cursor's mobile interface is a PWA (progressive web app) accessible at cursor.com/agents. It can be installed to the home screen on both iOS and Android for a native-like feel, but it runs in a browser — it is not distributed through the App Store or Google Play. Grass is a native iOS app (available in the App Store) with an Android PWA.

What plan do I need for Cursor's mobile agent?

Cursor's background agents and the mobile interface require a Pro plan ($20/month) with usage-based pricing enabled. The free tier does not include access to background agents or the mobile interface. Grass is free for local use — no subscription required to connect to your own machine.

If I use both Claude Code and Cursor, which mobile tool should I use?

Grass. Cursor's mobile interface only surfaces Cursor's own agent — it has no visibility into Claude Code sessions running locally. Grass connects to Claude Code and OpenCode from the same app. If your workflow spans both agents, Grass is the only mobile interface that covers both.

Is Cursor's agent running on my machine or in the cloud?

Cursor's background agents run on Cursor's managed cloud infrastructure — your code is sent to Anysphere's servers for the duration of the task. The IDE remains the primary workplace; the mobile interface is a dispatch and monitoring layer on top of that cloud execution. Grass takes the opposite approach: your agent runs on your own machine or a server you control, and Grass connects to it over your local network or Tailscale.

How does session persistence compare between Cursor mobile and Grass?

Cursor's background agents run in the cloud and persist independently of your devices — if your phone loses connection, the agent keeps running. Grass sessions also persist across phone disconnects: the agent keeps running on your machine, and when you reconnect, Grass replays any missed output using SSE sequence numbers and Last-Event-ID. The key difference is where persistence lives: Cursor's is in their cloud; Grass's is on your own infrastructure.