OpenCursor / Claude Code and Codex
Use your Claude or ChatGPT plan in a code editor
If you already pay for Claude or ChatGPT, you do not need another subscription to get an AI editor. OpenCursor drives the coding tool you are signed in to, so the work counts against your plan, and you keep an editor with chat, diffs you review, and checkpoints.
Updated October 29, 2026
How it works
Claude Code and the Codex CLI are the command line tools that come with a Claude or ChatGPT plan. OpenCursor finds them on your computer, starts them in the background for each message, and shows what they do in its own chat panel: the files they read, the edits they make and the commands they want to run.
Because the tool runs under your own login, usage is billed to your plan exactly as if you had typed the request in a terminal. OpenCursor never sees your password or token and has no server in between.
What you need
- Claude Code: a Claude Pro or Max plan, signed in with
claudeonce. - Codex: a ChatGPT plan, signed in with
codexonce. OpenCursor also finds the Codex that ships inside the ChatGPT desktop app. - Gemini CLI, Grok and OpenCode work the same way, each with its own sign in. OpenCode also has free models that need no account.
- If a tool is missing, OpenCursor offers to install it for you, without needing Node.js on your system first.
What you keep from the editor
- Every edit arrives as a diff you keep or undo, per hunk, per file or all at once.
- Checkpoints, so any step can be rolled back with its files.
- Agent, Plan, Debug and Ask modes, mapped to each tool's own settings.
- Permission levels: ask every time, an allowlist, Auto, or full access, honored by each tool as far as it allows.
- Switch between your subscription, an API key, a local model or a free model from the same menu, even mid conversation.
Getting started
- Install OpenCursor from opencursor.org.
- Open the model menu and choose Subscriptions. Tools you are signed in to show as ready.
- Pick Claude Code or Codex and start a chat.
Questions
Do I need an Anthropic or OpenAI API key?
No. With Claude Code or Codex signed in, OpenCursor uses your plan. An API key is only needed if you want to pay per request instead.
Does OpenCursor use my Claude login itself?
No. OpenCursor starts Anthropic's own claude program, which signs in and talks to Anthropic by itself, exactly as it does in a terminal. OpenCursor never reads, copies or reuses your login token. The same goes for Codex and your ChatGPT login.
Can I use both my plan and free models?
Yes. The model menu lists every source you have connected, and you can switch at any time.
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