name: enable-cursor-sound description: >- Enable Cursor's sound notification so you hear a chime when the agent finishes responding or is waiting for input. Use when the user says "enable cursor sound", "turn on notification sound", or "I keep missing agent messages".
Enable Cursor Agent Sound Notifications
Stop missing agent messages when you're working in another window. Cursor has a built-in sound that plays when the AI agent finishes responding or stops to wait for your input.
What Works
The setting is in the Cursor Preferences UI -- not in settings.json.
Steps
- Open Settings: press
Cmd+,(Mac) orCtrl+,(Windows/Linux) - Type "sound" in the search bar
- Enable "Play sound when agent finishes responding"
- (Optional) Also search for "flash" and enable "Flash taskbar on agent completion" for a visual backup
That's it. Test by sending a message, switching to another window, and listening for the chime when the response finishes.
What Does NOT Work
Do not try to enable this through settings.json. The following keys do not control the agent completion sound:
cursor.sound.enabled-- this is not a recognized Cursor settingaccessibility.signals.progress-- this is a VS Code accessibility signal for screen readers, unrelated to agent notifications
These were tested and confirmed to have no effect on agent completion sounds.
Troubleshooting
- No sound after enabling: Restart Cursor (close and reopen the app)
- Sound is too quiet: Increase your system alert volume. On macOS: System Settings > Sound > Alert volume. Cursor does not currently support custom notification sounds or volume control
- Works intermittently: The sound only plays for AI agent completions, not for regular terminal output or editor events. Short/instant replies may not trigger it
Sharing With Coworkers
Send them this checklist:
Cursor Agent Sound Notification — Quick Setup
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1. Open Settings (Cmd+, or Ctrl+,)
2. Search "sound"
3. Check "Play sound when agent finishes responding"
4. (Optional) Search "flash", enable "Flash taskbar on agent completion"
5. Test: send a message, switch windows, listen for the chime
6. If no sound: restart Cursor
Or drop this SKILL.md into your shared project's .cursor/skills/enable-cursor-sound/ directory so any team member's agent can walk them through it.