Cursor usage, billing and limits
Dashboard at a glance
| What you need | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Dashboard URL | cursor.com/dashboard |
| Current usage (spent, tokens) | Usage tab → Spent, Token breakdown |
| Remaining allowance | Usage tab → Remaining allowance |
| Reset date | Usage tab → Reset date |
| Billing & spending cap | Billing tab → subscription, Usage-based pricing, Spending limit |
| When allowance hits zero | Named API models pause unless Usage-based pricing is on → On-demand charges accrue until Spending limit or cycle reset |
Sign in with the same account as the Cursor app. Official docs: Usage and limits .
What this page helps you do
The official Cursor dashboard shows numbers. This page explains what those numbers mean and what to do next:
See usage → understand the charge → identify the model consuming it → decide whether to change model, limit spending, or wait for reset.
That interpretation is why engineers bookmark this page alongside cursor.com/dashboard.
Why is Cursor charging me?
Unexpected charges usually trace to one of these meters on cursor.com/dashboard :
| Charge driver | What it is | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| Included allowance exhausted | Monthly USD pool on your plan is used up | Usage → Spent near plan limit; Remaining allowance near $0 |
| API-model usage | Named models (Sonnet, GPT, Opus, etc.) draw from the API pool | Usage → Token breakdown by model; pool meter in Usage |
| First-party / Auto usage | Auto, Composer 2.5, Grok 4.5 draw from a separate First-party models pool | Usage — check both pool meters after heavy agent weeks |
| Usage-based pricing | Continue at API rates after included usage runs out | Billing → Usage-based pricing toggle |
| On-demand charges | Pay-as-you-go line items after allowance is gone | Usage → On-demand charges |
| Spending limit | Hard cap on on-demand spend (not a plan feature by itself) | Billing → Spending limit |
| Billing-cycle reset | Allowance refills on the cycle date — unused balance does not roll over | Usage → Reset date; Billing → Manage Subscription |
If On-demand charges are climbing while Remaining allowance still shows headroom, you may be burning the API pool on frontier models while First-party allowance looks fine — check both meters and the per-model Token breakdown.
How much Cursor usage do I have left?
- Open cursor.com/dashboard and click Usage.
- Find Spent — included allowance used so far this cycle (USD).
- Find Remaining allowance — what you have left before exhaustion or on-demand billing.
- Check Reset date — when the cycle rolls over and allowance refills.
- If Remaining allowance is close to zero, check On-demand charges and whether Usage-based pricing is enabled under Billing.
Before a long Agent session, glance at Remaining allowance. If the API pool is low, switch to Auto or Composer so work draws from the First-party models pool instead.
How do I check my Cursor usage?
- Go to cursor.com/dashboard .
- Click Usage.
- Review Spent, Remaining allowance, On-demand charges, and Token breakdown by model.
- Note the Reset date — unused allowance does not roll over.
For a mid-session snapshot while coding, use the in-editor usage indicator in the sidebar; reconcile against the dashboard after heavy weeks.
Where is the Cursor usage dashboard?
| What you need | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Usage this cycle (spent, remaining, tokens) | cursor.com/dashboard → Usage |
| Subscription, usage-based pricing, spending cap | cursor.com/dashboard → Billing |
| Quick snapshot while coding | In-editor usage indicator (sidebar) |
| Team per-user usage | Teams dashboard |
Official URL: https://cursor.com/dashboard — sign in with the same account as the Cursor app.
When does Cursor usage reset?
Cursor usage resets on the Reset date shown on the Usage tab. Unused Remaining allowance does not carry into the next billing cycle.
To confirm billing-cycle timing, open Billing → Manage Subscription. Team admins can also use the Analytics API for org-wide cycle views.
Where can I see Cursor billing?
cursor.com/dashboard → Billing:
| Setting | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Subscription tier | Plan and renewal |
| Usage-based pricing | Continue at API rates after included usage runs out |
| Spending limit | Hard cap on on-demand charges |
| Manage Subscription | Plan changes and usage reset time |
Tab completions are unlimited on individual plans — you meter Agent, Chat, and named-model API calls.
How do I set a Cursor spending limit?
- Open cursor.com/dashboard → Billing.
- Enable Usage-based pricing if you want on-demand usage after included allowance runs out.
- Set Spending limit to the maximum on-demand charges you accept per cycle.
Set the limit before enabling usage-based pricing on a team account — on-demand charges can accrue quickly on frontier models.
What happens when I reach my Cursor usage limit?
When Remaining allowance hits zero:
- Named API models (Sonnet, GPT, Opus, etc.) stop for Agent/Chat unless Usage-based pricing is enabled.
- If usage-based pricing is on, On-demand charges accrue at API rates until you hit Spending limit or the Reset date.
- Auto and Composer may still work — they draw from the separate First-party models pool, which has its own meter on the Usage tab.
Compare Spent + Remaining allowance against your plan’s published limits (Usage and limits ). Mitigations: enable usage-based pricing with a cap, switch Agent defaults to Auto / Composer, or wait for cycle reset.
Can I see Cursor token usage by model?
Yes. On Usage → Token breakdown, Cursor splits tokens per model into:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Spent | Included allowance used so far (USD) |
| Remaining allowance | Left before exhaustion or on-demand billing |
| On-demand charges | Pay-as-you-go after included usage (if enabled) |
| Token breakdown | Input, cache write, cache read, output by model |
| Reset date | Cycle rollover |
What the dashboard does not show: full prompt text, per-file attribution, or third-party provider invoices — those live in provider consoles when you BYOK. Cursor shows Cursor-metered usage for models routed through Cursor’s infrastructure.
Two usage pools
Individual plans track two pools that reset monthly:
| Pool | Models | Allowance |
|---|---|---|
| API | Named models you pick — Sonnet, GPT, Opus, etc. | Monthly USD; scales with plan — Usage and limits |
| First-party models | Auto, Composer 2.5, Grok 4.5 | Separate, more generous meter |
Frontier models burn the API pool fastest. Auto and Composer use the First-party pool — default them for routine agent work.
Queries about Auto + Composer vs API usage pool breakdown refer to this split. Check both meters in the dashboard after a heavy week.
Usage vs plan limits
Compare Spent + Remaining allowance against your plan’s published limits (Usage and limits ). When the API pool nears zero:
- Enable usage-based pricing with a spending limit (Billing tab), or
- Switch Agent defaults to Auto / Composer, or
- Wait for cycle reset on the date shown in Usage
Team admins use the Analytics API and Admin API for org-wide views — individual dashboard tabs show account-level meters only.
In-editor usage indicator
Quick remaining allowance snapshot while coding. Use mid-session; reconcile against the dashboard after heavy weeks.
Teams and admin dashboards
| Surface | Audience | Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Teams dashboard | Admins | Per-user usage, seat management |
| Analytics API | Admins | Programmatic usage export |
cursor.com/dashboard | Individual | Your pools and billing |
Non-Auto third-party models on Teams: API rates plus Cursor Token Rate .
Debug from token groups
After a heavy Agent week, use Token breakdown to see which group dominates:
| Dominant group | Likely fix |
|---|---|
| Input | Shorten rules; disable MCP |
| Cache read | New chat per task |
| Cache write | Narrow attachments |
| Output | Auto/Composer; tighter prompts |
Guardrails
- Set a spending limit in Billing before enabling usage-based pricing
- Know which pool you are drawing from
- Team admins: analytics in Teams dashboard
Related
- Cursor hub — rules, MCP, pools, and cost optimization
- MCP
- Models & Pricing
- Usage and limits