I Built ESLint for Cursor Agent Mode (and learned why packaging matters)

Manuel Fuß – AI Engineering & Agentic Development — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:32:30 +0000

Meh.

This week I wrapped the same tool as a Cursor Extension. One-click setup instead of npm install.

274 downloads in 12 hours.

Same product. Different packaging. Completely different result.

The Problem PULSE Solves

Agent Mode in Cursor is powerful. But it has no memory. No awareness of time. No guardrails.

You start a task, grab coffee, come back 45 minutes later - and the agent went completely off track. Or deleted files. Or committed secrets. Or looped through the same fix 12 times.

Cursor gives you Rules and MCP. But no system that uses them for actual control.

PULSE is that system.

What It Does

Time Control

Tracks time since last checkpoint
Reminds you after 15 min
Stops after 30 min without input

Loop Detection (5 patterns)

fix_chain: 3+ "fix" commits in a row
revert: Reverts in git log
churn: Same file changed 5+ times
pendeln: Back and forth between solutions
fix_no_test: Fix without test changes

Safeguards (6 checks)

SECRETS: API keys, passwords → blocked
PROD_URL: Production URLs → flagged
MASS_DELETE: File deletions → confirmation
BIG_CHANGESET: Too many changes → warning
UNKNOWN_DEPS: New packages → flagged
CONSOLE_LOG: Debug output → detected

Scope Presets

frontend: 10 files / 250 lines
backend: 15 files / 400 lines
fullstack: 15 files / 300 lines
monorepo: 25 files / 600 lines

Workflow Tools

pulse_run: Creates branch + structured mission
pulse_status: Time, scope, risk level
pulse_checkpoint: Commit with validation
pulse_doctor: Scan + loop detection
pulse_review: Decision briefing before merge
pulse_learn: Save solutions for next time

How It Works

Install the extension. Click "Setup Pulse" in the sidebar. Done.

PULSE creates:

.cursor/mcp.json (MCP server config)
.cursor/rules/pulse.mdc (Rules with alwaysApply: true)

After that, the agent calls the tools itself. Every message, it checks its status. No manual commands. No terminal switching.

The agent controls itself. You just steer.

The Lesson

I spent weeks building a solid CLI. Good docs. Clean architecture. The works.

Nobody cared.

Then I spent one day wrapping it as an extension. Same code. Just easier to install.

274 downloads in half a day.

Friction kills adoption. Doesn't matter how good your tool is if people won't try it.

Try It

Cursor Extension: Search "Pulse Framework" in Extensions

GitHub: github.com/manuelfussTC/PulseFramework

What I'm looking for:

⭐ Stars if it helps you
🧪 Feedback on what's missing or broken
🛠️ Contributors who want to build together

Open source. MIT license. PRs welcome.