GoModel & Cursor

Cursor can use GoModel through its OpenAI API Key and Override OpenAI Base URL settings. This is an available but limited integration path, not a gateway for every Cursor feature. Flow: Cursor IDE -> Cursor backend -> GoModel -> upstream model provider

GoModel must be available at a public HTTPS URL. Cursor routes requests through its backend for final prompt building, so http://localhost:8080/v1 is not a reliable Cursor base URL. Put a deployed GoModel instance behind TLS, or use a secure tunnel for a temporary test.

Cursor subscription and GoModel are separate

A paid Cursor subscription can be used alongside GoModel. It provides the Cursor editor and features that require Cursor’s infrastructure, and Cursor currently requires a paid plan for Agent and Edit with BYOK models. It does not provide upstream model credit to GoModel:

Route selected in Cursor	Model request goes to	Model inference billing
Cursor-hosted model or Auto	Cursor’s infrastructure	Cursor subscription usage
OpenAI BYOK with GoModel base URL	GoModel, then its configured provider	The provider account configured in GoModel
Composer, Grok, or Tab	Cursor’s infrastructure	Cursor subscription usage

Cursor’s included Cursor Models and Other Models usage cannot be used as GoModel provider credit. Cursor does not expose subscription models as a general OpenAI-compatible inference API. The Cursor SDK and Cloud Agents API run Cursor agents; they are not raw model endpoints that GoModel can use as an upstream provider.

When GoModel is selected, you therefore pay for the Cursor plan and for model usage on the provider account behind GoModel. Teams and Enterprise customers also pay Cursor’s token rate on eligible third-party BYOK requests.

What goes through GoModel

Cursor feature	GoModel gateway status
OpenAI-family chat models with BYOK	Works through the OpenAI base URL override
Custom OpenAI-compatible models	Available, but Cursor’s compatibility varies by model and release
Agent and tool calls	Can work; validate the selected model because Cursor’s tool schema has changed between releases
Image attachments	Supported on current Cursor releases; upgrade if an older release ignores the base URL
Tab completion	No; Cursor uses its built-in models
Auto, Cursor-native models, and Background Agents	Not fully replaced by BYOK
Cursor CLI	Custom API keys and base URLs are not currently supported

The OpenAI base URL override is global for OpenAI-family model routing. Disable it before using a Cursor-hosted model that should not go through GoModel.

Before you start

Deploy GoModel at a public HTTPS URL, such as https://gomodel.example.com.
Use a paid Cursor plan for Agent and Edit with the GoModel BYOK route.
Configure at least one upstream provider and model in GoModel.
Create a dedicated GoModel managed API key for Cursor at API Keys -> Create API Key in the dashboard.
Install a current Cursor release. Custom-endpoint fixes, including image routing, shipped during June 2026.

Cursor sends your API key to its backend with each request. Cursor states that the key is encrypted in transit and not persisted, but its Zero Data Retention policy does not apply to BYOK requests. Use a dedicated managed GoModel key rather than GOMODEL_MASTER_KEY.

1. Run GoModel

This example starts GoModel with an OpenAI upstream. In production, terminate TLS at a reverse proxy or load balancer and follow the production deployment guide.

docker run --rm -p 8080:8080 \
  -e GOMODEL_MASTER_KEY="change-me" \
  -e OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..." \
  enterpilot/gomodel

GOMODEL_MASTER_KEY administers GoModel. Do not enter it in Cursor after you have created a dedicated managed key.

2. Verify the public endpoint

Run these checks from a machine that is not on the private network hosting GoModel. Replace sk_gom_... with the dedicated key created for Cursor.

curl -s https://gomodel.example.com/v1/models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_gom_..." \
  | jq '.data[].id'

Then verify a small Chat Completions request:

curl -s https://gomodel.example.com/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_gom_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "gpt-4.1-mini",
    "messages": [
      {"role": "user", "content": "Reply with exactly ok"}
    ],
    "max_tokens": 16
  }'

The response should contain ok.

3. Choose a Cursor model name

The simplest setup uses an OpenAI-style model name that Cursor accepts, such as gpt-4.1-mini. Cursor forwards that model name unchanged to GoModel. GoModel normally lists provider-qualified selectors such as openai/gpt-4.1-mini. Create a virtual model whose short source name matches Cursor and whose target is the exact provider-qualified selector:

virtual_models:
  - source: gpt-4.1-mini
    target: openai/gpt-4.1-mini

You can also add a custom name in Cursor and use the same name as a GoModel virtual model. Avoid custom names beginning with claude- or gemini- because Cursor routes those through its provider-specific BYOK paths instead of the OpenAI base URL override.

4. Configure Cursor

Open the Models settings

In Cursor, open Cursor Settings -> Models.

Set the OpenAI API key

Find OpenAI API Key, enable it, and enter the dedicated GoModel managed key.

Override the OpenAI base URL

Enable Override OpenAI Base URL and enter https://gomodel.example.com/v1. Keep /v1; do not append /chat/completions or /responses.

Save the settings

Click Save. If your Cursor build shows Verify, use it as well.

Select the model

Open a new chat and select gpt-4.1-mini. If you created a custom virtual model, use Add Model in the Models settings and enter the exact source name first.

5. Validate Cursor traffic

Start with a text-only prompt:

Reply with exactly ok and no punctuation.

Then test Agent mode in a disposable project:

Create a file named gomodel-cursor-test.txt containing exactly tool-ok

Confirm the edit before accepting it. Sign in to GoModel’s dashboard separately with the master key or a dashboard-enabled managed key. Open Audit Logs and check that Cursor reached POST /v1/chat/completions and used the expected model.

A successful text prompt does not prove that every Agent tool works with the selected model. Cursor has previously mixed Responses-style custom tools into Chat Completions requests for some newer GPT models. If Agent mode fails but text chat succeeds, try a standard non-reasoning chat model first and inspect the GoModel audit response before changing the gateway.

Troubleshooting

Cursor cannot reach `localhost`

Use a public HTTPS URL. Cursor’s backend must be able to reach GoModel. A local address, private IP, or self-signed TLS certificate will not work reliably.

`401 Unauthorized`

Make sure the value in OpenAI API Key is the dedicated GoModel key and that the key has not been revoked. Do not enter an upstream provider key in Cursor.

`Model not found`

Cursor forwards the selected model name to GoModel. Copy the exact selector from /v1/models, or create a virtual model whose source matches the name shown in Cursor.

Cursor-hosted models stop working

The OpenAI override can affect other OpenAI-family and some Cursor-hosted model routes. Disable the custom OpenAI key and base URL before switching back to those models, then start a new chat.

Agent or tool calls fail while text works

Upgrade Cursor, retry with a standard OpenAI chat model, and inspect GoModel’s audit log for the upstream response. Custom endpoint support has had release-specific payload bugs, especially around custom tools on newer GPT models.

Images do not reach GoModel

Upgrade Cursor. Cursor fixed the custom-base-URL image routing issue in release 3.9.16 in June 2026. Older releases can validate the GoModel key against OpenAI directly and fail before the request reaches GoModel.

Security and privacy

This setup does not create a direct private connection from the Cursor desktop app to GoModel. Cursor’s backend remains in the request path for prompt construction and context retrieval. It also does not make Cursor Tab or other Cursor-hosted features use GoModel. For an internet-facing GoModel deployment:

use TLS with a publicly trusted certificate
give Cursor its own managed key rather than the master key
restrict the key’s user path and model access where appropriate
protect the admin dashboard separately from the public API
rotate the Cursor key if it is pasted or logged anywhere unintended

References

Cursor: Bring your own API key
Cursor: Models and pricing
Cursor: Cursor token rate
Cursor staff: Public HTTPS is required for custom endpoints
Cursor staff: How model routing works with the OpenAI override
Cursor staff: Subscription models are not a general inference API
Cursor staff: Paid plan requirement for BYOK Agent and Edit
Cursor staff: Custom endpoint image-routing fix
Cursor: Custom endpoint Agent payload discussion

Investigated on August 8, 2026

Current Cursor documentation and staff guidance confirm that the OpenAI base URL override can route model requests through an OpenAI-compatible gateway. GoModel already exposes the required /v1/models, /v1/chat/completions, and /v1/responses endpoints, so no GoModel application change is required for the documented path. Local GoModel validation with openai/gpt-4.1-mini confirmed text responses over Chat Completions and Responses, streaming Chat Completions, and a standard function tool call. The local test environment did not contain a runnable Cursor installation, so the Cursor UI flow was not claimed as an end-to-end local validation. The GoModel endpoints and model/tool behavior were tested separately; repeat step 5 with the deployed URL and your Cursor release before relying on Agent mode in production.

​Cursor subscription and GoModel are separate

​What goes through GoModel

​Before you start

​1. Run GoModel

​2. Verify the public endpoint

​3. Choose a Cursor model name

​4. Configure Cursor

​5. Validate Cursor traffic

​Troubleshooting

​Cursor cannot reach localhost

​401 Unauthorized

​Model not found

​Cursor-hosted models stop working

​Agent or tool calls fail while text works

​Images do not reach GoModel

​Security and privacy

​References

​Investigated on August 8, 2026

Cursor subscription and GoModel are separate

What goes through GoModel

Before you start

1. Run GoModel

2. Verify the public endpoint

3. Choose a Cursor model name

4. Configure Cursor

5. Validate Cursor traffic

Troubleshooting

Cursor cannot reach `localhost`

`401 Unauthorized`

`Model not found`

Cursor-hosted models stop working

Agent or tool calls fail while text works

Images do not reach GoModel

Security and privacy

References

Investigated on August 8, 2026