Why You Should Start Using Anypoint Code Builder (Even If You Love Studio)

Why switch from Studio to ACB

I’ll go straight to the point. If you’re still using Studio, you’re not alone. But here’s the thing: MuleSoft is clearly shifting toward Anypoint Code Builder, and it’s already unlocking tools and features you just can’t get in Studio. In this video I’m going to show you why I made the switch, what it has helped me do, and how you can try it out without fully committing just yet.

ACB isn’t just a different interface — it’s a whole new developer workflow built on Visual Studio Code. It integrates with tools like Cursor AI and GitHub Copilot. And because it’s on VS Code, you can use source control or install other extensions like I have. Plus, new MuleSoft features like Agentforce topics are only available in ACB. Imagine what else will be available in ACB and not in Studio in the future.

Look, I’m not saying ditch Studio right now. It’s still the default for many teams, and ACB isn’t fully loaded for enterprise workflows yet. But you should absolutely start playing with it. That way, when your team does move, you’re already way ahead of them.

Take a look at this poll. Only 10% of the people in it (130 votes) are using ACB daily. The rest are on and off, tried it once or twice, or haven’t touched it. Statistics don’t lie — people aren’t really using ACB right now, but this will change eventually. Remember when we had Mule 3 and were switching to Mule 4, and Mule 4 was this scary new thing? That’s life. We try the new stuff, and eventually it’s the only stuff available. So why not try it now?

Installing the tools (Git + VS Code + the Anypoint Extension Pack)

First, install Git. Search for “git download” or go to the downloads page. It’ll set you up for Mac, Windows, or Linux.

Once you have Git, download Visual Studio Code. Again, you can download it for Mac, Windows, or Linux.

Now go to VS Code, head to the Extensions tab, look for the Anypoint Extension Pack, and install the whole thing. Do not, under any circumstances, install each extension one by one. You have to install the whole pack. If you already installed them individually, uninstall all of them, quit VS Code completely, reopen it, then install the Anypoint Extension Pack.

If you’re having any issues — and I’ve seen a lot of people having issues because they installed the others first — do the same: uninstall all the extensions, quit VS Code (even restart your computer if you need to), make sure you have Git and the latest version of VS Code, and only then install the Anypoint Extension Pack.

Once it’s installed, you’ll see the MuleSoft icon in the activity bar. Everything else is plain VS Code — if you’re new to it, this is a whole new environment, so go check out some tutorials on getting used to VS Code first. Then come back and start trying ACB once you already know how VS Code works.

Getting started — design, develop, or follow a tutorial

Start with something small. Click Design an API and begin with your API specification. Maybe don’t use the Agent topics just yet since you’re getting started. Add a project name and project location (in my case I always use Downloads). Pick your API type — REST or async, whatever you’re comfortable with — and your specification language (RAML, OAS, whatever). Select your business group only if you’re logged in; if you’re not, that’s fine, just don’t select anything. Click Create project and you’ve started with something familiar.

If you want to see code but don’t want to develop anything yet, go to Develop an integration. You can select a template or example project. There should be a Hello Mule or Hello World somewhere, but you can use any example — for instance, implementing a custom API policy in API Manager. Pick one you’re familiar with, or open it first in Studio so you can see the code there, then come here and click Add asset to follow along in ACB. That way you don’t feel lost, because it is a new thing, and we humans are naturally afraid of change.

You can also check out my videos — I have a ton on ACB now, and I practically don’t use Studio anymore.

Using Cursor instead of VS Code

If you’d rather go straight to Cursor instead of VS Code, you can. Cursor is technically another IDE (another application you install). Go to cursor.com, download the IDE, and install it. You still have to install Git and the other tools.

The Cursor UI is a tiny bit different from VS Code. So if you don’t want to switch twice — learning VS Code, then redoing everything in Cursor later — maybe just start with Cursor now. You can still do ACB in Cursor.

When you open Cursor, it looks like you can only open a project or clone a repo, but that’s not true. Look at the top: you can open the Extensions view just like in VS Code, search for the Anypoint Extension Pack, and install it (same rule — install the whole pack, not one by one). One difference: the activity bar that’s on the left in VS Code is at the top in Cursor. You can pin items to it. You can also show/hide the side view, the terminal panel, and the Cursor chat — which is the one I use most.

Getting used to the Cursor chat is its own thing: you can add context, use agents, attach images, use ⌘L to pull context from a file, and so on. Honestly, I feel Cursor is better than GitHub Copilot — don’t ask me why, it’s just a feeling. You also have Cursor settings for rules, MCP servers, and more. And in the command palette (⇧⌘P on Mac) you can search for themes and change them — you can even create your own. This works the same in VS Code and Cursor because it’s the same underlying editor.

Wrap-up

In summary, ACB is where MuleSoft is headed, and early adopters will shape how we build integrations tomorrow. You don’t have to switch completely today, but you should start getting your hands dirty now.

I’m here to help. If you have issues and you’ve already tried my troubleshooting tips, leave a comment and I’ll help as best I can. You can also reach out on LinkedIn. Remember, not all Studio features are available in ACB just yet — this is just to get you started. Let me know if you need a tutorial specific to ACB; I’m happy to create it so you can make the switch more easily. That’s all for this video — I’ll see you in the next one. Bye!