Cursor — Guide | AI devotee

Cursor — User Guide

AI-first editor; VS Code fork.

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Strengths

Composer mode: describe requirements at once and automatically modify multiple related files
Understand the entire codebase context, not just the current file
Agent mode: autonomously perform multi-step tasks (create files, run commands, fix errors)
Fully compatible with VS Code, plug-ins and shortcut keys are seamlessly migrated
Supports GPT-4, Claude 3.5 and other underlying models and can be switched

Best for

Large-scale project reconstruction: modify multiple related files at one time to maintain logical consistency
New feature development: from requirement description to complete implementation, including test files
Understand unfamiliar code bases: quickly get started with other people's projects and ask "what does this function do?"
Full stack development: Modify the front and back ends at the same time to keep the interface consistent
Bug fix: Paste error message, automatically locate and fix it

Composer multi-file programming

Composer is Cursor's most powerful feature and can accomplish complex tasks across multiple files.

Scenario

Add user authentication function (involving multiple files)

Prompt example

I need to add JWT user authentication functionality to this Express.js
project, including:


1. User registration interface POST /api/auth/register


2. User login interface POST /api/auth/login, returns JWT token


3. Middleware: Verify JWT token and protect routes that require login


4. Add password hash storage in the User model




Please modify all related files, including routes, middleware, and models.

Output / what to expect

Cursor Composer automatically:

Modify models/User.js: add bcrypt password hashing
Create routes/auth.js: registration and login routes
Create middleware/auth.js: JWT verification middleware
Modify app.js: register new route
Update package.json: add jsonwebtoken, bcryptjs dependencies

All file modifications remain logically consistent and can be run directly.

Tips

Press Ctrl+I (Mac: Cmd+I) to open it in Composer, describe the requirements and press Enter to execute.

Scenario

Migrate JavaScript projects to TypeScript

Prompt example

Please migrate this project from JavaScript to TypeScript:


1. Add type annotations to all functions


2. Create the necessary interface and type definitions


3. Update tsconfig.json configuration


4. Fix all types of errors




Keep existing functionality as is, just add a type system.

Output / what to expect

Composer will scan the entire project, in batches:

Rename .js files to .ts
Add function parameters and return value types
Create types/index.ts to uniformly manage type definitions

-Configuration tsconfig.json

Fix type conflict

Tips

For large projects, it is recommended to migrate in modules. Composer only processes one directory at a time.

Chat conversational programming

Cursor Chat (Ctrl+L) enables code Q&A without leaving the editor.

Scenario

Understand complex legacy code

Prompt example

@codebase




What is the data flow for this project? From the time the user logs in to seeing
the homepage data,


What files and functions are passed through? Please describe it in the form
of a flow chart.

Output / what to expect

Cursor will analyze the entire code base and output:

Login process: LoginPage → authService.login() → JWT storage
Route guard: PrivateRoute check token
Data acquisition: useEffect → api.getDashboard() → Redux store
Rendering: Dashboard component reads data from store

Each step is labeled with the specific file name and line number.

Tips

Use `@codebase` to let Cursor analyze the entire project, and `@filename` to reference a specific file.

Scenario

Generate unit tests

Prompt example

@utils/dateHelper.js




Please generate complete unit tests for all functions in this file, using the
Jest framework.


Requirements cover: normal conditions, boundary values, error conditions.

Output / what to expect

Generate a complete test file utils/dateHelper.test.js, including:

Multiple test cases for each function
Boundary value testing (empty string, null, invalid date)
Error handling testing
Test coverage reaches 90%+

Tips

After generation, run `npm test` to check the coverage and let Cursor supplement the uncovered branches.

Agent autonomous execution mode

In Agent mode, Cursor can independently execute commands, create files, repair errors, and complete complete tasks.

Scenario

Build a React project from scratch

Prompt example

Help me build a React + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS project. The requirements
are:


1. Use Vite as a build tool


2. Configure ESLint and Prettier


3. Create a sample Todo List component


4. Configure all dependencies to ensure they can run directly

Output / what to expect

Agent will automatically execute:

npm create vite@latest Create project
npm install tailwindcss to install dependencies
Configure tailwind.config.js
Create the TodoList.tsx sample component
Run npm run dev to verify that it can start normally

The entire process requires no manual operation and takes about 2-3 minutes to complete.

Tips

Agent mode requires Cursor Pro, select "Agent" mode in Composer to enable it.

Compared with similar tools

Tool	Strength	Best for	Pricing
Cursor This tool	Multi-file Composer, Agent autonomous execution, understanding of the entire code base	Large-scale project reconstruction, new feature development, full-stack development	Free version (limited)/Pro $20/month
GitHub Copilot	IDE has the most mature integration, smoothest completion, and enterprise-level security	Daily coding completion, enterprise team	Individual $10/month
Windsurf	An AI IDE similar to Cursor, Cascade is powerful	Users who need an alternative to Cursor	Free version / Pro $15/month
VS Code + Copilot	The most stable and richest plug-in ecosystem	Users who do not want to change editors and already subscribe to Copilot	Copilot $10/month

Sources & references:

Cursor official documentation (2025-03)
Cursor Composer User Guide (2025-03)