Cursor is the AI-first code editor built on VS Code. It's not just Copilot — it has context awareness, multi-file edits, and an agent mode that can plan and execute across your entire codebase. Here's how to use it effectively in production work.
What Makes Cursor Different
VS Code + Copilot: Autocomplete and single-file chat.
Cursor:
-
Cmd+K: Inline edit with natural language -
Cmd+L: Chat with codebase context -
Cmd+I: Composer — multi-file agent mode -
@mentions: Reference specific files, docs, or web pages - Automatic codebase indexing: Claude knows your entire project
Cmd+K: The Inline Editor
Select any code, press Cmd+K, describe the change:
Selected: the getUserById function
Prompt: "Add error handling for when user doesn't exist.
Throw a NotFoundError from lib/errors.ts"
Cursor shows a diff inline. Accept with Tab, reject with Esc.
For new code:
Cursor in empty function body, Cmd+K:
"Fetch user by ID from database, validate ownership against session userId,
return user or throw UnauthorizedError"
Cmd+L: Chat with Context
The chat sidebar has access to your entire codebase:
"What's the flow when a Stripe payment fails? Walk me through
the webhook handler to the database update to the email send."
Cursor indexes your codebase and finds the relevant files. The answer cites actual code with line numbers.
Use @ to add specific context:
"How should I handle errors in @lib/errors.ts
format given the pattern in @app/api/users/route.ts?"
Composer: Multi-File Agent Mode
For larger tasks that touch multiple files:
Cmd+I:
"Add a team invitations feature. When a user invites another by email:
1. Create an invitation record in the database
2. Send an email via Resend using the existing email setup
3. The recipient clicks a link and joins the team
4. Handle expired invitations (48hr TTL)
Reference the existing team management code in @app/[orgSlug]"
Composer plans the changes, shows you a summary, then applies them across all relevant files.
Context Management
Cursor's @ mentions let you be precise:
@app/api/webhooks/stripe/route.ts -- reference a specific file
@prisma/schema.prisma -- reference your schema
@Stripe docs -- pull in Stripe documentation
@https://docs.resend.com -- reference any URL
.cursorrules
The equivalent of CLAUDE.md for Cursor:
# .cursorrules
This is a Next.js 14 App Router project with TypeScript.
Stack:
- Database: Prisma + Neon (PostgreSQL)
- Auth: NextAuth v5 with Google + GitHub
- Payments: Stripe
- UI: Tailwind + shadcn/ui
- Testing: Vitest + Testing Library
Conventions:
- Prefer Server Components, use 'use client' only when necessary
- Validate all inputs with Zod at API boundaries
- Use the logger from lib/logger.ts (not console.log)
- Write tests for all utility functions
Workflow: Code Review
After writing code, Cmd+L:
"Review the code I just wrote in @app/api/checkout/route.ts.
Check for: security issues, missing error handling,
race conditions, anything that would fail in production."
Workflow: Debugging
Cmd+L with error pasted:
"TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'id')
at getUserById (/app/lib/users.ts:23:15)
Here's the function: @app/lib/users.ts
The error happens when processing a webhook from @app/api/webhooks/stripe/route.ts"
Privacy Settings
For proprietary codebases, disable telemetry and code sending:
Cursor Settings → Privacy → "Do not use my codebase for training"
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