Getting Started with Cursor
Cursor is VS Code with AI built in. It reads your entire codebase and writes code with full context. Here's how to set it up.
What you need
- • Cursor downloaded from cursor.com (free tier available, Pro is $20/month)
- • A project you want to work on.
Download and install Cursor
Go to cursor.com and download it. It's a fork of VS Code, so if you've used VS Code, everything feels familiar. Your extensions, themes, and settings carry over.
Import your VS Code settings during setup. Cursor will feel like home immediately.
Open a project
Open any folder or repo. Cursor automatically indexes your entire codebase so the AI understands your project structure, dependencies, and patterns.
The first index takes a minute on large projects. After that, it's instant.
Use Tab completion
Cursor predicts what you're about to type and shows ghost text. Hit Tab to accept. It's context-aware — it knows your variable names, function signatures, and coding patterns.
Don't fight the suggestions. Let them flow. You'll be surprised how often it guesses right.
Use Cmd+K for inline editing
Highlight code and press Cmd+K (or Ctrl+K) to tell the AI what to change. "Refactor this to use async/await" or "Add error handling here." It edits in place.
Be specific. "Add a try-catch that logs the error and returns null" beats "add error handling."
Use the Chat panel
Press Cmd+L to open Chat. Ask questions about your codebase, debug errors, or plan features. It sees your entire project as context.
Reference specific files with @filename. Ask "how does @auth.ts handle token refresh?" and it reads the file for you.
Use .cursorrules
Create a .cursorrules file in your project root to set AI behavior — coding style, framework conventions, what to avoid. Our guides include these.
Our guides come with .cursorrules files. Drop it in your project root and Cursor follows your conventions.
Ready to go?
Now that Cursor is set up, our premium build guides come with .cursorrules files and prompts that work right inside the editor. No context switching.