Cursor

Cursor is an AI-powered code editor built on VS Code that integrates advanced AI capabilities for code generation, editing, and debugging with support for multiple AI models including GPT-4 and Claude.

Installation & Setup

Command	Description
Download from cursor.sh	Install Cursor from official website
cursor --version	Check installed version
cursor .	Open current directory in Cursor
cursor file.py	Open specific file
cursor --help	Display help information
cursor --extensions-dir	Show extensions directory

Basic AI Features

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl+K / Cmd+K	Open AI command palette
Ctrl+L / Cmd+L	Open AI chat panel
Ctrl+I / Cmd+I	Inline AI editing
Tab	Accept AI suggestion
Escape	Reject AI suggestion
Alt+] / Option+]	Next AI suggestion
Alt+[ / Option+[	Previous AI suggestion

AI Chat Commands

Command	Description
@workspace	Reference entire workspace
@file	Reference specific file
@folder	Reference folder contents
@code	Reference selected code
@docs	Reference documentation
@web	Search web for context
@git	Reference git history

Code Generation

Inline Generation

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl+K then type prompt	Generate code inline
Ctrl+K then Ctrl+A	Generate entire file
Ctrl+K then Ctrl+D	Generate documentation
Ctrl+K then Ctrl+T	Generate tests
Ctrl+K then Ctrl+R	Refactor code
Ctrl+K then Ctrl+F	Fix code issues

Chat-based Generation

Command	Description
”Create a function that…”	Generate specific function
”Add error handling to this code”	Improve existing code
”Convert this to TypeScript”	Language conversion
”Optimize this algorithm”	Performance optimization
”Add comments to explain this”	Documentation generation

Code Editing

Selection-based Editing

Shortcut	Description
Select code + Ctrl+K	Edit selected code
Select code + Ctrl+I	Inline edit selection
Ctrl+Shift+K	Edit with context
Alt+K	Quick edit

Multi-cursor Editing

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl+Alt+Down / Cmd+Option+Down	Add cursor below
Ctrl+Alt+Up / Cmd+Option+Up	Add cursor above
Ctrl+D / Cmd+D	Select next occurrence
Ctrl+Shift+L / Cmd+Shift+L	Select all occurrences

AI Models Configuration

Setting	Description
GPT-4	Default model for complex tasks
GPT-3.5-turbo	Faster model for simple tasks
Claude-3	Alternative model for coding
Codex	Specialized for code generation
Custom models	Configure local or custom models

Workspace Features

File Management

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl+P / Cmd+P	Quick file open
Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P	Command palette
Ctrl+Shift+E / Cmd+Shift+E	Explorer panel
Ctrl+Shift+F / Cmd+Shift+F	Search across files
Ctrl+Shift+G / Cmd+Shift+G	Source control

AI-Enhanced Search

Command	Description
@search "semantic query"	Semantic code search
@find "natural language"	Natural language file finding
@grep "pattern with AI"	AI-enhanced grep

Debugging with AI

Feature	Description
AI Debug Assistant	Explain debugging output
Error Explanation	AI explains error messages
Fix Suggestions	AI suggests fixes for bugs
Breakpoint Analysis	AI analyzes breakpoint context

Debug Commands

Shortcut	Description
F5	Start debugging
F9	Toggle breakpoint
F10	Step over
F11	Step into
Shift+F11	Step out
Ctrl+Shift+F5	Restart debugging

Git Integration

Command	Description
@git diff	AI explains git differences
@git commit	Generate commit messages
@git branch	Suggest branch names
@git merge	Help with merge conflicts

Git Shortcuts

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl+Shift+G / Cmd+Shift+G	Source control panel
Ctrl+Enter / Cmd+Enter	Commit changes
Ctrl+Shift+P then “Git”`	Git commands

Extensions and Customization

Popular Extensions

Extension	Description
Cursor AI	Core AI functionality
GitHub Copilot	Additional AI assistance
Prettier	Code formatting
ESLint	JavaScript linting
Python	Python language support
Live Share	Real-time collaboration

Settings Configuration

Setting	Description
cursor.ai.model	Default AI model
cursor.ai.temperature	AI creativity level
cursor.ai.maxTokens	Maximum response length
cursor.ai.autoComplete	Enable auto-completion
cursor.ai.inlineChat	Enable inline chat

Advanced Features

Composer Mode

Feature	Description
Multi-file editing	Edit multiple files simultaneously
Project-wide changes	Apply changes across entire project
Dependency tracking	Track file dependencies
Batch operations	Perform bulk operations

AI Agents

Agent	Description
Code Agent	Specialized for code tasks
Debug Agent	Focused on debugging
Test Agent	Generates and runs tests
Docs Agent	Creates documentation
Refactor Agent	Code refactoring specialist

Language-Specific Features

Python

Command	Description
@python "create class"	Generate Python classes
@python "add type hints"	Add type annotations
@python "create tests"	Generate pytest tests
@python "optimize"	Performance optimization

JavaScript/TypeScript

Command	Description
@js "create component"	Generate React components
@ts "add types"	Add TypeScript types
@js "async/await"	Convert to async/await
@js "error handling"	Add error handling

Other Languages

Command	Description
@rust "safe code"	Generate safe Rust code
@go "concurrent"	Go concurrency patterns
@java "spring boot"	Spring Boot applications
@cpp "modern cpp"	Modern C++ features

Productivity Tips

Code Templates

Template	Description
@template api	REST API template
@template component	UI component template
@template test	Test file template
@template config	Configuration template

Workflow Automation

Feature	Description
Auto-save	Automatic file saving
Format on save	Auto-format code
Lint on save	Auto-lint code
AI suggestions	Proactive suggestions

Collaboration Features

Feature	Description
Live Share	Real-time collaboration
AI Pair Programming	AI as coding partner
Code Reviews	AI-assisted reviews
Team Settings	Shared AI configurations

Sharing Commands

Shortcut	Description
Ctrl+Shift+P then “Live Share”`	Start collaboration session
Ctrl+Shift+P then “Share”`	Share workspace

Performance Optimization

Setting	Description
cursor.ai.cacheSize	AI response cache size
cursor.ai.requestTimeout	Request timeout
cursor.ai.batchSize	Batch request size
cursor.ai.throttle	Request throttling

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
AI not responding	Check internet connection
Slow responses	Reduce context size
Wrong suggestions	Provide more context
Model errors	Switch AI model
Extension conflicts	Disable conflicting extensions

Debug Commands

Command	Description
Ctrl+Shift+P then “Developer: Reload Window”`	Reload Cursor
Ctrl+Shift+P then “Developer: Toggle Developer Tools”`	Open dev tools
Help > Show All Commands	Show all available commands

API Integration

Custom Models

{
  "cursor.ai.customModels": [
    {
      "name": "Local Model",
      "endpoint": "http://localhost:8000",
      "apiKey": "your-api-key"
    }
  ]
}

Webhook Configuration

{
  "cursor.ai.webhooks": {
    "onCodeGeneration": "https://your-webhook.com/code",
    "onError": "https://your-webhook.com/error"
  }
}

Keyboard Shortcuts Summary

Essential Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+K	AI command
Ctrl+L	AI chat
Ctrl+I	Inline edit
Tab	Accept suggestion
Escape	Reject suggestion
Ctrl+/	Toggle comment
Ctrl+S	Save file
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y	Redo

Navigation

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+P	Quick open
Ctrl+G	Go to line
Ctrl+F	Find
Ctrl+H	Replace
F12	Go to definition
Alt+F12	Peek definition

Best Practices

Effective Prompting

• Be specific and clear in requests
• Provide context for better results
• Use examples when possible
• Break complex tasks into smaller parts
• Iterate and refine prompts

Code Quality

• Review AI-generated code carefully
• Add proper error handling
• Include comprehensive tests
• Follow coding standards
• Document complex logic

Performance

• Use appropriate AI models for tasks
• Optimize context size
• Cache frequently used responses
• Monitor API usage
• Configure timeouts appropriately

Security

• Review AI suggestions for security issues
• Don’t include sensitive data in prompts
• Use secure API endpoints
• Implement proper access controls
• Regular security audits

Integration Examples

CI/CD Integration

# GitHub Actions with Cursor
name: AI Code Review
on: [pull_request]
jobs:
  ai-review:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: AI Code Review
        run: cursor-cli review --pr ${{ github.event.number }}

Custom Scripts

#!/bin/bash
# Cursor automation script
cursor --ai-command "review and optimize" src/
cursor --ai-command "generate tests" src/
cursor --ai-command "update documentation" docs/

Common Use Cases

Web Development

• React component generation
• API endpoint creation
• Database schema design
• Frontend optimization
• Testing automation

Data Science

• Data analysis scripts
• Machine learning models
• Visualization code
• Data cleaning pipelines
• Statistical analysis

DevOps

• Infrastructure as code
• CI/CD pipeline configuration
• Monitoring setup
• Deployment scripts
• Security configurations