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

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

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

Cursor

Installation & Setup

Basic AI Features

AI Chat Commands

Code Generation

Inline Generation

Chat-based Generation

Code Editing

Selection-based Editing

Multi-cursor Editing

AI Models Configuration

Workspace Features

File Management

AI-Enhanced Search

Debugging with AI

Debug Commands

Git Integration

Git Shortcuts

Extensions and Customization

Popular Extensions

Settings Configuration

Advanced Features

Composer Mode

AI Agents

Language-Specific Features

Python

JavaScript/TypeScript

Other Languages

Productivity Tips

Code Templates

Workflow Automation

Collaboration Features

Sharing Commands

Performance Optimization

Troubleshooting

Debug Commands

API Integration

Custom Models

Webhook Configuration

Keyboard Shortcuts Summary

Essential Shortcuts

Navigation

Best Practices

Effective Prompting

Code Quality

Performance

Security

Integration Examples

CI/CD Integration

Custom Scripts

Common Use Cases

Web Development

Data Science

DevOps