Cursor IDE: AI-Powered Development Setup Guide

What is Cursor?

Cursor is a fork of VS Code with built-in AI coding assistance. It uses Claude, GPT-4, and other models to help you write, debug, and understand code — all within a familiar editor.

Installation

Download

1. Go to cursor.sh
2. Download for Windows/macOS/Linux
3. Install and open

Import VS Code Settings

Cursor auto-detects VS Code on first launch:

1. "Import VS Code Settings" → Yes
2. Extensions migrate automatically
3. Keybindings transfer

Core Features

Chat (Ctrl+L)

Open the AI chat panel:

• Ask questions about your code
• Get explanations for complex functions
• Generate code snippets
• Refactor suggestions

Cmd+K (Inline Edit)

Select code → press Ctrl+K:

• Type instructions: "add error handling"
• AI modifies the selected code in place
• Accept/reject changes

Tab Completion

Cursor suggests code as you type:

• Press Tab to accept
• Press Esc to dismiss
• Press Ctrl+→ to accept word-by-word

Composer (Ctrl+I)

Multi-file edits:

1. Ctrl+I opens Composer
2. Describe changes: "Add a login page with email validation"
3. AI creates/modifies multiple files
4. Review and apply changes

Configuration

Settings (Ctrl+,)

AI Settings

{
  "cursor.ai.enabled": true,
  "cursor.chat.model": "claude-3.5-sonnet",
  "cursor.tab.enabled": true,
  "cursor.tab.maxTokens": 1000
}

Editor Settings

{
  "editor.fontSize": 14,
  "editor.fontFamily": "JetBrains Mono, Consolas, monospace",
  "editor.lineHeight": 1.6,
  "editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled": true,
  "editor.guides.bracketPairs": true,
  "editor.minimap.enabled": false,
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
  "editor.suggestSelection": "first",
  "editor.wordWrap": "on"
}

Terminal Settings

{
  "terminal.integrated.fontFamily": "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font",
  "terminal.integrated.fontSize": 13,
  "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.windows": "PowerShell"
}

Keybindings (keybindings.json)

[
  { "key": "ctrl+shift+/", "command": "editor.action.toggleBlockComment" },
  { "key": "ctrl+d", "command": "editor.action.addSelectionToNextFindMatch" },
  { "key": "alt+up", "command": "editor.action.moveLinesUpAction" },
  { "key": "alt+down", "command": "editor.action.moveLinesDownAction" },
  { "key": "ctrl+shift+k", "command": "editor.action.deleteLines" },
  { "key": "ctrl+enter", "command": "editor.action.insertLineAfter" },
  { "key": "ctrl+shift+enter", "command": "editor.action.insertLineBefore" },
  { "key": "alt+shift+up", "command": "editor.action.copyLinesUpAction" },
  { "key": "f12", "command": "editor.action.revealDefinition" },
  { "key": "alt+f12", "command": "editor.action.peekDefinition" },
  { "key": "ctrl+k ctrl+f", "command": "editor.action.formatDocument" }
]

Essential Extensions

Must-Have

Extension	Purpose
Prettier	Code formatting
ESLint	JavaScript linting
GitLens	Git blame, history
Error Lens	Inline error display
Better Comments	Color-coded comments
Import Cost	Show package sizes
DotENV	.env file syntax

Productivity

Extension	Purpose
Todo Tree	Find TODO/FIXME
Bracket Pair Colorizer	Nested bracket colors
Path Intellisense	Auto-complete file paths
Auto Rename Tag	HTML tag sync
Thunder Client	API testing
REST Client	HTTP requests in editor

Git

Extension	Purpose
GitLens	See who changed what
GitHub Actions	Workflow support
Conventional Commits	Commit message helper

AI Workflows

Code Review

1. Open a file with changes
2. Ctrl+L → "Review this code for bugs and improvements"
3. AI suggests fixes
4. Apply changes with Cmd+K

Generate Tests

1. Select a function
2. Ctrl+I → "Write unit tests for this function using Jest"
3. Review generated tests
4. Accept and adjust

Explain Code

1. Select unfamiliar code
2. Ctrl+L → "Explain what this code does step by step"
3. Get detailed explanation

Refactor

1. Select messy code
2. Ctrl+K → "Refactor this to use the Strategy pattern"
3. AI restructures code

Debug

1. Ctrl+L → "I'm getting this error: [paste error]"
2. AI suggests fix with explanation
3. Apply and test

.cursorrules

Create .cursorrules in project root for context:

# Project: Tech Setup Blog
- Framework: Next.js 16, React 19
- Language: TypeScript strict
- Styling: Tailwind CSS 4
- Database: Supabase (PostgreSQL)
- Package manager: npm
- Code style:
  - Use const over let
  - Prefer early returns
  - Use TypeScript interfaces over types
  - No semicolons
  - Single quotes
  - Trailing commas

Performance Tips

1. Disable extensions you don't use
2. Close unused tabs — each tab uses memory
3. Use workspace settings instead of user settings
4. Exclude folders in settings:

{
  "files.exclude": {
    "**/node_modules": true,
    "**/.next": true,
    "**/dist": true
  }
}

5. Restart extensions host periodically: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Restart Extension Host"

Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet

Action	Shortcut
Quick Open	Ctrl+P
Command Palette	Ctrl+Shift+P
AI Chat	Ctrl+L
Inline Edit	Ctrl+K
Composer	Ctrl+I
Toggle Terminal	Ctrl+grave
Split Editor	Ctrl+Shift+backslash
Go to Definition	F12
Rename Symbol	F2
Find in Files	Ctrl+Shift+F
Replace in Files	Ctrl+Shift+H
Toggle Comment	Ctrl+/
Duplicate Line	Shift+Alt+Down
Move Line Up/Down	Alt+Up/Down
Select Next Occurrence	Ctrl+D
Multi-Cursor	Alt+Click

Syncing Settings

Export Settings

1. Ctrl+Shift+P → "Export Settings"
2. Save to cloud drive or dotfiles repo

Import on New Machine

1. Ctrl+Shift+P → "Import Settings"
2. Select exported file

Git Dotfiles

# Backup settings
cp ~/AppData/Roaming/Cursor/User/settings.json ~/dotfiles/cursor-settings.json