AI Tool

Cursor

Overview

Cursor is an AI-integrated code editor built as a complete fork of VS Code. Rather than being a plugin, AI functionality is deeply integrated into the editor itself, enabling code generation and editing with multiple cutting-edge AI models (Claude 4, GPT-4.1, Gemini 2.5, etc.). Being a complete VS Code fork allows seamless use of existing workspaces and compatibility with most extensions.

Details

Cursor, released in March 2023, is an AI-integrated editor that has rapidly gained popularity, especially in the startup industry. By developing as a VS Code fork, it enables deep AI integration that plugins cannot achieve. It provides features far exceeding traditional AI assistance tools, including real-time project indexing, natural language code manipulation, and multi-file AI editing capabilities.

Key AI Features

• Ctrl+K Functionality: Direct in-code editing instructions with AI applying modifications
• AI Chat: Project-aware conversational feature (Ctrl/⌘ + L)
• Agent/Composer Feature: Code generation and changes across multiple files
• Tab Completion: Faster and more accurate code completion than VS Code
• Auto-fix: AI automatic correction via Ctrl/⌘ + Shift + E
• @-mention Feature: Context specification using @filename or URLs

Supported AI Models (2024 Edition)

• Claude 4 Opus: Cutting-edge coding model
• GPT-4.1: OpenAI's latest model
• Claude 3.5 Sonnet: Balanced performance
• Gemini 2.5 Pro: Google's latest model
• o1, o3-pro: Reasoning-specialized models
• DeepSeek, Grok: Other advanced models

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

• Significant Development Efficiency: 30% development speed improvement over traditional methods
• Advanced AI Integration: Project-wide context understanding and real-time indexing
• VS Code Compatibility: Seamless use of existing workspaces and extensions
• Multi-model Support: Selection of optimal AI models from multiple cutting-edge options
• Privacy Compliance: Security assurance through Privacy Mode and SOC 2 certification
• Intuitive UI: Familiar VS Code-like interface

Disadvantages

• High Cost: Pro version $20/month (double GitHub Copilot's $10/month)
• Complex UI: Screen clutter due to multiple features and duplicate AI suggestions
• Large Projects: Performance degradation may occur with massive codebases
• AI Code Quality: Variability in generated code quality
• VS Code Updates: Delays in incorporating new features due to manual integration

Reference Links

• Cursor Official Site
• Cursor Documentation
• Cursor GitHub
• Cursor Community

Code Examples

Installation and Setup

# Download and install from official site
# https://cursor.com/

# Settings migration from VS Code (automatic)
# Existing workspaces, extensions, and settings are automatically imported

# Initial AI feature setup
# Select AI models to use
# Configure privacy settings

Basic AI Feature Usage

// Using Ctrl+K functionality
// Select the following code and press Ctrl+K, then enter instruction

function calculateTotal(items) {
    // "Add TypeScript type definitions and include error handling"
}

// AI suggests modifications like:
interface Item {
    id: string;
    name: string;
    price: number;
    quantity: number;
}

function calculateTotal(items: Item[]): number {
    try {
        if (!Array.isArray(items) || items.length === 0) {
            return 0;
        }
        
        return items.reduce((total, item) => {
            if (typeof item.price !== 'number' || typeof item.quantity !== 'number') {
                throw new Error(`Invalid item data: ${item.name}`);
            }
            return total + (item.price * item.quantity);
        }, 0);
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error calculating total:', error);
        return 0;
    }
}

AI Chat Feature Usage

// Open AI chat with Ctrl/⌘ + L
// Use @ symbol to specify files or URLs for context

/*
Chat example:
"Look at @components/UserProfile.tsx and add profile editing functionality.
Include validation and error handling in the edit form."
*/

// Implementation example based on AI Chat response
import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import { User, ValidationError } from '@/types';

interface UserProfileEditProps {
    user: User;
    onSave: (user: User) => Promise<void>;
    onCancel: () => void;
}

export const UserProfileEdit: React.FC<UserProfileEditProps> = ({
    user,
    onSave,
    onCancel
}) => {
    const [formData, setFormData] = useState<User>(user);
    const [errors, setErrors] = useState<Record<string, string>>({});
    const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false);

    const validateForm = (): boolean => {
        const newErrors: Record<string, string> = {};
        
        if (!formData.name.trim()) {
            newErrors.name = 'Name is required';
        }
        
        if (!formData.email.trim()) {
            newErrors.email = 'Email is required';
        } else if (!/\S+@\S+\.\S+/.test(formData.email)) {
            newErrors.email = 'Please enter a valid email address';
        }
        
        setErrors(newErrors);
        return Object.keys(newErrors).length === 0;
    };

    const handleSubmit = async (e: React.FormEvent) => {
        e.preventDefault();
        
        if (!validateForm()) return;
        
        setIsLoading(true);
        try {
            await onSave(formData);
        } catch (error) {
            setErrors({ submit: 'Failed to update profile' });
        } finally {
            setIsLoading(false);
        }
    };

    return (
        <form onSubmit={handleSubmit} className="user-profile-edit">
            <div className="form-group">
                <label htmlFor="name">Name</label>
                <input
                    id="name"
                    value={formData.name}
                    onChange={(e) => setFormData({ ...formData, name: e.target.value })}
                    className={errors.name ? 'error' : ''}
                />
                {errors.name && <span className="error-text">{errors.name}</span>}
            </div>
            
            <div className="form-group">
                <label htmlFor="email">Email</label>
                <input
                    id="email"
                    type="email"
                    value={formData.email}
                    onChange={(e) => setFormData({ ...formData, email: e.target.value })}
                    className={errors.email ? 'error' : ''}
                />
                {errors.email && <span className="error-text">{errors.email}</span>}
            </div>
            
            {errors.submit && <div className="error-text">{errors.submit}</div>}
            
            <div className="form-actions">
                <button type="button" onClick={onCancel} disabled={isLoading}>
                    Cancel
                </button>
                <button type="submit" disabled={isLoading}>
                    {isLoading ? 'Saving...' : 'Save'}
                </button>
            </div>
        </form>
    );
};

Composer/Agent Feature Usage

// Multi-file generation instruction example with Composer
/*
"Create a product management system for an e-commerce site. Generate the following files:
1. Product type definitions (types/Product.ts)
2. Product API client (api/products.ts)
3. ProductList component (components/ProductList.tsx)
4. ProductForm component (components/ProductForm.tsx)
5. Product management page (pages/ProductsPage.tsx)

Use React + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS."
*/

// Auto-generated types/Product.ts
export interface Product {
    id: string;
    name: string;
    description: string;
    price: number;
    category: string;
    imageUrl: string;
    stock: number;
    isActive: boolean;
    createdAt: Date;
    updatedAt: Date;
}

export interface CreateProductDto {
    name: string;
    description: string;
    price: number;
    category: string;
    imageUrl: string;
    stock: number;
}

export interface UpdateProductDto extends Partial<CreateProductDto> {
    isActive?: boolean;
}

// Auto-generated api/products.ts
import { Product, CreateProductDto, UpdateProductDto } from '@/types/Product';

class ProductAPI {
    private baseUrl = '/api/products';

    async getProducts(): Promise<Product[]> {
        const response = await fetch(this.baseUrl);
        if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Failed to fetch products');
        return response.json();
    }

    async getProduct(id: string): Promise<Product> {
        const response = await fetch(`${this.baseUrl}/${id}`);
        if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Failed to fetch product');
        return response.json();
    }

    async createProduct(product: CreateProductDto): Promise<Product> {
        const response = await fetch(this.baseUrl, {
            method: 'POST',
            headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
            body: JSON.stringify(product)
        });
        if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Failed to create product');
        return response.json();
    }

    async updateProduct(id: string, product: UpdateProductDto): Promise<Product> {
        const response = await fetch(`${this.baseUrl}/${id}`, {
            method: 'PUT',
            headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
            body: JSON.stringify(product)
        });
        if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Failed to update product');
        return response.json();
    }

    async deleteProduct(id: string): Promise<void> {
        const response = await fetch(`${this.baseUrl}/${id}`, {
            method: 'DELETE'
        });
        if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Failed to delete product');
    }
}

export const productAPI = new ProductAPI();

Privacy Settings and Customization

// .cursor/settings.json
{
  "cursor.general.privacyMode": true,
  "cursor.general.disableHttp2": true,
  "cursor.ai.models": ["claude-4", "gpt-4.1", "gemini-2.5-pro"],
  "cursor.ai.defaultModel": "claude-4",
  "cursor.ai.maxTokens": 4000,
  "cursor.ai.temperature": 0.2
}

// .cursorignore file configuration
node_modules/
.env
*.log
dist/
build/
.secrets/
config.json
*.key
*.pem

Migration Steps from VS Code

# 1. Backup current VS Code settings
cp -r ~/.vscode/extensions ~/.vscode/extensions.backup
cp ~/.vscode/settings.json ~/.vscode/settings.backup.json

# 2. Download and install Cursor
# Download from https://cursor.com/

# 3. Automatic migration on first launch
# - Automatic settings import
# - Extension compatibility check
# - Workspace inheritance

# 4. Learning period (approximately 2 weeks)
# - Gradual utilization of AI features
# - Learning keyboard shortcuts
# - Workflow optimization