What is Cursor AI Editor?

Cursor is an AI-powered code editor built on VS Code with Claude 4.5 Sonnet integration. It features Tab completion for 30-50% faster coding, Cmd+K for surgical edits, AI Chat (Cmd+L) for questions and debugging, and Composer for multi-file editing.

How do I use Tab completion in Cursor?

Tab completion in Cursor predicts 1-15 lines of code. Start typing a function name or code pattern, and press Tab to accept the AI suggestion. Use Cmd+→ to accept word-by-word, and Alt+[ or Alt+] to cycle through alternatives.

What is Cmd+K in Cursor?

Cmd+K (Ctrl+K on Windows/Linux) is Cursor's inline editing feature. Select code, press Cmd+K, describe your change in plain English (like 'add error handling' or 'convert to TypeScript'), and Cursor makes the edit instantly.

How do @ symbols work in Cursor?

@ symbols provide context to Cursor's AI: @Files references specific files, @Folders references directories, @Codebase searches your entire project, @Docs queries official documentation, and @Web searches the internet. They dramatically improve AI accuracy.

What are Cursor Rules?

Cursor Rules are custom instructions in a .cursorrules file that tell the AI how to generate code for your project. They enforce coding standards, preferred libraries, file organization, and team conventions automatically.

Getting Started with Cursor 1.7

Why Cursor?

Cursor is VS Code + AI superpowers. Write code 30-50% faster with Tab completion, fix bugs in seconds with Cmd+K, and build entire features with Composer. You'll be productive in 10 minutes.

⚡ The 10-Minute Quick Start

Follow these 4 steps to go from zero to productive. Total time: ~10 minutes.

Install Cursor

2 minutes

Go to cursor.sh
Click "Download" (auto-detects your OS)
Install and open Cursor
Sign in with GitHub (recommended) or email

💡 Pro Tip: Cursor is a fork of VS Code. If you use VS Code, you can import all your settings, extensions, and themes on first launch!

Your First Quick Win - Tab Completion

2 minutes

Let's write a function in 30 seconds that would normally take 3 minutes:

// 1. Create a new file: utils.ts

// 2. Type this line and press Tab to accept the AI suggestion:

export function formatCurrency(amount

// ✨ Cursor suggests (press Tab to accept):

: number, currency: string = 'USD'): string {
return new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', {
style: 'currency',
currency,
}).format(amount);
}

You typed 29 characters

AI wrote 174 characters for you

Saved ~2.5 minutes

🎯 What just happened? Tab completion predicted your entire function based on the name. This works for React components, API calls, database queries, tests - everything!

Your Second Win - Cmd+K Inline Edit

3 minutes

Edit code by describing what you want in English:

// 1. Select this code:

function getData(url) {
return fetch(url).then(r => r.json());
}

// 2. Press Cmd+K (Mac) or Ctrl+K (Windows)

// 3. Type: "add try-catch error handling and TypeScript types"

// 4. Press Enter

// ✨ Result:

async function getData(url: string): Promise<any> {
try {
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) {
throw new Error(`HTTP error! status: ${response.status}`);
}
return await response.json();
} catch (error) {
console.error('Failed to fetch:', error);
throw error;
}
}

💪 Use Cmd+K for: Adding types, error handling, refactoring, converting syntax, adding comments, extracting functions, optimizing code - anything!

Your Third Win - Cmd+L AI Chat

3 minutes

Ask questions about your code, get debugging help, or learn new concepts:

// Press Cmd+L (Mac) or Ctrl+L (Windows) and try:

How do I add authentication to a Next.js app?

// Or ask about your code with @ symbols:

@package.json what testing libraries should I add?

// Debug errors by pasting error messages:

I'm getting "Cannot read property 'map' of undefined" - how do I fix it?

🧠 Pro Tip: Use @ symbols to give context. Try @Files, @Folders, @Codebase, @Docs, and @Web for laser-accurate answers!

🎓 Real-World Workflow Example

Here's how a real developer uses Cursor to build a feature in 15 minutes:

Task: Add a "Contact Form" to a React app

Open Composer (Cmd+I)

Type: "Create a contact form with name, email, message fields. Add validation and a submit handler. Create ContactForm.tsx and types.ts"

⏱️ 30 seconds to write prompt

Review generated files

Composer creates ContactForm.tsx with full validation, types.ts with TypeScript interfaces, and connects everything

⏱️ 20 seconds to review

Refine with Cmd+K

Select the form, Cmd+K, type: "add loading state and success message"

⏱️ 15 seconds

Test and style

Use Tab completion to write CSS faster, Cmd+L to ask about accessibility best practices

⏱️ 2-3 minutes

Total time: ~5 minutes vs. 30-45 minutes manually. That's 6-9x faster!

⚡ Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Memorize these 5 shortcuts - they're 90% of what you need:

Shortcut	Mac	Windows/Linux	Use For
Tab	Tab	Tab	Accept AI code suggestions
Inline Edit	Cmd+K	Ctrl+K	Edit selected code
AI Chat	Cmd+L	Ctrl+L	Ask questions, debug
Composer	Cmd+I	Ctrl+I	Multi-file editing
Settings	Cmd+,	Ctrl+,	Configure Cursor

🚀 Quick Configuration Tips

Three settings to enable right now for the best experience:

1. Enable Cursor Tab: Settings → Cursor Tab → ✅ Enable

2. Set AI Model: Settings → Models → Choose "claude-4.5-sonnet" (best quality)

3. Enable Codebase Indexing: Settings → Features → ✅ Index codebase for @Codebase

💡 Common Beginner Mistakes

❌ Don't Do This

Accepting every Tab suggestion blindly
Using Chat instead of Cmd+K for edits
Not using @ symbols for context
Forgetting to test AI-generated code
Not learning the keyboard shortcuts

✅ Do This Instead

Review Tab suggestions before accepting
Use Cmd+K for quick edits, Chat for questions
Always add @Files/@Folders to prompts
Test and review all generated code
Practice shortcuts daily

🎯 What You've Learned

Installed Cursor and signed in

Used Tab completion to write code 30-50% faster

Used Cmd+K to edit code with natural language

Used Cmd+L to ask questions and debug

Learned the 5 essential keyboard shortcuts

Saw a real-world workflow example

🔗 Next Steps - Deep Dive into Features

You're now ready to master each feature individually. Here's the recommended path:

Tab Completion

Master multi-line AI predictions

Cmd+K Inline Edit

Surgical code edits with AI

Cmd+L AI Chat

Your AI programming partner

Composer

Multi-file AI editing

Start Coding Now!

You have everything you need to be 10x faster. Open a project and try Tab completion, Cmd+K, and Cmd+L on real code. The more you use it, the faster you'll get!