Cursor Best Practices
Best practices for working with Cursor to maximize productivity and code quality.
Core Principles
- •Start with plans - Use Plan Mode (Shift+Tab) for complex tasks
- •Manage context effectively - Let agent find context, start new conversations when needed
- •Extend the agent - Use Rules for static context, Skills for dynamic capabilities
- •Review carefully - AI-generated code needs review like human code
Key Workflows
- •Test-driven development - Write tests first, iterate until passing
- •Codebase understanding - Use agent to explore and learn codebases
- •Git workflows - Automate common git operations with commands
- •Parallel agents - Run multiple agents simultaneously for comparison
References
For detailed guidance, see:
- •
references/planning.md- Plan mode and starting with plans - •
references/context.md- Managing context and conversations - •
references/extending.md- Rules vs Skills, extending agent - •
references/workflows.md- TDD, codebase understanding, git workflows - •
references/reviewing.md- Code review strategies - •
references/parallel-agents.md- Running agents in parallel