$ man how-to/getting-started-with-cursor

Cursor is a code editor with AI built into every layer. It is a fork of VS Code, so if you have ever used VS Code, the interface is identical. Same extensions, same shortcuts, same settings. The difference is that Cursor has an AI agent baked in. You can talk to it, give it tasks, and it reads and writes files in your project. Think of it as VS Code with a brilliant co-pilot who can see your entire codebase. You do not need to be a developer to use Cursor. I was not one when I started. I used it to build three websites, 40+ automation skills, and an entire GTM operating system. The tool meets you where you are.

CODE

Download Cursor from cursor.com. Install it like any Mac or Windows app. On first launch, it will ask if you want to import VS Code settings. Say yes if you have existing settings. If this is your first code editor, skip it. Open a folder. That is your project. Everything Cursor does happens inside the context of that folder. File > Open Folder, point it at your project directory. If you do not have one yet, create one: mkdir ~/my-project && cd ~/my-project. The first thing you will see is the file explorer on the left and an empty editor on the right. That is normal. The magic starts when you open the chat panel (Cmd+L on Mac, Ctrl+L on Windows). That is where you talk to the AI.

PATTERN

Create a file called README.md in your project. Type a few lines of text. Now highlight a sentence and press Cmd+K (inline edit). Type "make this more concise" and hit enter. Watch the AI rewrite your sentence in place. That is the simplest interaction: select text, tell the AI what to do, accept or reject the change. Next, open the chat panel (Cmd+L). Type "create a Python script that prints hello world and the current date." The agent will create the file, write the code, and you can run it from the terminal. You just went from zero to working code without writing a line yourself. This is the loop: describe what you want, let the AI build it, review the output, adjust if needed. Every complex workflow you build later is just this loop repeated with more context.

PRO TIP

Cursor is not autocomplete on steroids. It is a teammate. The difference matters. Autocomplete suggests the next word. A teammate understands the whole project and makes decisions. When you give Cursor a task, it reads relevant files, understands the patterns you have established, and produces output that fits your codebase. But like any teammate, it only works well if it has context. A new teammate with no onboarding produces generic work. A teammate who has read your docs, your style guide, and your past work produces excellent work. That is why the next entries in this guide matter so much. Rules, skills, and context configuration are the onboarding that makes Cursor go from helpful to indispensable.