🖱️Pair programmer•Free + Pro

Cursor

Your code editor, but it can read, write, and refactor with you.

Overview

What Cursor is for

Cursor is a fork of VS Code with an AI pair-programmer baked in. You highlight code, hit a shortcut, and chat with the model right next to the file you're editing. It can read your whole repo, propose multi-file edits, and apply them with a diff you accept or reject.

It's the natural next step after a no-code tool like Lovable: when you want to own the codebase, run it locally, and make precise surgical changes, Cursor keeps the AI in the loop without taking the keyboard from you.

Honest take

Strengths and trade-offs

Watch out for

Steeper learning curve if you've never used VS Code
Powerful enough to break things if you accept edits blindly
Best on a fast machine — large repos eat memory

Where Cursor shines

Lives inside a real editor — full repo context, git, terminal
Multi-file refactors with a clean diff review
Tab autocomplete that finishes whole functions
Works with your existing toolchain and frameworks

Workflow

A typical session

How a beginner gets value out of Cursor on day one.

1
Step 1
Open your project
Cursor indexes the repo for context.
2
Step 2
Ask in chat
Reference files with @file or @folder.
3
Step 3
Review the diff
Accept, reject, or edit each chunk.
4
Step 4
Run and test
Use the built-in terminal to verify.
5
Step 5
Commit
Cursor can even draft your commit message.

Worked examples

Three things to try

Copy any of these prompts and adapt them to your project.

Example 1

Add tests to a legacy module

A utility file has no tests and you're scared to touch it.

Prompt

@utils/date.ts Read this file and write Vitest unit tests covering every exported function, including edge cases for null and timezone shifts. Put them in date.test.ts.

Outcome

A complete test file with arrange-act-assert blocks for each function, ready to run.

Example 2

Rename a concept across the repo

You renamed 'Customer' to 'Account' in the product but the code still says Customer everywhere.

Prompt

Rename Customer to Account across the entire repo: types, props, file names, route segments, and copy. Show me the diff before applying.

Outcome

A multi-file diff covering types, components, routes, and tests — all consistent.

Example 3

Explain a scary bug

Something throws in production and you can't reproduce it locally.

Prompt

Here's the stack trace and the file it points to. Walk me through what's happening and propose three possible fixes ranked by safety.

Outcome

A plain-English explanation, three fix options, and a suggested test to lock the bug down.

Best for

Refactoring or migrating a real codebase
Adding tests across many files at once
Debugging tricky bugs with the model holding context
Learning a new framework hands-on

Pricing

Free plan with limited fast requests. Pro is around $20/month for unlimited completions, more agentic actions, and access to frontier models. Business plan adds team features and admin controls.

Pro tips

Use @file and @folder to give the model precise context — vague asks get vague answers.
Always read the diff. Cursor is fast; that means it's also fast at being wrong.
Pair Cursor with a clean git history so you can roll back any single change.

💜 Lovable

ChatGPT 💬