Introduction to Cursor

Introduction to Cursor

Cursor is a code editor built on top of VS Code that deeply integrates AI into every part of your workflow. It is not just a plugin or an extension — it is a complete editor rebuilt around the idea that AI should be a first-class citizen of your coding environment.

Why Cursor exists

Before Cursor, adding AI to your workflow meant switching tabs to a browser, copying code, pasting answers, and switching back. That context switching kills focus. Cursor solves this by embedding AI directly where you write code: inline suggestions, a chat panel attached to your file tree, and a Composer that can edit dozens of files at once. You stay in one place.

Who uses Cursor

Cursor is used by solo developers building side projects, by professional engineers at startups and large companies, and by people learning to code who use AI as an always-available tutor. The tool is language and framework agnostic: you can use it for Python scripts, TypeScript React apps, Go microservices, Rust libraries, or anything else.

How Cursor relates to VS Code

Cursor is a fork of VS Code. This means:

  • All your VS Code extensions work. Install them exactly as you would in VS Code.
  • Same keyboard shortcuts. If you know VS Code, you know Cursor.
  • Same settings and themes. You can import your VS Code settings in seconds.
  • Same file tree and terminal. The familiar layout is unchanged.

The only difference is a set of new panels, keyboard shortcuts, and behaviors added on top of VS Code for AI features.

The three main AI modes

Understanding these three modes upfront will make the rest of this course much clearer:

1. Inline completion (Tab) As you type, Cursor predicts what comes next and shows it in gray text. Press Tab to accept. This is the fastest mode: no context switching, no dialog, just code appearing as you type. Great for boilerplate, repetitive patterns, and obvious next steps.

2. Chat (Cmd/Ctrl + L) Opens a chat panel docked to the right. You can reference the current file, a selection, or multiple files, and ask questions or request changes. The AI replies with explanations and code. You can apply suggested code with a click. Great for questions, explanations, small refactors, and debugging.

3. Composer (Cmd/Ctrl + I or Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + I) A full-screen or side-panel mode for larger tasks. You describe what you want; the AI reads your codebase and proposes changes across multiple files at once. You review a diff and accept or reject individual chunks. Great for features, large refactors, and scaffolding new modules.

Why this matters for your career

AI-assisted coding is becoming a baseline expectation in software roles. Companies expect engineers to know how to use these tools effectively — not just to click "autocomplete" but to prompt well, review output carefully, and integrate AI into a real workflow. This course and the certificate you earn at the end signal that you have done exactly that.

What you will learn

Over the next five lessons you will learn to:

  1. Set up and configure Cursor for a real project.
  2. Use inline completion to write code faster without losing quality.
  3. Use Chat to understand, debug, and improve code.
  4. Use Composer to build and refactor across multiple files.
  5. Use rules and context to make AI suggestions fit your codebase.
  6. Know when to trust AI output and when to verify carefully.

Let us get started.