How to get started with Cursor: setup, first project and tips
Cursor is a code editor with an AI agent built in: you describe what you want in plain words and it reads your project, edits files and runs commands. This guide takes you from install to your first reviewed change, then covers three habits that keep the agent on track. Every step comes from Cursor's official docs. You don't need to be a developer to follow it, but you do need a project folder to open (an empty one is fine).
Checked
Ready-to-paste prompts
Replace the parts in [brackets] with your own details.
Explain this project to me
Paste this into Cursor's agent the first time you open a project, or one you haven't touched in a while.
Explain this codebase to me in plain words. I know [your experience level, e.g. basic HTML and no JavaScript]. Tell me what the app does, point me to the main entry points and the folders I should read first, and explain how to run it on my computer step by step. Don't change any files: this is read-only.Suggest small, safe improvements
Paste this when you want a low-risk first change and aren't sure where to start.
Suggest three small, safe improvements to [the page or feature, e.g. the home page]. For each one, say what you'd change, which files it touches and any downside. Then wait for me to choose one before you edit anything.Find and fix a bug on this page
Paste this when something on a page doesn't work the way you expect.
On [the page, e.g. the signup page], [what goes wrong, e.g. clicking Submit does nothing]. Find the cause and explain it to me in plain words before you change anything. Then fix it with the smallest change you can, and run this project's existing tests or build to check nothing else broke.
Plan a bigger feature first
Use this in Plan Mode (Shift+Tab) before a change that touches several files.
I want to add [the feature, e.g. a contact form that emails me]. Look through the project for the files this will touch, ask me any questions you need answered, then write a short step-by-step plan. Don't write any code until I approve the plan.
1. Install Cursor and sign in
Download Cursor from cursor.com/downloads, open the app and sign in. On a Mac you need macOS 12 (Monterey) or later, and there are installers for Apple Silicon and Intel. On Windows you need Windows 10 or later. On Linux, Cursor recommends its apt package for Debian and Ubuntu (or the dnf package on Fedora) over the portable AppImage, because the packages add a desktop icon, automatic updates and command-line tools. Once you're in, pick a folder to work in.
Debian/Ubuntu: add Cursor's signing key
curl -fsSL https://downloads.cursor.com/keys/anysphere.asc | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/cursor.gpg > /dev/nullDebian/Ubuntu: add Cursor's package source
echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/cursor.gpg] https://downloads.cursor.com/aptrepo stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cursor.list > /dev/nullDebian/Ubuntu: install
sudo apt update && sudo apt install cursorOn a Mac or Windows PC you don't need any commands: just run the installer you downloaded.
2. Ask Cursor to explain your project
Open the Agent panel (Cmd+I on a Mac) and ask Cursor to explain the codebase and point out the main areas to read first. It searches your project, reads the relevant files and sums up how everything fits together. Cursor's docs call this one of the fastest ways to get your bearings in a project you didn't write, or one you haven't opened in a while.
3. Make one small, safe change
Ask Cursor to suggest a few small, safe improvements and to wait for you to pick one. Good first tasks are low risk, like tidying up some wording or fixing a small layout problem. If you already know what you want, just ask for it directly and describe the result you want to see.
4. Review the changes before you keep them
While the agent works, the diff view shows the changes it made. When it finishes, read through the diff, then ask Cursor to run the checks your project already has, such as tests, linting or a local build. If you're not sure what checks exist, ask it to find them first.
5. Use Plan Mode for bigger jobs
For anything that touches several files or needs research, press Shift+Tab in the agent box to turn on Plan Mode. Instead of writing code straight away, Cursor looks through your project for the relevant files, asks you clarifying questions, writes a step-by-step plan and waits for your approval before it builds anything.
6. Undo a wrong turn with checkpoints
Cursor saves a checkpoint (a snapshot of your files) before the agent makes significant changes. If something goes wrong, click a checkpoint in the chat timeline to preview your files at that point, then restore it to put every file back. Restoring changes your files only, not the chat. Checkpoints are stored on your computer and are separate from Git, so they're for undoing the agent's edits, not a replacement for saving your work in Git.
7. Teach Cursor your project's rules
The agent doesn't remember anything between chats, so rules give it standing instructions. The simplest option is an AGENTS.md file in your project's main folder: plain markdown, for example "use TypeScript for new files". For more control, project rules live as .mdc files in the .cursor/rules folder, and you can type /create-rule in the agent and describe the rule you want. Cursor's advice is to start simple and only add a rule once you see the agent make the same mistake more than once.
A plain .md file inside .cursor/rules is ignored. Project rules need the .mdc extension, or use AGENTS.md instead.
Source: cursor.com/docs/context/rules
Tools in this guide
FAQ
Do I need to know how to code to use Cursor?
It helps, but you can start without it. Ask the agent to explain the project in plain words, make small changes, and always review the diff it shows you before keeping a change.
How do I undo something the Cursor agent changed?
Click a checkpoint in the chat timeline to preview your files at that point, then restore it. Checkpoints are separate from Git, so keep saving your real progress with Git commits.
What's the difference between AGENTS.md and project rules?
AGENTS.md is a plain markdown file of instructions in your project folder. Project rules are .mdc files in .cursor/rules with settings that control when each rule applies, for example always, or only for certain files.
Sources
- Cursor docs: Quickstart: https://cursor.com/docs/get-started/quickstart
- Cursor docs: Agent and checkpoints: https://cursor.com/docs/agent/chat/checkpoints
- Cursor docs: Rules: https://cursor.com/docs/context/rules
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