Effective Cursor AI Usage: Context and Composition Strategies for Non-Developers

Posted by u/abite4 months agoCurated from Reddit

Project Information

Project Type
Small
Type of Project
Web Development
Problem Type
AI Tool Usage Guide

Tags

cursor-ai
web-development
ai-assisted-development
best-practices
react
supabase
workflow
context-management

AI Models Mentioned

Cursor AI
Code generation and modification

Summary

A detailed guide on effectively using Cursor AI for web development, particularly for users with minimal coding experience. The post emphasizes the importance of providing proper context through file tagging, documentation links, and structured composer sessions, while offering practical workflows for managing AI-assisted development.

Best Practices

Use Composer for Iterative Development

critical

Start new composer sessions for different parts of the webapp and use checkpoints for version control

Maintain Context-Specific Notepads

important

Create dedicated notepads for different aspects of the project (e.g., database/API) with relevant context and file tags

Provide Comprehensive Context

critical

Tag relevant files, link to documentation, and use Cursor rules file

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid Conversational Interaction

critical

Don't try to have normal conversations with Cursor AI without proper context

Don't Continue with Degrading Results

important

Avoid continuing with a composer session if results are getting worse

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