Don't Panic: Cursor

Cursor is a code editor built on VS Code that puts an AI assistant beside the code instead of across the room in a separate chat window. That sounds like a furniture change. It is actually a context change. The assistant can work from files, imports, recent edits, and project instructions rather than from whatever fragment survived a copy and paste expedition.

The useful mental model has three parts. Context is the code and instructions the model can see. Composer is the multi-file workspace for a feature or refactor. Project Rules are the durable instructions that keep the assistant from treating every repository as an exciting blank canvas. The surprise is that more context is not automatically better. Relevant files and clear boundaries help. A repository-sized pile of unrelated material mostly gives the model more places to be confidently unhelpful.

For a small correction, Inline Edit keeps the work near the cursor. Chat is for questions and exploration. Composer is for changes that cross files. That division is not ceremony. It keeps a one-line fix from acquiring a management structure and stops a multi-file change from pretending it is one harmless keystroke with a hat on.

Agent Mode can edit files and run terminal commands. This makes it useful when the task and boundary are clear, and awkward when they are not. The agent can produce a convincing diff before it has proved anything about runtime behavior. Review the change, verify imports and dependencies, and run the relevant tests. The assistant helps with the work; the acceptance decision still belongs to the person who can see the requirement.

Read the Introduction for the architecture and limits. Use the Slides when you need the four interaction modes in one map. Keep the Cheatsheet nearby for shortcuts, context symbols, and the Normal versus Agent decision. The Practice Reference turns those modes into repeatable workflows. Once the terminology stops looking like a small alphabet rebellion, Cursor becomes less mysterious and more useful.

Don't Panic: Cursor

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