Getting Started
Welcome to the Effective Cursor Wiki!
This is an engineering knowledge base summarized by our team from long-term practice in AI-assisted development. All content comes from real-world successes and failures using Cursor in actual projects. Our goal is to help developers (and teams) systematically establish an efficient, reliable, and practical AI-assisted development system, rather than scattered “ask and copy” approaches.
Our core belief: AI is not a magic bullet, but a productivity tool that can be continuously amplified through engineering practices. Only by forming a complete loop from tool configuration and tech stack selection to rule constraints and workflow standards can Cursor truly become your “super partner” in daily development.
Effective Cursor Methodology (Six Steps)
| Step | Name | Core Goal | Key Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Tool Setup | Make Cursor your truly handy development environment | Important settings, team collaboration configuration, model selection, MCP tools |
| 1 | Tech Stack | Choose the most AI-friendly tech stack | Prioritize strongly-typed, well-structured, mature ecosystems |
| 2 | Engineering | Establish engineering foundation | Configure Lint/Format, automated testing framework, CI/CD pipeline to ensure AI-generated code is trustworthy |
| 3 | Cursor Rules | Make AI automatically follow team standards | Write project level Rules to constrain coding style, architecture, layering, dependencies |
| 4 | Workflow | Deeply integrate AI into daily development | Standardize Spec Driven Development workflow, manage context assets |
| 5 | Feedback & Iteration | Continuously iterate to improve AI effectiveness | Regularly review, collect team feedback, evolve Prompts & Rules |
Why This Order?
These steps are the engineering path refined by our team through repeated trial and error across multiple projects:
- Get tools ready, choose the right tech stack, and build solid engineering foundations first to avoid “AI writes fast, debugging is painful”.
- Rules are the highest leverage for reducing manual correction costs.
- Standardized workflow transforms AI from “occasional helper” to “full-time collaborator”.
- Feedback and iteration is key to maintaining productivity leadership.
Recommended Reading Path
- Beginners: Start from 0. Tool Setup, practice each module in sequence.
- Experienced users: Prioritize 3. Cursor Rules and 4. Workflow for quick visible improvements.
- Continuous improvement: Regularly return to 5. Feedback & Iteration, and contribute your great Prompts and Rules to the template library.
Start your Effective Cursor journey from the left navigation 🚀