Practical Workflows: How to Get More Done with Cursor

The AI-Assisted Development Cycle

Experienced Cursor users follow a modified development cycle where AI is integrated at every step, not just code generation:

1. Planning — Use Chat to explore approach before writing code: "What are the tradeoffs between these two approaches for implementing rate limiting?"
2. Scaffolding — Use Composer to create the file structure and boilerplate: "Create the file structure and empty types for a payment processing module"
3. Implementation — Use Tab completion and Composer for writing the logic
4. Review — Use Chat to explain and critique your own code: "Review this function for edge cases and security issues"
5. Testing — Use Agent mode to run tests and fix failures
6. Documentation — Use Chat to generate inline docs and explain complex logic

The Feature Development Workflow

For adding a new feature:

Step 1: Open Chat, describe the feature, ask for approach
"@Codebase I need to add webhook support for Stripe events.
What existing patterns should I follow?"

Step 2: Use Composer to scaffold
"Create the webhook handler file at src/app/api/webhooks/stripe/route.ts
following the pattern in @Files src/app/api/auth/[...nextauth]/route.ts
Handle: payment_intent.succeeded, payment_intent.failed, customer.subscription.updated"

Step 3: Review the diff, accept structure, modify logic

Step 4: Use Agent mode to run tests
"Run the existing webhook tests. If there are failures, fix them."

Step 5: Review final diff, commit

Debugging Workflow

For a bug that spans multiple files:

@Files src/hooks/useCheckout.ts @Files src/lib/stripe.ts @Files src/app/api/checkout/route.ts

The checkout flow is failing silently. Users click "Pay" and nothing happens — no error, no redirect.
Walk through the complete flow from button click to payment intent creation and tell me where the silent failure could be.

This gives the AI all three files involved in the flow, enabling it to trace the exact execution path rather than guess.

Refactoring Workflow

For safe refactoring:

1. Commit first — Clean git state before starting
2. Use Chat to plan — "What's the safest sequence to refactor this service layer to use the repository pattern?"
3. Use Composer for the change — Reference the specific files, be explicit about what should and shouldn't change
4. Run tests immediately — Use Agent mode or run manually
5. Review the diff — Check that nothing outside scope was changed

The "Explain This" Workflow

When you encounter unfamiliar code:

@Files src/lib/auth.ts

Explain what the refreshTokenRotation function does, why the
current implementation uses a transaction, and what would
break if the transaction was removed.

This is faster than reading documentation, and the AI can reference your actual implementation rather than generic examples.

Common Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Accepting without reviewing

Tab Tab Tab through everything. This leads to subtle bugs that are hard to trace because you don't know what the AI actually wrote.

Vague prompts

"Make this better." The AI will make changes that seem reasonable but may not align with your actual intent.

No .cursorrules

Without project context, the AI defaults to generic patterns that may not match your stack or conventions.

Using Agent mode on main branch

Agent mode can make sweeping changes. Always use a separate branch.

Key Takeaways

• Integrate AI at every development phase — planning, scaffolding, implementation, review, testing, docs
• Use specific, testable prompts with explicit file references for best results
• Commit before major AI-driven changes so you can always inspect the full diff
• The "explain this" workflow accelerates understanding of unfamiliar code significantly
• Never accept Composer output without reviewing the diff file by file