Cursor
Definition
Cursor is an AI-powered code editor built on VS Code. It integrates LLMs for code completion, editing, and chat, with context from the codebase and docs.
It is similar to GitHub Copilot but adds deeper project context, chat, and edit-in-place. Useful for agent-like workflows (describe a feature, get code changes) and pair programming. Supports multiple models and optional project rules for consistent behavior.
How it works
You use natural language in chat or inline to request edits, generation, or refactoring. The model has access to open files, the current file, and optionally the whole codebase (via indexing). You can accept, edit, or reject suggestions. Edit flow: select code or place cursor, describe the change, the model proposes a diff. Chat: ask questions, get explanations, or request multi-file changes. Rules/skills (e.g. in .cursorrules) steer the model for your stack and conventions. Multiple LLM backends and model sizes are supported; context window and indexing determine how much of the repo is visible to the model.
Use cases
Cursor fits developers who want AI-assisted editing and chat inside the IDE with project and file context.
- In-IDE code completion, generation, and refactoring
- Pair programming with project-aware AI (files, docs)
- Exploring codebases and implementing features from descriptions
External documentation
- Cursor – Documentation — Official Cursor docs and guides