A Real-Life Experience with Cursor AI Tool
Previously, in the world of software development, entry into programming could cause anxiety and confusion for beginners, mostly due to feeling lost and scattered while trying to build necessary expertise over several years. Beginners faced undesired exhaustion and fatigue just to land their first job opportunity, having to explore various options, resources, and courses. The fierce competition then dragged them back into a cycle of pursuing exhausting hopes.
However, today, things have changed drastically and rapidly, with these changes mostly benefiting new programmers who once wished only for guidance from someone experienced to show them the right path. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has arrived, filling that gap, accelerating the production process, and unleashing enormous human potential for creativity and innovation—potential that was previously limited or restricted.
In this article, I’ll share with you my personal journey with Cursor AI, a tool that has sparked widespread discussion among developers. I'll offer practical advice based on my experience using this tool in small to medium-sized projects. Moreover, I'll highlight essential points you should pay attention to when using Cursor AI, helping you utilize it efficiently and effectively. So, keep reading!
What Is Cursor AI Tool and How Does It Work?
The idea behind Cursor AI came from a clear observation: most programmers repeatedly write similar or duplicated code across their projects, causing wasted time and extra effort. This led to a crucial question: "What if there were a smart tool that could predict the next code a programmer wants to write, saving time and enhancing efficiency?"
Cursor AI was indeed created based on the concept of self-learning. This means the tool studies millions of code snippets written by real developers from credible sources on the internet, then identifies recurring patterns and sequences to gradually learn from them—just as humans learn from past experiences.
After this training, Cursor AI becomes remarkably capable of predicting the next line or command because it already knows the most common or logical next step in the context of your current coding. You'll find yourself working alongside a tool resembling the mind of an expert programmer, operating at lightning speed, saving time and effort, and significantly simplifying your coding experience.
How to Get Started with Cursor AI and Discover Its Magic in Writing Code
You can easily install Cursor AI on your device and see how magically it transforms your coding style with a few simple steps:
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Download Cursor AI
Visit the official website cursor.so and select the appropriate version for your operating system—Windows, Mac, or Linux. -
Install the Tool
Once downloaded, install Cursor AI like any other software, open it, and log in to your account. -
Use the Tool Directly in Your Current Project or Start a New One
If you already have a coding project, open its folder inside Cursor AI, or simply drag and drop it into the tool window.
To start a new project, click "Create New Project," select the project type, and begin working immediately.
As you start typing your first lines of code, you'll instantly feel you're not alone—the tool automatically suggests the next lines professionally and intelligently, as if an expert programmer were working beside you. This is precisely the real magic Cursor AI offers, making your coding faster, more enjoyable, and creative.
Practical Tips from My Experience with Cursor AI in Small and Medium Projects
After using Cursor AI practically across various small and medium projects, I began seeing it as a smart companion helping me overcome challenges and adding a magical touch to my programming work. Hence, I’d like to share some practical advice based on these experiences, to help you understand exactly what this tool can genuinely offer:
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Clearly Ask for Help:
From my experience, being clear and specific about your request makes Cursor AI respond smarter and more precisely. Rather than general questions, define small tasks clearly, accomplish them step-by-step, and the more accurate you are, the better the results. -
Boldly Suggest and Modify:
During a medium-sized project involving interactive web pages, the suggestions were not always perfect on the first try. Instead of hesitating, I treated this as an opportunity to interact, confidently editing and experimenting. Over time, Cursor AI learned from my style, and suggestions became very close to my preferred approach. -
Always Be the Decision Maker:
Cursor AI is excellent, but it isn't a substitute for your experience and personal creativity. When building an API project, the tool suggested ready-made solutions, but I never blindly accepted them. Instead, I evaluated each suggestion carefully, modifying as necessary, seeing the tool as an assistant rather than the project leader. -
Leverage Its Full Capabilities:
To fully benefit from the tool, handle it comprehensively yet accurately. Ask for help with small parts of your existing project or let it set up a new project. Then, take that foundation, divide it into smaller tasks, and work on each separately with the tool. You'll discover that Cursor AI can propel your ideas into unexpected and exciting directions.
Critical Points to Consider When Using Cursor AI:
Having used Cursor AI in multiple small-to-medium programming projects, here are essential considerations to avoid issues and effectively utilize its capabilities:
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After Several Modifications, It Might Forget Some Details:
If you request multiple successive changes (3 or more) on the same task, Cursor AI may start overlooking details from your initial requests. Always review the resulting code and occasionally remind the tool about important details. -
Requesting a Complete Code Modification at Once is Risky:
From repeated experience, asking the tool to rewrite the entire code whenever a small modification is needed can unintentionally change or omit previously unaffected parts. Therefore, request and modify only the specific parts progressively. -
Avoid Relying Completely on Cursor AI Without Review:
Despite its powerful intelligence and suggestions, always treat Cursor AI’s advice as if from an assisting programmer. Carefully review and adjust its suggestions according to your project vision since you ultimately control the overall perspective, not the tool.
Keeping these points in mind, you'll avoid pitfalls I personally encountered and achieve optimal results, efficiently and effectively investing in Cursor AI’s powerful capabilities.
Simple Practical Example: Watch Cursor AI in Action with JavaScript Code
When I opened Cursor AI and typed instructions: "I want a JavaScript function calculating food order cost, each item is 10 Riyals, with a 10% discount if items exceed five," magic immediately began:
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Quick Start:
Typing function calculateOrderCost(items) led Cursor AI to automatically suggest defining a pricePerItem variable and completing the line with items * pricePerItem. It felt like mind-reading! -
Intelligent Logic:
When reaching the discount condition, after writing if (items > 5), the tool promptly suggested multiplying the cost by 0.9. Clicking "Accept" was like saying: "Yes, exactly what I had in mind!" -
Finishing Touch:
Adding a quick test by typing prompt, Cursor AI smartly suggested converting the input into a number using Number() and completed the line with console.log and an interactive alert. It felt like working alongside a thoughtful friend.
Can You Trust Cursor AI Regarding Privacy and Security?
If you're considering using Cursor AI, particularly for sensitive projects containing private data, you might naturally wonder about privacy and data security. From personal experience, this is a crucial question deserving transparent discussion.
Cursor AI, like other intelligent tools, analyzes and understands code you write or share, so always be cautious about what data you pass to it. Although Cursor AI emphasizes privacy and security, avoid sharing code containing highly sensitive information, like personal user data, company secrets, or database keys.
If you must use Cursor AI on a sensitive project, test it with generic code not containing personal or confidential information or remove sensitive data beforehand. Additionally, always review the tool's privacy policy to understand how it handles your data.
In short, Cursor AI is powerful and highly effective, but using it safely requires responsible caution. Enjoy its intelligence without unnecessary privacy or security risks.
