You’ve probably heard of Cursor. But maybe been too frightened to try it out.

In this Part we’ll demystify it and show you how to get started with this extremely exciting new development.

It’s basically the ultimate power tool for building with AI. But with great power comes... well, you know the rest.

Let's get started

Understanding Cursor

First things first: Cursor is not Bolt. While Bolt is an AI-powered app builder, Cursor is a code editor that happens to have powerful AI capabilities. This is a crucial distinction.

Think of it this way

• Bolt is like having an AI build you a house from a description

• Cursor is like having an AI-powered set of tools to build the house yourself

The difference? With Cursor, you can build anything - web apps, mobile apps, desktop software, browser extensions, you name it. But you need to be more involved in the process.

This means that there is a higher technical level required.

It’s still basically magic - you can spin up working code using everyday language - but the way it all fits together and is deployed is more complex that in Bolt.

The Basic Workflow

In Cursor, you can

• Chat with AI about your code (like in Bolt)

• Ask for changes and improvements

• Accept or reject AI suggestions

• Manually edit files when needed

But here's the key difference in workflow: while Bolt is great for one-shot builds, Cursor requires a more methodical approach. You could try to build everything at once, but you'll get better results building step by step, testing as you go.

You need to work as a coder. Even if you can’t code.

(Oh, btw if you can code then Cursor - or a similar tool - is an absolute no-brainer. But you probably know this already!)

Three Crucial Prompts

Now…Cursor can “one-shot” projects in a similar way to Bolt. Basically taking initial instructions and building everything you need.

But. And it’s a big but. Because of the increased complexity of Cursor projects this method is often disappointing. This is an human problem really - it’s hard for us to capture everything in that initial prompt!

Before starting a new project I recommend running these three prompts. We'll use ChatGPT or Claude for the first two (use the most powerful “thinking” model you have access to) rather than inside Cursor.

Project Specification Prompt

First up let’s specify our project. This is similar to the last Part where we worked with Bolt but now we can deploy our project in other formats - not only webapps.

Want an iOS app? Sure. A Chrome extension? No problem. A full Windows desktop tool? Yup, can do.

Because of this increased range we need to step back a little and define what we are building:

You are an expert in software development planning. Help me create a detailed project specification.

Please ask me these questions one at a time and wait for my response:

1. What is the core purpose of your application?
2. Who are your target users?
3. What are the main features needed?
4. What are the inputs and outputs?
5. What platforms need to support this (web, mobile, desktop)?
6. Any specific technical requirements or constraints?

Based on my answers, create a comprehensive project specification including:
- Core functionality
- Feature list (prioritised)
- User interface requirements
- Technical requirements
- Success criteria

Present this in a clear, organised format suitable for development planning.

Then ask me clarifying questions and retrieve feedback.

Once we’ve got our specification in hand we want to work out HOW to build our AI tool.

Build Strategy Prompt

If we’ve decided to build a webpage based tool we need to know if we’re building Javascript or Python? What’s the backend (data storage) look like? How will it display - any particular frontend framework? Etc. etc.

You don’t need to know what any of this is (technically!) but it’ll help. Remember you can always just ask ChatGPT and get it to give you the rundown.

For now though use this prompt to convert our specification into a build strategy

You are a technical architect helping plan software development. 
I will be building in Cursor with AI assistance. 

Review my project specification:

[Paste specification here]

Please ask me:
1. My level of technical expertise
2. Any preferred programming languages/frameworks
3. My development timeline
4. Any budget constraints for tools/hosting

Based on my answers, provide:
1. Recommended technology stack
2. Development approach
3. Potential challenges and solutions
4. Resource requirements
5. Step-by-step development plan

Focus on practical, achievable recommendations based on my experience level. Give a range of options (with pros and cons) and ask for me to choose then complete the strategy. 

This will come up with the how to build. Specifically it’ll give you a handful of options to choose from - your choice will depend on your technical comfort.

Cursor Project Brief

OK last step - a project brief to use inside Cursor

You are a senior software developer helping me build this project. Here's my specification and build strategy:

[Paste both previous outputs]

Please:
1. Ask any clarifying questions you need
2. Create a detailed project plan
3. Confirm you'll work through this step-by-step
4. Wait for my confirmation at each major stage
5. Help me test functionality as we go

Important: Don't try to build everything at once! Let's work methodically and ensure each piece works before moving on.

This will take all of our previous work and relay instructions to Cursor. Importantly it will also set parameters for how we’ll work moving forward.

Based on this you are now set up to work step by step through the project alongside Cursor.

Getting Started the Right Way

Once you have your prompts sorted, here's how to approach development in Cursor

1. Start Small - Begin with the core functionality. If you're building our news-to-script app, start with just the input form and basic text processing. Get the basics done first.

2. Test Everything - After each new feature, test thoroughly. Talk to Cursor, approve its edits, test. Relay errors by copying them back to Cursor.

3. Build Incrementally - Add features one at a time. Don't move on until each piece works perfectly. Better to catch issues early before adding more problems!

4. Document as You Go - Keep notes about what works and what doesn't. This helps with future projects.

Here's the truth : building in Cursor requires more patience than previous levels. You might spend an hour setting up your development environment before writing any code. That's normal! This is real development, just with AI assistance.

But remember that compared to learning to code this is still light-speed! Instead of taking a few years to get the basics and then building you can start building and pick up coding skills as you build.

Levels of AI development

Again, a question we have to ask. Do you really need Cursor's power? Stay at lower levels if:

• Your project works fine in Bolt

• You need quick prototypes

• You're not ready for the technical learning curve

• You don't need custom functionality

Remember, this framework is about using the right tool for the job, not always reaching for the most powerful option. If an early level gets the job done then leave it at that. That’s fine. Don’t overcomplicate!

Remember also that tools will change. Bolt, Cursor, and others will evolve. In 6 months this guide might be laughably out of date. Everything is moving so fasr! New platforms will emerge.

But the principles of this framework should remain solid - start at low level basic prompts and build up only when required.

The key is knowing when to move up and when to stay put. As AI tools evolve, these levels might blur or shift, but the progression from simple to sophisticated will remain valuable.

This concludes our journey through the framework, but it's really just the beginning of yours.

Start at Level 1, move up when needed, and don't feel pressured to reach Level 5 if you don't need to.

The future of AI development is exciting, and now you have a framework to guide your journey through it.

And again - if you want to hop on our free AI builders’ accelerator here’s the waitlist! See you in there.

Keep Prompting,

Kyle