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name: cursor-best-practices description: Best practices for working with Cursor. Use when learning how to effectively use Cursor features or optimizing your workflow.

Cursor Best Practices

Best practices for working with Cursor to maximize productivity and code quality.

Core Principles

• Start with plans - Use Plan Mode (Shift+Tab) for complex tasks
• Manage context effectively - Let agent find context, start new conversations when needed
• Extend the agent - Use Rules for static context, Skills for dynamic capabilities
• Review carefully - AI-generated code needs review like human code

Key Workflows

• Test-driven development - Write tests first, iterate until passing
• Codebase understanding - Use agent to explore and learn codebases
• Git workflows - Automate common git operations with commands
• Parallel agents - Run multiple agents simultaneously for comparison

References

For detailed guidance, see:

• references/planning.md - Plan mode and starting with plans
• references/context.md - Managing context and conversations
• references/extending.md - Rules vs Skills, extending agent
• references/workflows.md - TDD, codebase understanding, git workflows
• references/reviewing.md - Code review strategies
• references/parallel-agents.md - Running agents in parallel