The Big Picture
A chat that can see the folder you opened — and edit the files in it.
A browser chatbot is smart and blind. You paste, it answers, you copy back. Cursor is an editor with an AI that can see this project. These Aspi 101 pages were written in it. You do not have to be a developer.
The Workshop Analogy
Key Terms
Workspace
The folder you opened. Context is “here,” not the whole internet.
Agent
The mode that can change files and run tools. Use it to do the job.
Ask
Questions without a rewrite. Use it to understand first.
@ mention
Pin a file or folder so it looks there — not at the wrong index.html.
Setting Up
Install
Download from cursor.com, sign in, then File → Open Folder on the project — not a single stray file.
Ask first
Open a file you know. Ask: “Summarize this in five bullets.”
Then a tiny Agent job
“Add one glossary term. Don’t change anything else.” Read the diff. Keep or reject.
Three Places
Sidebar = files. Editor = you type. Chat = you describe the job. Glance at all three. Chat is not the source of truth — the file is.
Ask vs Agent
Ask
Explain, find, compare. Low risk. “What 101 guides are in this folder?”
Agent
Create, edit, run, publish. Higher risk — review diffs. “Write the Terminal 101.”
If you see Plan, use it when the task is big and you want a design before files move.
Talking to It
Bad: “Make it better.” Good: “Add a cheat-sheet table at the end, same columns as the GitHub 101. Don’t change the hero.”
Include an outcome, a where (@file), constraints, and what done looks like. One job per message at first.
Giving It Files
Type @ and pick a file or folder. More files is not more intelligence — attach the two or three that matter.
Reviewing Diffs
Green added. Red removed. Read it like a teammate’s PR. You are the editor-in-chief. Sensitive commands (push to a live site, delete files) may show an approval card — only approve what you asked for.
Rules
User rules follow you everywhere. Project rules live in the repo. Write them like a brief: when this happens, do this; do not do that; use real paths. They steer the agent — they do not always skip safety approvals.
Terminal Inside
Control + `. Same commands as the Terminal 101, usually already in your project folder. The agent can run commands too — still pause on rm and production deploys.
Daily Loop
Open the folder
The project, not a random file.
Ask
What’s here? What would break?
Agent
One clear outcome. Read the diff.
Git
Commit when it’s good. GitHub 101.
Vs Other Tools
Cursor when the work is the files in a folder. Web chat when you are just thinking. Buzz when the team should share a room. Obsidian for a personal vault. GitHub for history — Cursor does not replace that.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Better |
|---|---|
| Agent for “just looking” | Use Ask |
| “Fix everything” | One outcome, one constraint |
| Never @ a file | It edits the wrong file |
| Accepting every diff | Read green / red |
| No folder opened | Open Folder first |
| Skipping Git | You cannot undo last Tuesday |
Cheat Sheet
Open Folder → Ask to understand → Agent to change → @ the file → read the diff → rules for standing prefs → Terminal for git status.
Glossary
Diff = proposed add/remove. Rule = standing instruction. Tab = inline autocomplete (not the Agent). Approval = extra confirm for a sensitive command.