Cursor

What it is

Cursor is a desktop code editor built on VS Code. You chat with AI in the sidebar, apply edits across files, and use agents to implement features from plain-English instructions. We use it in every hands-on course because it lowers the barrier for beginners while staying powerful enough for real projects.

How it helps you

Instead of staring at a blank file, you describe what you want — a landing page, a login form, a bug fix — and Cursor drafts, edits and explains the code with full project context. That means students ship a working site in one evening instead of weeks of syntax drills.

Key benefits

• ✦ Build websites and apps by describing what you want in plain English
• ✦ Understand unfamiliar code with inline explanations
• ✦ Refactor and fix errors without hunting Stack Overflow for hours
• ✦ Use the same editor professionals use — skills transfer to any dev job
• ✦ Works with GitHub, Vercel and the rest of our course stack

How to set up

1. 01 Download Cursor from cursor.com and install it on your laptop.
2. 02 Sign in and pick a model (Claude, GPT, etc.) in Settings.
3. 03 Open a project folder — or start from our course starter template.
4. 04 Use Cmd/Ctrl+L to chat, or Cmd/Ctrl+K for inline edits.
5. 05 Connect GitHub when you are ready to save and deploy your work.