Cursor is a code editor with AI built in at every level. It understands your entire codebase, can write code from natural language instructions, and explains unfamiliar code in plain English. For designers learning to code or working directly on UI implementations, Cursor dramatically lowers the barrier. You can describe what you want in design terms and get working code.
1. Setting Up Cursor and Understanding Its AI Features
Cursor is built on VS Code, so it feels familiar but with powerful AI additions:
Installing Cursor
Download from cursor.com. It looks and works like VS Code, so existing extensions and settings can be imported. Sign in to enable AI features. The free tier includes substantial AI usage.
The AI Chat Panel
Press Cmd+L (Ctrl+L on Windows) to open AI chat. Ask questions about your code, request changes, or get explanations. The AI sees your current file and can reference your entire project.
Inline Editing with Cmd+K
Select code and press Cmd+K to edit it with natural language. Type 'make this button larger with more padding' and watch the code update. Accept changes with Enter or reject with Escape.
Codebase Understanding
Cursor indexes your entire project. Ask 'Where is the navigation component?' or 'How does authentication work?' It finds relevant code and explains it contextually.
2. Using Natural Language to Generate UI Components
Describe what you want visually and let AI write the code:
Describing UI Components
Be specific about design details: 'Create a card component with a 16px border radius, subtle shadow, white background, and padding of 24px. Include a title, description, and action button.' The more detail, the closer to your vision.
Referencing Design Tokens
If your project has design tokens, reference them: 'Use the primary color from our theme for the button, and spacing-md for the gap between elements.' Cursor will use your actual token values.
Generating from Figma Specs
Copy specifications from Figma: 'The hero section has a max-width of 1200px, centered, with a 64px headline using Inter font, 24px body text, and a gradient background from #1a1a2e to #16213e.' or install the Figma MCP to generate designs directly from Figma.
Creating Responsive Designs
Include responsive requirements: 'Make this grid 3 columns on desktop, 2 on tablet, 1 on mobile. Stack the content vertically on mobile with the image first.' Cursor generates the media queries.
3. Editing and Refactoring Code with AI Assistance
Modify existing code without knowing the exact syntax:
Quick Fixes
Select code that's not quite right and describe the change: 'Increase the line height', 'Make this text bold', 'Add a hover effect that scales up slightly'. Cursor applies the changes immediately.
Style Adjustments
Describe styling in design terms: 'Add breathing room between these elements', 'Make the contrast higher', 'This feels too cramped - add more whitespace'. AI understands design intent.
Refactoring Requests
Ask for code improvements: 'Extract this into a reusable component', 'Add TypeScript types to this file', 'Convert this to use our design system components'. Cursor handles the refactoring.
Multi-File Changes
Cursor can make changes across multiple files. 'Update the primary color everywhere it's used' or 'Add this prop to the Button component and update all usages' works across your project.
4. Debugging and Fixing Issues Using AI Explanations
When things go wrong, AI helps you understand and fix issues:
Understanding Error Messages
Select an error message and ask 'What does this mean and how do I fix it?' Cursor explains in plain English and often provides the exact fix. No more googling cryptic errors.
Why Isn't This Working?
Select broken code and ask 'Why doesn't this work?' The AI identifies issues, explains what's wrong, and suggests fixes. It considers context from your entire codebase.
Visual Bug Investigation
Describe what you see: 'The button is appearing below the card instead of inside it - why?' Cursor looks at your CSS and HTML structure to identify the layout issue.
Learning While Fixing
Ask 'Fix this and explain what was wrong'. You get the fix plus an explanation, building your understanding for next time. This is accelerated learning through real problems.
Pro Tips
Reference Your Design System
Point Cursor to your design system docs or tokens file. It will use correct values and patterns in generated code.
Use the @ Symbol
Type @filename to reference specific files in your prompts. This gives the AI more context for accurate results.
Review Before Accepting
Always review AI-generated code. It's usually good but occasionally misses nuances. Your design eye catches things AI might miss.
Key Takeaways
- Cursor is VS Code with AI that understands your entire codebase
- Use Cmd+K to edit selected code with natural language instructions
- Describe UI in design terms - AI translates to code
- Ask for explanations when you don't understand code or errors
- Reference your design tokens and system for consistent output