Master Cursor in a Weekend

Go from first launch to orchestrating agents, reusable prompts, skills, and MCP servers — with visual tutorials, copy-paste templates, and a guided learning path.

Built and maintained by Evoveo Tech (EVOVEO INNOVATIONS LIMITED).

Structure and learning approach inspired by luongnv89/claude-howto.

Scope: This guide targets the Cursor IDE (editor), in-app Cursor agent/chat workflows, and the Cursor CLI where documented. Module layouts (e.g. .cursor/commands/, CURSOR.md) are tutorial conventions; map them to Rules, AGENTS.md, and Cursor Settings as described in docs/CURSOR_SCOPE.md and the official docs.

Get Started in 15 Minutes | Find Your Level | Browse the Feature Catalog

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Table of Contents

• The Problem
• How Cursor How To Fixes This
• How It Works
• Not Sure Where to Start?
• Get Started in 15 Minutes
• What Can You Build With This?
• FAQ
• Contributing
• License

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The Problem

You installed Cursor. You ran a few prompts. Now what?

• The official docs describe features — but don't show you how to combine them. You know slash commands exist, but not how to chain them with hooks, memory, and subagents into a workflow that actually saves hours.
• There's no clear learning path. Should you learn MCP before hooks? Skills before subagents? You end up skimming everything and mastering nothing.
• Examples are too basic. A "hello world" slash command doesn't help you build a production code review pipeline that uses memory, delegates to specialized agents, and runs security scans automatically.

You're leaving 90% of Cursor's power on the table — and you don't know what you don't know.

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How Cursor How To Fixes This

This isn't another feature reference. It's a structured, visual, example-driven guide that teaches you to use every Cursor feature with real-world templates you can copy into your project today.

	Official Docs	This Guide
Format	Reference documentation	Visual tutorials with Mermaid diagrams
Depth	Feature descriptions	How it works under the hood
Examples	Basic snippets	Production-ready templates you use immediately
Structure	Feature-organized	Progressive learning path (beginner to advanced)
Onboarding	Self-directed	Guided roadmap with time estimates
Self-Assessment	None	Interactive quizzes to find your gaps and build a personalized path

What you get:

• 10 tutorial modules covering every Cursor feature — from slash commands to custom agent teams
• Copy-paste configs — slash commands, CURSOR.md templates, hook scripts, MCP configs, subagent definitions, and full plugin bundles
• Mermaid diagrams showing how each feature works internally, so you understand why, not just how
• A guided learning path that takes you from beginner to power user in 11-13 hours
• Built-in self-assessment — run /self-assessment or /lesson-quiz hooks directly in Cursor to identify gaps

Start the Learning Path ->

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How It Works

1. Find your level

Take the self-assessment quiz or run /self-assessment in Cursor. Get a personalized roadmap based on what you already know.

2. Follow the guided path

Work through 10 modules in order — each builds on the last. Copy templates directly into your project as you learn.

3. Combine features into workflows

The real power is in combining features. Learn to wire slash commands + memory + subagents + hooks into automated pipelines that handle code reviews, deployments, and documentation generation.

4. Test your understanding

Run /lesson-quiz [topic] after each module. The quiz pinpoints what you missed so you can fill gaps fast.

Get Started in 15 Minutes

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Trusted by 5,900+ Developers

• 5,900+ GitHub stars from developers who use Cursor daily
• 690+ forks — teams adapting this guide for their own workflows
• Actively maintained — synced with every Cursor release (latest: v2.2.0, March 2026)
• Community-driven — contributions from developers who share their real-world configurations

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Not Sure Where to Start?

Take the self-assessment or pick your level:

Level	You can...	Start here	Time
Beginner	Start Cursor and chat	Slash Commands	~2.5 hours
Intermediate	Use CURSOR.md and custom commands	Skills	~3.5 hours
Advanced	Configure MCP servers and hooks	Advanced Features	~5 hours

Full learning path with all 10 modules:

Order	Module	Level	Time
1	Slash Commands	Beginner	30 min
2	Memory	Beginner+	45 min
3	Checkpoints	Intermediate	45 min
4	CLI Basics	Beginner+	30 min
5	Skills	Intermediate	1 hour
6	Hooks	Intermediate	1 hour
7	MCP	Intermediate+	1 hour
8	Subagents	Intermediate+	1.5 hours
9	Advanced Features	Advanced	2-3 hours
10	Plugins	Advanced	2 hours

Complete Learning Roadmap ->

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Get Started in 15 Minutes

# 1. Clone the guide
git clone https://github.com/evoveotech/cursor-howto.git
cd cursor-howto

# 2. Copy your first slash command
mkdir -p /path/to/your-project/.cursor/commands
cp 01-slash-commands/optimize.md /path/to/your-project/.cursor/commands/

# 3. Try it — in Cursor, type:
# /optimize

# 4. Ready for more? Set up project memory:
cp 02-memory/project-CURSOR.md /path/to/your-project/CURSOR.md

# 5. Install a skill:
cp -r 03-skills/code-review ~/.cursor/skills/

Want the full setup? Here's the 1-hour essential setup:

# Slash commands (15 min)
cp 01-slash-commands/*.md .cursor/commands/

# Project memory (15 min)
cp 02-memory/project-CURSOR.md ./CURSOR.md

# Install a skill (15 min)
cp -r 03-skills/code-review ~/.cursor/skills/

# Weekend goal: add hooks, subagents, MCP, and plugins
# Follow the learning path for guided setup

View the Full Installation Reference

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What Can You Build With This?

Use Case	Features You'll Combine
Automated Code Review	Slash Commands + Subagents + Memory + MCP
Team Onboarding	Memory + Slash Commands + Plugins
CI/CD Automation	CLI Reference + Hooks + Background Tasks
Documentation Generation	Skills + Subagents + Plugins
Security Audits	Subagents + Skills + Hooks (read-only mode)
DevOps Pipelines	Plugins + MCP + Hooks + Background Tasks
Complex Refactoring	Checkpoints + Planning Mode + Hooks

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FAQ

Is this free? Yes. MIT licensed, free forever. Use it in personal projects, at work, in your team — no restrictions beyond including the license notice.

Is this maintained? Actively. The guide is synced with every Cursor release. Current version: v2.2.0 (March 2026), compatible with Cursor 2.1+.

How is this different from the official docs? The official docs are a feature reference. This guide is a tutorial with diagrams, production-ready templates, and a progressive learning path. They complement each other — start here to learn, reference the docs when you need specifics.

How long does it take to go through everything? 11-13 hours for the full path. But you'll get immediate value in 15 minutes — just copy a slash command template and try it.

Can I use this with supported frontier models? Yes. All templates work with your chosen model, your chosen model, and your chosen model.

Can I contribute? Absolutely. See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines. We welcome new examples, bug fixes, documentation improvements, and community templates.

Can I read this offline? Yes. Run uv run scripts/build_epub.py to generate an EPUB ebook with all content and rendered diagrams.

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Start Mastering Cursor Today

You already have Cursor installed. The only thing between you and 10x productivity is knowing how to use it. This guide gives you the structured path, the visual explanations, and the copy-paste templates to get there.

MIT licensed. Free forever. Clone it, fork it, make it yours.

Start the Learning Path -> | Browse the Feature Catalog | Get Started in 15 Minutes

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Quick Navigation — All Features

Feature	Description	Folder
Feature Catalog	Complete reference with installation commands	CATALOG.md
Slash Commands	User-invoked shortcuts	01-slash-commands/
Memory	Persistent context	02-memory/
Skills	Reusable capabilities	03-skills/
Subagents	Specialized AI assistants	04-subagents/
MCP Protocol	External tool access	05-mcp/
Hooks	Event-driven automation	06-hooks/
Plugins	Bundled features	07-plugins/
Checkpoints	Session snapshots & rewind	08-checkpoints/
Advanced Features	Planning, thinking, background tasks	09-advanced-features/
CLI Reference	Commands, flags, and options	10-cli/
Evoveo Tech	Organization & updates	github.com/evoveotech

Feature Comparison

Feature	Invocation	Persistence	Best For
Slash Commands	Manual (/cmd)	Session only	Quick shortcuts
Memory	Auto-loaded	Cross-session	Long-term learning
Skills	Auto-invoked	Filesystem	Automated workflows
Subagents	Auto-delegated	Isolated context	Task distribution
MCP Protocol	Auto-queried	Real-time	Live data access
Hooks	Event-triggered	Configured	Automation & validation
Plugins	One command	All features	Complete solutions
Checkpoints	Manual/Auto	Session-based	Safe experimentation
Planning Mode	Manual/Auto	Plan phase	Complex implementations
Background Tasks	Manual	Task duration	Long-running operations
CLI Reference	Terminal commands	Session/Script	Automation & scripting

Installation Quick Reference

# Slash Commands
cp 01-slash-commands/*.md .cursor/commands/

# Memory
cp 02-memory/project-CURSOR.md ./CURSOR.md

# Skills
cp -r 03-skills/code-review ~/.cursor/skills/

# Subagents
cp 04-subagents/*.md .cursor/agents/

# MCP
export GITHUB_TOKEN="token"
cursor mcp add github -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github

# Hooks
mkdir -p ~/.cursor/hooks
cp 06-hooks/*.sh ~/.cursor/hooks/
chmod +x ~/.cursor/hooks/*.sh

# Plugins
/plugin install pr-review

# Checkpoints (auto-enabled, configure in settings)
# See 08-checkpoints/README.md

# Advanced Features (configure in settings)
# See 09-advanced-features/config-examples.json

# CLI Reference (no installation needed)
# See 10-cli/README.md for usage examples

01. Slash Commands

Location: 01-slash-commands/

What: User-invoked shortcuts stored as Markdown files

Examples:

• optimize.md - Code optimization analysis
• pr.md - Pull request preparation
• generate-api-docs.md - API documentation generator

Installation:

cp 01-slash-commands/*.md /path/to/project/.cursor/commands/

Usage:

/optimize
/pr
/generate-api-docs

Learn More: Cursor documentation — Rules & commands

02. Memory

Location: 02-memory/

What: Persistent context across sessions

Examples:

• project-CURSOR.md - Team-wide project standards
• directory-api-CURSOR.md - Directory-specific rules
• personal-CURSOR.md - Personal preferences

Installation:

# Project memory
cp 02-memory/project-CURSOR.md /path/to/project/CURSOR.md

# Directory memory
cp 02-memory/directory-api-CURSOR.md /path/to/project/src/api/CURSOR.md

# Personal memory
cp 02-memory/personal-CURSOR.md ~/.cursor/CURSOR.md

Usage: Automatically loaded by Cursor

03. Skills

Location: 03-skills/

What: Reusable, auto-invoked capabilities with instructions and scripts

Examples:

• code-review/ - Comprehensive code review with scripts
• brand-voice/ - Brand voice consistency checker
• doc-generator/ - API documentation generator

Installation:

# Personal skills
cp -r 03-skills/code-review ~/.cursor/skills/

# Project skills
cp -r 03-skills/code-review /path/to/project/.cursor/skills/

Usage: Automatically invoked when relevant

04. Subagents

Location: 04-subagents/

What: Specialized AI assistants with isolated contexts and custom prompts

Examples:

• code-reviewer.md - Comprehensive code quality analysis
• test-engineer.md - Test strategy and coverage
• documentation-writer.md - Technical documentation
• secure-reviewer.md - Security-focused review (read-only)
• implementation-agent.md - Full feature implementation

Installation:

cp 04-subagents/*.md /path/to/project/.cursor/agents/

Usage: Automatically delegated by main agent

05. MCP Protocol

Location: 05-mcp/

What: Model Context Protocol for accessing external tools and APIs

Examples:

• github-mcp.json - GitHub integration
• database-mcp.json - Database queries
• filesystem-mcp.json - File operations
• multi-mcp.json - Multiple MCP servers

Installation:

# Set environment variables
export GITHUB_TOKEN="your_token"
export DATABASE_URL="postgresql://..."

# Add MCP server via CLI
cursor mcp add github -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github

# Or add to project .mcp.json manually (see 05-mcp/ for examples)

Usage: MCP tools are automatically available to Cursor once configured

06. Hooks

Location: 06-hooks/

What: Event-driven shell commands that execute automatically in response to Cursor events

Examples:

• format-code.sh - Auto-format code before writing
• pre-commit.sh - Run tests before commits
• security-scan.sh - Scan for security issues
• log-bash.sh - Log all bash commands
• validate-prompt.sh - Validate user prompts
• notify-team.sh - Send notifications on events

Installation:

mkdir -p ~/.cursor/hooks
cp 06-hooks/*.sh ~/.cursor/hooks/
chmod +x ~/.cursor/hooks/*.sh

Configure hooks in ~/.cursor/settings.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [{
      "matcher": "Write",
      "hooks": ["~/.cursor/hooks/format-code.sh"]
    }],
    "PostToolUse": [{
      "matcher": "Write",
      "hooks": ["~/.cursor/hooks/security-scan.sh"]
    }]
  }
}

Usage: Hooks execute automatically on events

Hook Types (4 types, 25 events):

• Tool Hooks: PreToolUse, PostToolUse, PostToolUseFailure, PermissionRequest
• Session Hooks: SessionStart, SessionEnd, Stop, StopFailure, SubagentStart, SubagentStop
• Task Hooks: UserPromptSubmit, TaskCompleted, TaskCreated, TeammateIdle
• Lifecycle Hooks: ConfigChange, CwdChanged, FileChanged, PreCompact, PostCompact, WorktreeCreate, WorktreeRemove, Notification, InstructionsLoaded, Elicitation, ElicitationResult

07. Plugins

Location: 07-plugins/

What: Bundled collections of commands, agents, MCP, and hooks

Examples:

• pr-review/ - Complete PR review workflow
• devops-automation/ - Deployment and monitoring
• documentation/ - Documentation generation

Installation:

/plugin install pr-review
/plugin install devops-automation
/plugin install documentation

Usage: Use bundled slash commands and features

08. Checkpoints and Rewind

Location: 08-checkpoints/

What: Save conversation state and rewind to previous points to explore different approaches

Key Concepts:

• Checkpoint: Snapshot of conversation state
• Rewind: Return to previous checkpoint
• Branch Point: Explore multiple approaches from same checkpoint

Usage:

# Checkpoints are created automatically with every user prompt
# To rewind, press Esc twice or use:
/rewind

# Then choose from five options:
# 1. Restore code and conversation
# 2. Restore conversation
# 3. Restore code
# 4. Summarize from here
# 5. Never mind

Use Cases:

• Try different implementation approaches
• Recover from mistakes
• Safe experimentation
• Compare alternative solutions
• A/B testing different designs

09. Advanced Features

Location: 09-advanced-features/

What: Advanced capabilities for complex workflows and automation

Includes:

• Planning Mode — Create detailed implementation plans before coding
• Extended Thinking — Deep reasoning for complex problems (toggle with Alt+T / Option+T)
• Background Tasks — Run long operations without blocking
• Permission Modes — default, acceptEdits, plan, dontAsk, bypassPermissions
• Headless Mode — Run Cursor in CI/CD: cursor -p "Run tests and generate report"
• Session Management — /resume, /rename, /fork, cursor -c, cursor -r
• Configuration — Customize behavior in ~/.cursor/settings.json

See config-examples.json for complete configurations.

10. CLI Reference

Location: 10-cli/

What: Complete command-line interface reference for Cursor

Quick Examples:

# Interactive mode
cursor "explain this project"

# Print mode (non-interactive)
cursor -p "review this code"

# Process file content
cat error.log | cursor -p "explain this error"

# JSON output for scripts
cursor -p --output-format json "list functions"

# Resume session
cursor -r "feature-auth" "continue implementation"

Use Cases: CI/CD pipeline integration, script automation, batch processing, multi-session workflows, custom agent configurations

Example Workflows

Complete Code Review Workflow

# Uses: Slash Commands + Subagents + Memory + MCP

User: /review-pr

Cursor:
1. Loads project memory (coding standards)
2. Fetches PR via GitHub MCP
3. Delegates to code-reviewer subagent
4. Delegates to test-engineer subagent
5. Synthesizes findings
6. Provides comprehensive review

Automated Documentation

# Uses: Skills + Subagents + Memory

User: "Generate API documentation for the auth module"

Cursor:
1. Loads project memory (doc standards)
2. Detects doc generation request
3. Auto-invokes doc-generator skill
4. Delegates to api-documenter subagent
5. Creates comprehensive docs with examples

DevOps Deployment

# Uses: Plugins + MCP + Hooks

User: /deploy production

Cursor:
1. Runs pre-deploy hook (validates environment)
2. Delegates to deployment-specialist subagent
3. Executes deployment via Kubernetes MCP
4. Monitors progress
5. Runs post-deploy hook (health checks)
6. Reports status

Directory Structure

├── 01-slash-commands/
│   ├── optimize.md
│   ├── pr.md
│   ├── generate-api-docs.md
│   └── README.md
├── 02-memory/
│   ├── project-CURSOR.md
│   ├── directory-api-CURSOR.md
│   ├── personal-CURSOR.md
│   └── README.md
├── 03-skills/
│   ├── code-review/
│   │   ├── SKILL.md
│   │   ├── scripts/
│   │   └── templates/
│   ├── brand-voice/
│   │   ├── SKILL.md
│   │   └── templates/
│   ├── doc-generator/
│   │   ├── SKILL.md
│   │   └── generate-docs.py
│   └── README.md
├── 04-subagents/
│   ├── code-reviewer.md
│   ├── test-engineer.md
│   ├── documentation-writer.md
│   ├── secure-reviewer.md
│   ├── implementation-agent.md
│   └── README.md
├── 05-mcp/
│   ├── github-mcp.json
│   ├── database-mcp.json
│   ├── filesystem-mcp.json
│   ├── multi-mcp.json
│   └── README.md
├── 06-hooks/
│   ├── format-code.sh
│   ├── pre-commit.sh
│   ├── security-scan.sh
│   ├── log-bash.sh
│   ├── validate-prompt.sh
│   ├── notify-team.sh
│   └── README.md
├── 07-plugins/
│   ├── pr-review/
│   ├── devops-automation/
│   ├── documentation/
│   └── README.md
├── 08-checkpoints/
│   ├── checkpoint-examples.md
│   └── README.md
├── 09-advanced-features/
│   ├── config-examples.json
│   ├── planning-mode-examples.md
│   └── README.md
├── 10-cli/
│   └── README.md
└── README.md (this file)

Best Practices

Do's

• Start simple with slash commands
• Add features incrementally
• Use memory for team standards
• Test configurations locally first
• Document custom implementations
• Version control project configurations
• Share plugins with team

Don'ts

• Don't create redundant features
• Don't hardcode credentials
• Don't skip documentation
• Don't over-complicate simple tasks
• Don't ignore security best practices
• Don't commit sensitive data

Troubleshooting

Feature Not Loading

1. Check file location and naming
2. Verify YAML frontmatter syntax
3. Check file permissions
4. Review Cursor version compatibility

MCP Connection Failed

1. Verify environment variables
2. Check MCP server installation
3. Test credentials
4. Review network connectivity

Subagent Not Delegating

1. Check tool permissions
2. Verify agent description clarity
3. Review task complexity
4. Test agent independently

Testing

This project includes comprehensive automated testing:

• Unit Tests: Python tests using pytest (Python 3.10, 3.11, 3.12)
• Code Quality: Linting and formatting with Ruff
• Security: Vulnerability scanning with Bandit
• Type Checking: Static type analysis with mypy
• Build Verification: EPUB generation testing
• Coverage Tracking: Codecov integration

# Install development dependencies
uv pip install -r requirements-dev.txt

# Run all unit tests
pytest scripts/tests/ -v

# Run tests with coverage report
pytest scripts/tests/ -v --cov=scripts --cov-report=html

# Run code quality checks
ruff check scripts/
ruff format --check scripts/

# Run security scan
bandit -c pyproject.toml -r scripts/ --exclude scripts/tests/

# Run type checking
mypy scripts/ --ignore-missing-imports

Tests run automatically on every push to main/develop and every PR to main. See TESTING.md for detailed information.

EPUB Generation

Want to read this guide offline? Generate an EPUB ebook:

uv run scripts/build_epub.py

This creates cursor-howto-guide.epub with all content, including rendered Mermaid diagrams.

See scripts/README.md for more options.

Contributing

Found an issue or want to contribute an example? We'd love your help!

Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines on:

• Types of contributions (examples, docs, features, bugs, feedback)
• How to set up your development environment
• Directory structure and how to add content
• Writing guidelines and best practices
• Commit and PR process

Our Community Standards:

• CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md - How we treat each other
• SECURITY.md - Security policy and vulnerability reporting

Reporting Security Issues

If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it responsibly:

1. Use GitHub Private Vulnerability Reporting: https://github.com/evoveotech/cursor-howto/security/advisories
2. Or read .github/SECURITY_REPORTING.md for detailed instructions
3. Do NOT open a public issue for security vulnerabilities

Quick start:

1. Fork and clone the repository
2. Create a descriptive branch (add/feature-name, fix/bug, docs/improvement)
3. Make your changes following the guidelines
4. Submit a pull request with a clear description

Need help? Open an issue or discussion, and we'll guide you through the process.

Additional Resources

• Cursor Documentation
• MCP Protocol Specification
• Evoveo Tech on GitHub — organization home; additional skills and tooling appear here when published
• Boris Cherny on agentic coding workflows — parallel agents, shared project memory, Plan mode, slash commands, subagents, and verification hooks for long-running sessions.

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Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details on how to get started.

Contributors

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this project!

Contributor	PRs
wjhrdy	#1 - add a tool to create an epub
VikalpP	#7 - fix(docs): Use tilde fences for nested code blocks in concepts guide

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License

MIT License - see LICENSE. Free to use, modify, and distribute. The only requirement is including the license notice.

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Design & curation: Evoveo Tech (EVOVEO INNOVATIONS LIMITED) — for teams and developers using the Cursor IDE and Cursor CLI.

Last Updated: March 2026
Cursor Version: 2.1+
Compatible Models: GPT-4, Cursor, Gemini, and other models (configure in Cursor)