Prototyping for advanced.

Cursor

A practical guide to AI-assisted development for Product Design, Product Management, and Data Science teams

01Overview

Cursor is an AI-powered code editor that helps teams build, prototype, and ship faster. An advanced tool for developers and technical roles who want full code control.

02Common Themes

Key themes that help teams work effectively with AI-assisted development.

AI as Collaborator

Reasoning partner that plans, builds, and explains

Shared Modes

Plan → Agent → Ask → Iterate

Cross-Disciplinary

Designers, PMs, and Data teams collaborate

Prototype to Learn

Match fidelity to intent, not perfection

Context Matters

Add docs, specs, and system details for better results

03Foundations

Core product walkthrough and mental model for AI-native coding.

Core Tools

Tab

Next-action autocomplete

Command K

Inline edits and refactors

Agent / Plan Mode

Multi-file reasoning & task orchestration

Key Concepts

Plan Mode Basics

Collaborate on a build plan before execution

Model Overview

Auto vs. standard vs. thinking models

Context Management

Checkpoints, multiple chats, avoiding "context rot"

CLI Option

Use cursor agent in other IDEs or for automation

Mindset Shift

Move from static hand-offs to co-building with an AI teammate

04Advanced Techniques

Power-user methods for prompting, model strategy, and long-form work.

Advanced Prompting & Context Engineering

Single-Purpose Chats

Keep chats focused on one task or topic

Fresh Sessions

Start new sessions when focus changes

@-References

Use @files, @docs, @commits to shape context

Model Selection Strategy

Standard Mode

Speed and low cost for routine tasks

Thinking Mode

Deep reasoning with chain-of-thought

Max Mode

Million-token context for large audits

Additional Techniques

Prompt Flow Management

Queue or inject prompts while agent works

Troubleshooting

Switch models, use "think for 10 paragraphs," or start new session

Long-Horizon Tasks

Write spec + checklist markdown, then execute step-by-step with validation

Rules & Custom Commands

Save reusable prompts as /commands or project rules

05Cursor for Product Managers

Using Cursor as a builder's tool to plan, analyze, and ship faster.

Codebase Exploration

Use Ask Mode to trace logic, dependencies, or find root causes

Spec & Plan Creation

Generate technical plans directly from natural language; integrate code context

Rapid Prototyping

Create or adjust front-end components to express product intent

Documentation Ownership

Update and push doc changes with PRs

Data Analysis

Load transcripts or analytics exports for summarization and insight generation

Model Selection

When to use "thinking" vs. "speed" models

MCP Integrations

Connect Jira, Figma, Notion for richer context

Future of PM Work

Closer to code, shorter loops between planning and validation

06Cursor for Designers

Turn designs into live prototypes and bridge design–dev workflows.

Figma MCP Integration

Import frames, generate production code

Prototype Creation

Mockups → interactive pages in minutes

Plan vs. Agent Mode

Plan to scope, Agent to execute

Iterative Sculpting

AI as creative partner, refine step-by-step

Design System Alignment

ShadCN, Tailwind, consistent styling

Quick Code Fixes

Make edits, open PRs directly

07Cursor for Data Scientists

Using Cursor for data science and data engineering workflows.

Dev Containers & Docker

Reproducible local environments for notebooks and dbt

AI-Assisted Notebooks

Generate or expand Jupyter notebooks; perform EDA

Inline Code Editing

Command K and inline prompts for analysis and plotting

Database Connections

Access Postgres or Snowflake from within Cursor

DBT Integration

Generate models, YAML docs, and tests automatically

MCP & Extensions

Snowflake extension for direct querying; MCP for agent-level reasoning

AI Pipelines

Scaffold transformations (dbt/Snowflake) end-to-end, debug, and validate

Reproducibility & Security

Store credentials safely, share containerized projects

07Ship with Webflow Cloud

Once you've built your app in Cursor, deploy it to production with Webflow Cloud—a serverless hosting platform that runs on Cloudflare's global edge network with sub-50ms response times.

The Complete Workflow

  1. Code in Cursor — Build your app using AI-assisted development with Next.js or Astro
  2. Push to GitHub — Commit your code and push to your repository
  3. Deploy on Webflow Cloud — Automatic deployments across dev, staging, and production environments

What You Get:

  • Edge-Powered Performance — Global CDN with Cloudflare Workers for lightning-fast delivery
  • Framework Support — Native Next.js and Astro support, with more frameworks coming
  • Built-in Storage — SQLite databases, Key Value Store for caching, and Object Storage for media files
  • GitHub Integration — Automated CI/CD workflows with environment-based deployments
  • Zero Infrastructure — Focus on building, not managing servers