Cursor

Cursor Agent can inspect a repository, change files and run terminal commands. The practical decision is how much authority to give it in one request: extracting a helper is easier to verify than combining that extraction with a dependency upgrade and a directory reorganization. Specify the allowed files, preserved public interface and one test command before asking for edits.

A useful first boundary is behavioral preservation: callers should observe the same values, errors and side effects after the refactor. Ask for a file-by-file plan before implementation, then reject unrelated formatting or configuration edits even if they look harmless. A small diff lets you identify whether a failed test comes from the requested change or from additional work.

• Record the original test command and exit status.
• List the exported names and error messages that must stay stable.
• Allow one helper extraction, with no dependency changes.
• Review the diff before accepting or committing it.

Project rules in .cursor/rules can be versioned with the repository; AGENTS.md offers a simpler instruction format. Keep instructions specific enough to check: name the test command and forbidden generated directories instead of asking for clean code. When two modules have different conventions, scope the rule to the relevant paths so the agent receives the appropriate context.

Editorial assessment

Start with Hobby to check whether the editing workflow fits your repository, then consider Pro for sustained individual use. Choose Teams when centralized administration or team privacy enforcement is the requirement; a more expensive individual tier addresses a different problem. Measure the usage consumed by a representative task before deciding that a larger allowance will pay for itself.

Pro, Pro Plus and Ultra have separate Cursor Models and Other Models usage pools. Model choice changes consumption, so a subscription price cannot be translated into a reliable number of completed refactors. Record the selected model, starting balance, final balance and accepted files; a large generated patch that you discard still matters to the cost of the task.

Cursor says Privacy Mode prevents training on your data and makes that setting available to free and paid users. For a repository containing customer information, first decide which files may be supplied to the service and which commands may touch external systems. Training policy, network access and permission to process a particular repository are separate decisions.

Cursor checkpoints can revert agent file changes, but they are separate from Git and are not a permanent version history. Begin an evaluation from a clean branch and commit the baseline before handing over the first task. If the agent changes a generated file or removes a meaningful assertion, inspect the affected diff and restore the specific change instead of accepting a broad rewrite just because the suite turns green.

1. Create tests for a normal label, surrounding spaces, an empty string and a missing label.
2. Run the tests before editing; keep their names and expectations unchanged.
3. Request only the extraction, then inspect each changed line.
4. Run the same tests and inspect the package manifest and public exports.
5. Accept only if behavior and tests are preserved, duplication is removed and the diff contains the requested files. Fail if assertions are weakened, unrelated files change or a limit prevents completion.

Keep a short decision record with the model, access tier, elapsed review time and corrections you made yourself. Compare that record with doing the same extraction using your current editor; do not judge only by how quickly the first patch appeared. A candidate that generates more code but requires longer review may be a poor fit for this narrow maintenance task.

If the task is to explain a pasted function before choosing an editor, compare the ChatGPT and Claude profiles. They describe a different starting workflow. Our editorial policy separates provider documentation from a completed hands-on evaluation.