cursor-known-pitfalls

name	cursor-known-pitfalls
description	Avoid common Cursor IDE pitfalls: AI feature mistakes, security gotchas, configuration errors, and team workflow issues. Triggers on "cursor pitfalls", "cursor mistakes", "cursor gotchas", "cursor issues", "cursor problems", "cursor tips".
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Bash(cmd:*)
version	1.18.0
license	MIT
author	Jeremy Longshore <[e-mail]>
tags	["saas","cursor","cursor-known"]
compatibility	Designed for Claude Code, also compatible with Codex and OpenClaw

Cursor Known Pitfalls

Common Cursor IDE pitfalls and their solutions. Organized by category: AI behavior, security, configuration, performance, and team collaboration.

AI Feature Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Blindly Applying Composer Changes

Problem: Clicking "Apply All" without reviewing diffs. Composer can generate code with wrong imports, hallucinated APIs, or logic errors.

Solution:

1. Click each file in the Changes panel to review its diff
2. Check imports: are they real packages in your project?
3. Check function calls: do the methods actually exist?
4. Run build after applying: npm run build
5. Run tests: npm test
6. Commit BEFORE running Composer (easy rollback with git checkout .)

Pitfall 2: Context Window Overflow

Problem: Adding too many @Files, @Folders, and @Codebase references. The model silently drops information, leading to:

• Ignoring your instructions
• Repeating itself
• Generating generic instead of project-specific code

Solution:

- Use @Files (specific) over @Folders (broad) over @Codebase (broadest)
- Limit to 3-5 file references per prompt
- Start new chats for new topics
- Remove stale context pills by clicking X

Pitfall 3: Continuing Stale Conversations

Problem: Reusing a 20+ turn conversation for a new task. The conversation history fills context, leaving no room for your new request.

Solution: Cmd+N to start a new chat for each distinct task.

Pitfall 4: AI Generates Deprecated Patterns

Problem: AI uses old APIs (React class components, Express 4 syntax, CommonJS require).

Solution: Pin versions in project rules:

# .cursor/rules/stack.mdc
---
description: "Tech stack versions"
globs: ""
alwaysApply: true
---
ALWAYS use these versions:
- React 19 with