I’m hesitant to give this advice away for free, but I’m gonna push past it and share it anyway. You’re using Cursor incorrectly.

Over the last few weeks I’ve been doing /zooms with software engineers – from entry level, to staff level and all the way up to principal level.

Here’s what I’ve seen:

• Using Cursor as a replacement for Google Search.
• Under specification of prompts, not knowing how to drive outcomes and using low-level thinking of “implement XYZ please”.
• Treating Cursor as if it is an IDE, instead of it being an autonomous agent.
• Blissful unawareness to the concept that you can program LLM outcomes.
• Unnecessary usage of pleasantries (“please” and “can you”) with it as if it was a human. If it fucks up, swear at it – go all caps and call it a clown. It soothes the soul.

Okay, well that last point – it doesn’t really change the outcome of Cursor so let’s focus on the other points….

Cursor has a pretty powerful feature called Cursor Rules and it’s a killer feature that is being slept on/is misunderstood. A quick scour of GitHub for implementations and scouting the community forums reveals that people are using them incorrectly – they all roughly look like this…

# WordPress PHP Guzzle Gutenberg .cursorrules prompt file

Author: 

## What you can build
E-commerce Store Integration Plugin: Create a WordPress plugin that integrates various e-commerce platforms using the Guzzle-based HTTP client, allowing users to manage products, orders, and inventory directly from their WordPress dashboard. Include Gutenberg blocks for adding product listings and shopping cart functionality.Social Media Auto Poster: Develop a plugin that automatically shares new WordPress posts to connected social media accounts by utilizing the Guzzle HTTP client for API interactions. Provide Gutenberg blocks for social media settings and customization of post content.Custom Form Builder with REST API Submission: Design a WordPress form builder plugin that creates custom forms with Gutenberg blocks and submits entries via the WP REST API. Include options for saving entries to external databases or services through the Guzzle client.SEO Optimization Toolkit: Build a plugin that offers SEO analysis and recommendations using external APIs accessed via Guzzle. Implement Gutenberg blocks showing SEO scores and suggestions for improving content directly in the editor.Content Syndication Hub: Offer a plugin that enables easy content syndication across multiple WordPress sites and external platforms, leveraging GUzzle for HTTP requests and REST API endpoints for managing syndication settings.Custom Analytics Dashboard: Create a WordPress plugin that presents a personalized analytics dashboard, pulling data from multiple third-party services using Guzzle. Utilize Gutenberg blocks to display graphs, statistics, and insights directly within the WordPress admin.Dynamic Content Importer: Develop a plugin that periodically imports and updates content from specified external sources using Guzzle. Provide Gutenberg blocks for configuring import settings, schedules, and display options for the imported content.Advanced Newsletter Integration: Implement a plugin that connects WordPress to various newsletter services using the Guzzle client, enabling automated email campaigns based on website activity. Include Gutenberg blocks for subscription forms and campaign management.Multilingual Content Manager: Design a plugin for managing multilingual content in WordPress, using the Guzzle client to access and translate content via external translation APIs. Gutenberg blocks can be used for displaying translated content and managing language settings.Real-Time Cryptocurrency Ticker: Create a Gutenberg block plugin that displays real-time cryptocurrency prices and market data by leveraging Guzzle to fetch data from financial APIs. Offer users customizable ticker settings directly within the WordPress dashboard.

## Benefits


## Synopsis
WordPress developers can create a plugin that integrates external APIs using Guzzle, adds custom WP REST endpoints, and introduces Gutenberg blocks, adhering to WordPress coding standards and optimizing code readability.

## Overview of .cursorrules prompt
The .cursorrules file provides guidelines for developing a WordPress plugin that includes a Guzzle-based HTTP client, WP REST endpoint additions, and new Gutenberg editor blocks. It emphasizes using WordPress coding standards for PHP, JavaScript, and TypeScript, with a preference for TypeScript over JavaScript. The file promotes functional programming paradigms and composition over inheritance while ensuring consistency with WordPress ecosystem best practices. Additionally, it stresses the importance of optimizing cod