Accelerating Development with Cursor AI: Our Workflow

At MadisonUnderwood, we're constantly exploring tools that help us deliver value to clients faster without sacrificing quality. One tool that has transformed our development workflow is Cursor AI — an AI-powered code editor that understands context, generates code, and helps us build production-ready applications at unprecedented speed.

In this article, we'll share how we integrate Cursor AI into our daily workflow, the types of projects where it excels, and practical tips for getting the most out of AI-assisted development.

Why We Chose Cursor AI

Traditional development workflows involve a lot of repetitive tasks: boilerplate code, API integrations, UI components, and documentation. While these are essential, they often slow down the creative and strategic aspects of software development.

Cursor AI changes this dynamic by:

• Understanding project context: It reads your entire codebase and understands your architecture
• Generating production-ready code: Not just snippets, but complete, tested implementations
• Automating repetitive tasks: From writing tests to creating documentation
• Accelerating learning: Instantly explains unfamiliar code or frameworks

For our work — building POCs, MVPs, and modernizing legacy systems — speed and flexibility are critical. Cursor AI delivers both.

Our Cursor AI Workflow

1. Project Setup & Architecture

We start every project by defining the architecture with Cursor AI:

// Example: Define database schema with AI assistance
// Cursor generates complete TypeScript types, Supabase schema, and RLS policies

interface User {
  id: string;
  email: string;
  role: 'admin' | 'editor';
  created_at: string;
}

Cursor AI helps us:

• Generate complete project structures
• Set up Tailwind configurations with custom design tokens
• Create database schemas with proper TypeScript types
• Implement authentication flows

2. Component Development

Building UI components is where Cursor AI really shines. We provide design system specifications (color palettes, typography, spacing) and let Cursor generate components that strictly follow our guidelines.

Example: Creating a Button component

// Input: "Create a Button component following our design system"
// Output: Fully implemented component with all variants and states

export function Button({ variant = 'primary', size = 'medium', children, ...props }: ButtonProps) {
  // Generated with proper TypeScript types, Tailwind classes, and accessibility
  return (
    <button
      className={cn(
        "inline-flex items-center justify-center font-medium transition-all",
        variants[variant],
        sizes[size]
      )}
      {...props}
    >
      {children}
    </button>
  );
}

3. API Integration

Connecting to third-party APIs is often tedious — reading docs, handling errors, managing types. Cursor AI accelerates this:

• Reads API documentation
• Generates type-safe client functions
• Implements error handling and retries
• Creates tests for edge cases

4. Testing & Documentation

We use Cursor AI to generate:

• Unit tests with Jest or Vitest
• Integration tests for critical flows
• API documentation
• Component storybooks
• README files with setup instructions

This ensures every feature is well-tested and documented without slowing down development.

Real-World Example: Building This Platform

This very platform — our AI content hub with hybrid content management — was built using Cursor AI. Here's what we accomplished in a single day:

• Database Schema: Complete Supabase schema with RLS policies
• Authentication: Login flow with Supabase Auth UI
• Admin Dashboard: React-Admin CMS with custom data provider
• Content System: Hybrid markdown + database content aggregator
• Public Pages: Homepage, services, insights hub with responsive design
• Component Library: 20+ reusable components following our design system

Traditional development would have taken weeks. With Cursor AI, we completed the foundation in hours and spent the remaining time on refinement and customization.

Tips for Maximizing Cursor AI

1. Provide Context

The more context you give Cursor, the better the output:

• Reference design system files
• Share API documentation
• Explain business logic clearly
• Include example code

2. Iterate Quickly

Don't expect perfection on the first try:

• Generate code
• Review and refine
• Test thoroughly
• Iterate with feedback

3. Use for the Right Tasks

Cursor AI excels at:

• Boilerplate code
• CRUD operations
• UI components
• Type definitions
• Documentation

It's less effective for:

• Complex business logic (needs human oversight)
• Performance optimization (requires profiling)
• Security-critical code (needs manual review)

4. Maintain Code Quality

AI-generated code still needs human review:

• Check for edge cases
• Verify accessibility
• Test performance
• Ensure security best practices

The Future: Hybrid Human-AI Development

We believe the future of software development is hybrid: humans providing strategic direction and creative problem-solving, with AI handling repetitive tasks and accelerating implementation.

Cursor AI represents a major step toward this future. It doesn't replace developers — it amplifies them.

Key Takeaways

1. Cursor AI accelerates development by automating repetitive tasks and generating production-ready code
2. Context is crucial — provide design systems, API docs, and clear requirements
3. Human oversight remains essential for quality, security, and business logic
4. Best for POCs, MVPs, and rapid prototyping where speed and flexibility are critical
5. Iterate and refine — AI-generated code is a starting point, not the final product

Conclusion

Cursor AI has fundamentally changed how we build software. We're delivering client projects faster, with higher quality, and with more time to focus on the strategic aspects that truly matter.

If you're building a POC, MVP, or modernizing a legacy system, consider how AI-assisted development could accelerate your timeline.

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Ready to accelerate your development? Contact us to discuss how we can help you leverage AI for your next project.