Cursor PRD Crash Course

1. Set up .cursorrules & Rules for AI

• Cursor first listens to the .cursorrules and its system prompt.

• They are the first docs cursor will go to for context.

• So before drafting your PRD folder you need to get these ready.

• For cursorrules file you could take one from cursor(.)directory

2. Brainstorm with Claude/o1

• Make sure you always discuss your project idea with your favorite LLM.

• From database design to ICP, anything you are not quite sure about discuss with the claude/01.

3. Key Components of a Cursor PRD

After you have enough clarity about your idea, you would want to generate the following

files for your PRD:

/project-docs
    ├── features.md           # individual features
    ├── implementation.md     # development method and guide
    ├── project-overview.md   # project overview
    ├── project-structure.md  # project file structure
    ├── requirements.md       # system requirements
    ├── tech-stack.md         # tech stack
    ├── user-flow.md          # user flow
    └── project-timeline.md   # project timeline

feautures .md file

• This flle dives deeper into individual features, describing exactly how each one should work, including edge cases and any specific business rules or validation requirements.

implementation. md

• The implementation covers how you'll build the project - your development approach, coding standards, timeline estimates, and any specific technical guidelines the team should follow.

• You could also include framework specifics, development preferences(e.g follow atomic design principles for components) & database design files in there.

project-overview .md

• The project-overview file should contain the core vision statement, main goals, and a high-level explanation of what your project aims to solve.

• Think of it as the "north star" that guides all other decisions.

• It is probably the most important file in your PRD

• Cursor derives a lot context from this file to understand the project scope.

project-structure .md

• Self-explanatory.

• Depending on your tech stack this file gives an outline of how files are connected and structured within your project (e.g monorepo vs polyrepo)

requirements .md

• This file breaks down both what the system needs to do and how it needs to perform (technical requirements like ("page load under 3 seconds").

• You can think of it as a helper file for your features.

tech-stack .md

• Your tech stack file justifies your tech choices, explaining why you selected specific tools, frameworks, or languages for different parts of the project and how they work together.

• Frontend, Backend, Version Control, Deployment, Infra, Database, ORMs, UI & Styling, API Integrations, Monitoring & Error Tracking, Auth

• These are all example you could put inside the tech-stack file

user-flow .md

• Very crucial file. Do not skip it.

• This doc maps out the complete journey of both users and data through your system from start to finish.

• Think of it as a detailed roadmap showing every step and interaction in the application.

• Without this file, cursor won't have enough context and will start doing it in its own way.

3. BONUS

• Create a separate file where you track the progress of your project.

• Each time you use the cursor agent and you make any changes, ask him to document his work in a project-timeline .md file (or name it however you want).

4. TIPS

• Version control: Ensure all documents are versioned in a version control system (e.g. Git) to track changes and history.

• Regular updates: As the project progresses, regularly update the documents to reflect the latest requirements and decisions.