Quick Tips

    Bite-sized AI-tool tips and tricks you can apply to your workflow right away.

    How to configure .cursorignore to prevent context pollution and protect secrets
    Quick Tip9 min

    How to configure .cursorignore to prevent context pollution and protect secrets

    Cursor indexes your working directory, not just what Git tracks, so an untracked .env file can still leak straight into a prompt. Here's how to lock that down properly.

    Editor: Paul Radford
    Jul 26, 2026
    cursorcodingproductivity
    How to manage API costs when using Claude Sonnet for automated coding
    Quick Tip9 min

    How to manage API costs when using Claude Sonnet for automated coding

    Explains how to utilize Anthropic's Prompt Caching to reduce API bills when using tools like Cline or Continue.dev. Details the mechanics of context window reloading and how to structure files to maximize cache hits.

    Editor: Paul Radford
    Jul 10, 2026
    claudepromptsautomationcoding
    How to fix Cursor codebase indexing issues on large repositories
    Quick Tip9 min

    How to fix Cursor codebase indexing issues on large repositories

    Reinstalling Cursor rarely fixes a broken index. On monorepos above roughly 50,000 files, an aggressive .cursorignore plus a manual reindex almost always does instead.

    Editor: Paul Radford
    Jul 10, 2026
    cursorcodingrag
    Auditing AI-Generated Code: A Security-Focused Review Framework
    Quick Tip8 min

    Auditing AI-Generated Code: A Security-Focused Review Framework

    A Copilot suggestion has no memory of your last incident postmortem and no skin in the game if it ships broken. This framework treats every AI-generated diff as untrusted until proven otherwise.

    Editor: Paul Radford
    Jun 23, 2026
    securitycodingproductivityworkflow
    The Hidden Costs of AI Coding Tools: A Developer's Cost Optimization Guide
    Quick Tip7 min

    The Hidden Costs of AI Coding Tools: A Developer's Cost Optimization Guide

    A senior engineer's real AI coding cost often runs two to five times the sticker price once you count review time. Here's where the hidden spend comes from, and how to control it.

    Editor: Paul Radford
    Jun 5, 2026
    costscodingproductivitytips
    Cursor vs the Field: When AI-Native IDEs Beat Traditional Editors with AI Plugins
    Quick Tip7 min

    Cursor vs the Field: When AI-Native IDEs Beat Traditional Editors with AI Plugins

    The fork-vs-plugin debate online misses the real difference: context management. Here's what separates Cursor's own indexing pipeline from a plugin-based assistant like Copilot.

    Editor: Paul Radford
    Jun 2, 2026
    cursorcopilotideproductivity
    Context Management for AI Coding Assistants: Feed Your Tool, Get Better Output
    Quick Tip8 min

    Context Management for AI Coding Assistants: Feed Your Tool, Get Better Output

    Dumping fifteen files into a prompt because the window technically fits them is a common mistake most engineers make. Here's how to manage context so the model actually weighs it correctly.

    Editor: Paul Radford
    Jun 2, 2026
    contextpromptscodingclaude