Cursor + Claude Code: the dual-wield setup

Prereq

Cursor 0.50+ installed
Claude Code CLI 1.2+ (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
A repo with a clean main branch

Steps

01. Configure Cursor for speed

json

// .cursor/settings.json
{
"cursor.cpp.disabledLanguages": [],
"cursor.chat.defaultModel": "claude-sonnet-4.5",
"cursor.composer.defaultModel": "claude-opus-4.7",
"cursor.tab.enabled": true
}

Sonnet for chat (fast), Opus for Composer (deep). Tab autocomplete always on.

02. Scope Claude Code to heavy lifting

bash

cd ~/projects/your-app
git checkout -b refactor/payment-module
claude --dangerously-skip-permissions \
"Refactor src/payment/** to use the new Stripe v2 SDK. Update tests. Run them."

Let it run. Come back in 20 minutes. Review the diff.

03. Split by task, not by file

Task type	Tool
Rename, inline edit, fix typo	Cursor Tab
”Make this function async”	Cursor Composer
”Refactor the whole auth module”	Claude Code
”Write + run tests for this PR”	Claude Code
Pair on an algorithm	Cursor Chat

Both tools read your CLAUDE.md / .cursorrules. Keep them identical:

bash

ln -s CLAUDE.md .cursorrules

One source of truth, two agents.

05. Converge through git

Both commit to the same branch. Review with git diff main. Merge like any human PR.

Run Claude Code in CI for overnight refactors
Cursor rules that actually work