Cursor Setup

Name: Cursor Setup
Author: girijashankarj

girijashankarj/cursor-handbook

1 installs
27 repo stars
Updated April 25, 2026
girijashankarj/cursor-handbook

Bootstraps cursor-handbook in a project by cloning the repo into .cursor, filling in project.json tech-stack settings, and validating the install.

About

Sets up cursor-handbook in a new project by cloning the repo, configuring project.json, and validating the .cursor directory. A developer uses it to bootstrap Cursor configuration in a fresh project.

Runs bundled scripts/setup-cursor.sh from the project root
Guides filling project.json tech-stack and path placeholders

Cursor Setup by the numbers

1 all-time installs (skills.sh)
Ranked #14,102 of 16,546 AI & Agent Building skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
Data as of Jul 22, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)

npx skills add https://github.com/girijashankarj/cursor-handbook --skill cursor-setup

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Installs	1
repo stars	★ 27
Last updated	April 25, 2026
Repository	girijashankarj/cursor-handbook ↗

What it does

Bootstraps cursor-handbook in a project by cloning the repo into .cursor, filling in project.json tech-stack settings, and validating the install.

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

Skill: Cursor Setup

Bootstrap cursor-handbook in any project — clone the repo, configure project settings, and validate the installation.

Trigger

When the user asks to set up cursor-handbook in a new project, install the Cursor configuration, or bootstrap the .cursor/ directory.

Prerequisites

[ ] git installed
[ ] Target project directory exists
[ ] No conflicting .cursor/ directory (or user consents to backup)

Usage

Run the bundled script from the target project root:

scripts/setup-cursor.sh

Environment Variables

CURSOR_CONFIG_REPO — Override the default repository URL (optional)

Steps

Step 1: Check Prerequisites

[ ] Verify git is installed
[ ] Check if .cursor/ already exists
[ ] If exists, ask user whether to back up and replace

Step 2: Run Setup

[ ] Execute scripts/setup-cursor.sh using the Shell tool
[ ] The script will:

1. Back up existing .cursor/ if needed 2. Clone cursor-handbook into .cursor/ 3. Copy project.json.template to project.json 4. Make hook scripts executable

Step 3: Configure Project

[ ] Open .cursor/config/project.json
[ ] Guide the user to fill in:
project.name — project identifier
techStack.language — primary language (typescript, python, go, etc.)
techStack.framework — framework (express, fastify, django, etc.)
techStack.database — database (postgresql, mysql, mongodb, etc.)
techStack.cloud — cloud provider (aws, gcp, azure)
paths.source — source code root (e.g., src/)
[ ] Replace all {{PLACEHOLDER}} values

Step 4: Validate Installation

[ ] Run the handbook validator to check structure
[ ] Verify at least one .mdc rule exists
[ ] Verify project.json has no remaining placeholders

Step 5: Post-Setup

[ ] Remind user to restart Cursor IDE
[ ] Suggest testing with a quick command (e.g., /type-check)
[ ] Point to docs/getting-started/quick-start.md for detailed guidance

Rules

NEVER overwrite .cursor/ without user confirmation
ALWAYS back up existing configuration before replacing
NEVER hardcode repository credentials in the script
The setup script is idempotent with user consent for overwrite

Completion

cursor-handbook installed, project.json configured, and structure validated. User can restart Cursor and begin using commands and skills.

If a Step Fails

Git not installed: Direct user to install git
Clone fails: Check network connectivity and repository URL
Backup fails: Check disk space and permissions
No template found: Create a minimal project.json manually

#!/bin/bash
# cursor-handbook Quick Setup Script
# Downloads and configures cursor-handbook for your project

set -e

REPO_URL="${CURSOR_CONFIG_REPO:-https://github.com/girijashankarj/cursor-handbook.git}"
CURSOR_DIR=".cursor"
BACKUP_SUFFIX=$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S)

echo "================================================"
echo "  cursor-handbook Setup"
echo "================================================"
echo ""

# Check prerequisites
if ! command -v git &> /dev/null; then
    echo "Error: git is not installed. Please install git first."
    exit 1
fi

# Check if .cursor already exists
if [ -d "$CURSOR_DIR" ]; then
    echo "Warning: $CURSOR_DIR directory already exists."
    read -p "Back up and replace? (y/N): " confirm
    if [ "$confirm" = "y" ] || [ "$confirm" = "Y" ]; then
        echo "Backing up to ${CURSOR_DIR}.backup.${BACKUP_SUFFIX}..."
        mv "$CURSOR_DIR" "${CURSOR_DIR}.backup.${BACKUP_SUFFIX}"
    else
        echo "Aborted. Existing .cursor directory left unchanged."
        exit 0
    fi
fi

# Clone repository
echo ""
echo "Cloning cursor-handbook..."
git clone "$REPO_URL" "$CURSOR_DIR"

# Create project configuration from template
if [ -f "$CURSOR_DIR/config/project.json.template" ]; then
    cp "$CURSOR_DIR/config/project.json.template" "$CURSOR_DIR/config/project.json"
    echo "Created project.json from template."
fi

# Make hook scripts executable
if [ -d "$CURSOR_DIR/hooks" ]; then
    chmod +x "$CURSOR_DIR/hooks/"*.sh 2>/dev/null || true
    echo "Made hook scripts executable."
fi

echo ""
echo "================================================"
echo "  Setup Complete!"
echo "================================================"
echo ""
echo "Next steps:"
echo "  1. Edit .cursor/config/project.json"
echo "     - Set your project name, tech stack, and paths"
echo "     - Replace all {{PLACEHOLDER}} values"
echo "  2. Restart Cursor IDE"
echo "  3. Try /type-check to verify the setup"
echo ""
echo "Useful commands:"
echo "  /type-check       - Run type checking"
echo "  /code-reviewer    - Start a code review"
echo "  /test-single      - Test a single file"
echo "  /check-secrets    - Scan for leaked secrets"
echo ""
echo "Documentation: docs/getting-started/quick-start.md"
echo "================================================"