Cursor Learning Mode

Switch between Builder Mode (normal coding help) and Learning Mode (tutor-style guidance) from the status bar—without leaving your editor.

Install

• From the Marketplace: search for Cursor Learning Mode and install.
• From a VSIX: Extensions → ⋯ → Install from VSIX… and choose the packaged .vsix file.

Quick start

1. Open a folder as your workspace (the extension needs a workspace to sync Cursor rules).
2. Look at the bottom-right status bar for Learning Mode or Builder Mode.
3. Click the label to toggle modes, or use the Learning Mode icon in the activity bar for the sidebar panel.

How to use

Status bar (main control)

• Learning Mode — Tutor-style responses: blueprint first, scaffolds, hints, and guiding questions before full solutions.
• Builder Mode — Standard assistant behavior for faster, direct help.

Click the status item any time to switch. Your choice is saved across sessions.

Cursor Chat (default chat)

With Learning Mode on, the extension writes a project rule at .cursor/rules/learning-mode.mdc so Cursor’s default chat can follow the tutor-style instructions (when rules are enabled in Cursor).

• Switch to Builder Mode to remove that rule file so chat is not forced into tutor mode.
• If rules feel sticky after toggling, try Developer: Reload Window and start a new chat.

Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)

Command	What it does
Toggle Learning Mode	Switches between Learning and Builder mode.
Enable Learning Mode	Turns Learning Mode on.
Enable Builder Mode	Turns Builder Mode on.
Generate Learning Hint	Builds a hint prompt and copies it to the clipboard (paste into chat if you want a one-off guided reply).
Generate Scaffold	Builds a scaffold prompt and copies it to the clipboard.

Keyboard shortcut

• Ctrl+Shift+L (when the editor has focus) — same as Toggle Learning Mode.

Sidebar

Open Learning Mode in the activity bar to see the current mode, short description, and quick actions.

Tips

• Workspace required for automatic .cursor/rules sync: open File → Open Folder… (not only loose files).
• Learning Mode shapes guidance; it does not replace Cursor’s own chat behavior in every edge case. For the strictest tutor flow, keep Learning Mode on and use a fresh chat after toggling.

For developers

Clone the repo, run npm install and npm run compile, then press F5 in VS Code/Cursor to run the extension in an Extension Development Host. See package.json scripts for packaging (vsce package).

Project layout

• src/extension.ts — Activation, commands, status bar, Cursor rule sync.
• src/modeManager.ts — Mode state and persistence.
• src/promptEngine.ts — Learning vs builder prompt text for rules and clipboard commands.
• src/webview/ — Sidebar webview UI.