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In this lesson, we explore how Cursor AI leverages your project’s full context—its file structure, code contents, environment variables, and more—to generate precise, actionable terminal commands.

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Project Context Overview

Below is the entry point for our Flask-based Task Manager. Cursor AI reads this file to understand imports, configuration, and helper functions: 
# app.py
import csv
import sqlite3
import os
from flask import Flask, render_template, request, redirect, url_for, flash, session, g
from datetime import datetime
import hashlib
import logging

# Initialize Flask app
app = Flask(__name__)
app.config['SECRET_KEY'] = 'dev'  # Change this to a random secret key in production
app.config['DATABASE'] = os.path.join(app.instance_path, 'task_manager.sqlite')

def read_csv(file_path):
    """Read and print rows from a CSV file."""
    with open(file_path, 'r') as f:
        csvreader = csv.reader(f)
        for row in csvreader:
            print(row)

# Ensure the instance folder exists
os.makedirs(app.instance_path, exist_ok=True)

def init_db():
    """Initialize the SQLite database with the required schema."""
    conn = sqlite3.connect(app.config['DATABASE'])
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute('''CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS tasks (
                        id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
                        title TEXT NOT NULL,
                        description TEXT,
                        due_date TEXT,
                        created_at TEXT NOT NULL
                      )''')
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()
With this context loaded, Cursor AI can suggest commands and scaffolding that align perfectly with your codebase.

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1. Installing PyTest and Updating Dependencies

To add testing support to your project: 
pip install pytest
pip freeze | grep pytest >> requirements.txt
You can prompt Cursor AI with:
Install PyTest and update requirements.txt
…and it will execute the above two commands for you.
Pin your test dependencies to avoid version conflicts. For example, add pytest>=8.0,<9.0 in your requirements.txt.

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2. Generating a Test Suite

Cursor AI can scaffold test files based on your code structure. For example: 
touch tests/test_app.py
And populate it with: 
# tests/test_app.py
import os
import tempfile
import pytest
from app import app, init_db

@pytest.fixture
def client():
    # Create a temporary database
    db_fd, app.config['DATABASE'] = tempfile.mkstemp()
    app.config['TESTING'] = True

    with app.test_client() as client:
        with app.app_context():
            init_db()
        yield client

    os.close(db_fd)
    os.unlink(app.config['DATABASE'])

def test_delete_task(client):
    response = client.post('/task/1/delete', follow_redirects=True)
    assert response.status_code == 200
    assert b'Task deleted successfully!' in response.data
    assert b'Test Task' not in response.data

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3. Running Tests and Interpreting Failures

To run your tests: 
python -m pytest tests/test_app.py
Example output: 
=================================== test session starts ====================================
platform darwin -- Python 3.13.1, pytest-8.3.5, pluggy-1.5.0
rootdir: /Users/jeremy/Projects/KodeKloudTaskManager
collected 6 items

tests/test_app.py .....F.                                                        [100%]
========================================= FAILURES =========================================
___________________________________ test_register __________________________________________

    def test_register(client):
>       assert b'Account created successfully!' in response.data
E       AssertionError: assert b'Account created successfully!' in b'<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html lang="en">\n<head>...'
Failures like these are expected. Refining your prompt—by specifying file paths, function names, or expected output—will help Cursor AI generate more accurate assertions.

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4. Profiling Data Processing

To profile your app.py or any CPU-bound function: 
python -m cProfile -o profile.stats app.py
Analyze the results: 
197138 function calls (190006 primitive calls) in 0.138 seconds

   ncalls  tottime  percall  cumtime  percall filename:lineno(function)
   ...

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5. Handling Port Conflicts

When you start the Flask server and port 5000 is occupied, you’ll see an error: 
OSError: [Errno 98] Address already in use
If you encounter a port conflict, restart the server on a different port:
flask run --port=5001

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Best Practices for Context-Aware Commands

Best PracticeDescription
Provide a Project OverviewExplain your app’s framework (e.g., Flask), directory layout, and key components.
Reference Actual Files and PathsUse exact file names like app.py or tests/test_app.py in your prompt.
Specify Environment DetailsInclude Python version, virtual environment name, and dependency constraints.
Define Constraints or RequirementsFor example: “Use httpx instead of requests” or “No global variables.”

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Example Prompt Context

This is a Flask project at ~/Projects/KodeKloudTaskManager.
I want to run only tests in tests/test_app.py using Python 3.13.1 in my venv.

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Inline Terminal Questions

You can ask quick questions directly in the terminal: 
# Ask: What is pylintrc?
Cursor AI responds:
A .pylintrc file is the configuration for pylint, a static code analysis tool for Python.

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