Stop Writing Boilerplate: A Guide to Cursor Composer

The Boilerplate Problem

Every developer knows the pain. You need a new feature. That means:

• A new component file
• A new type definition
• A new API route
• Updating the index exports
• Adding tests

It's not "hard" work, but it's tedious work. It breaks your flow. This is exactly what AI should be doing for you.

Enter Cursor Composer

Most people use Cursor's sidebar chat (Cmd+L) like ChatGPT: "Write a React component for a login form." Then they copy the code, create a file, paste it in, fix the imports... you're still doing the manual labor.

Cursor Composer (Cmd+I) changes the game. It doesn't just "chat"; it *actuates*. It can create, edit, and delete files directly in your workspace.

The Workflow: "Spec, Don't Type"

Instead of typing code, you are now writing specifications for the code. Here is the 3-step workflow to kill boilerplate forever:

1. Open Composer (Cmd+I)

Hit Cmd+I (or Cmd+K in recent updates for inline). This opens the Composer window.

2. Contextualize

Before you ask for code, tell Composer *where* to look. Use @ symbols.

@/components/ui/Button.tsx @/lib/utils.ts

This tells the model: "Use my existing Button component and utility functions as the style guide."

3. The "Mega-Prompt"

Now, describe the entire feature. Don't be shy.

"Create a 'ContactForm' component in /components/forms/ContactForm.tsx. It should have fields for Name, Email, and Message. Use Zod for validation. Use lucide-react for icons. It should submit to an API route at /api/contact which you should also create."

4. Review and Apply

Composer will generate the diffs for *both* the component file and the API route simultaneously. You simply hit "Accept All" and watch 500 lines of perfect boilerplate appear in seconds.

Advanced Tip: The "Refactor" move

Boilerplate isn't just new code; it's also cleanup. Try this:

"Refactor @/app/dashboard/page.tsx. Extract the table implementation into a reusable component called DataTable.tsx and move the data fetching logic to a server action in @/app/actions.ts."

Cursor will perform the extraction, move the code, update the imports, and leave you with clean architecture. Manual time: 30 minutes. Cursor time: 30 seconds.

Conclusion

If you are still manually creating files and copy-pasting code, you are working too hard. Master Composer, and you stop being a typist and start being an architect.