2 min lesson
Which workflow to coach first - the canonical sequence
For each case in "Which workflow to coach first - the canonical sequence", name the signal and the response you would use.
Step 1 of 2
Which workflow to coach first - the canonical sequencethe order Cursor's own team teaches
Use a sequence the engineer can verify at every step: start with read-only Ask to understand the codebase, review a Plan before edits, run one bounded Agent change with its checks, then automate only a workflow the team has already repeated and reviewed. This earns trust before the agent touches broader production work.
On entering a codebase, use Ask modeA read-only mode for asking questions about a codebase without changing files; the safe way to explore unfamiliar or legacy code. Press Enter for the full definition. - it makes no file changes; you "have a conversation with your codebase."
Canonical onboarding prompt: "explain this repo, use diagrams where appropriate."
Especially valuable for less-technical people and legacy repos - the lowest-risk first move.
Plan modeA mode that makes no edits: it researches the codebase and produces an editable plan you review before any code changes. Press Enter for the full definition. researches the indexed codebase, follows existing patterns, asks clarifying questions and produces an editable Markdown plan before code changes.
Review the files, scope, non-goals and verification commands before Build.
Save the reviewed plan where the next reader expects it, then execute the accepted version.
Inspect the diff before code reaches a pull request.
Remove generic names, verbose comments, unnecessary abstraction and changes outside the stated scope.
Run the repository's own checks and keep the review standard visible to the team.
Coach engineers to do work with local agents until a workflow gets repetitive, then convert it to an automation.
Write down the trigger, inputs, safe boundary and finish check before moving it out of the local loop.
Start with a read-and-report workflow whose output a person can inspect before any follow-up action.
Planning gives a careful engineer a reviewable artifact before any code changes. When the request conflicts with the codebase, the plan can name the gap, ask for the missing decision and show the files and checks it expects to touch. Coach plan-first when scope is unclear because it creates an explicit point to correct the approach before execution.