Skip to lesson
Exit
Indexing and Search1 / 2

2 min lesson

Stop when you have proof

Show why this lesson detail matters: "Start with this check: The answer cites relevant files rather than only the open file."

Step 1 of 2

The job: you can decide when to trust semantic search and when exact search is safer. Start with this check: The answer cites relevant files rather than only the open file. Keep it small enough to check the result yourself instead of taking the summary on trust.

Index ready — Exact Search, then @Codebase cites the file

0:40 · narrated
Read this demo as text
  1. Open Cursor Settings, Indexing and Docs. Instant Grep is on — Cursor indexes this repo locally. There is no separate Resync percentage here; the toggle is the control.
  2. Exact Search for filterRecentSearches. Three hits in two files — the index is ready enough to grep.
  3. Attach Codebase, then ask where the helper lives. Semantic context rides with the question.
  4. The answer cites recentSearches.ts. Same model — the indexed codebase made the citation specific.
Confirm Instant Grep is on, Exact-Search the symbol, then ask with @Codebase so the answer cites the defining file.

Practice next: Now try it: check Indexing & Docs, Exact-Search a symbol, attach @Codebase, and confirm the citation.

Simulated Cursor 3.12 (macOS, light) — beta educational reconstruction, not the real product.