Cursor Found the Bug I Stared At for an Hour

A function threw an error I'd read twenty times without seeing the cause. I pasted the file into Cursor and asked 'why does this fail on null input,' and it pointed at a missing guard three lines up.

The win wasn't the answer, it was the context. Cursor had the whole file open, so its explanation referenced the actual function, not a generic snippet. That's the difference between a chatbot and an editor that knows your code.

I've learned to give it the error and the relevant function, not the whole repo. Too much context dilutes the focus. A tight question gets a tight answer; a 'fix my project' gets a lecture.

It still occasionally suggests a fix that breaks something else, so I read the diff before accepting. The model is fast; my review is the brake. Both are needed.

For a bug that won't reveal itself, let an editor with your whole file take a look. You were too close to see it; the tool wasn't, and that distance is the feature.