Build Your First AI-Assisted Feature

Implementing Features with AI - The Complete Workflow

Now that you’ve configured Cursor and understand its core concepts, let’s build a real feature from start to finish. We’ll implement a user authentication system with password reset functionality, demonstrating how AI assistance transforms the development process.

Tip

Choose the Right Complexity
For your first AI-assisted feature, pick something with:

• Clear requirements (3-5 user stories)
• Multi-file changes (but < 10 files)
• Testable behavior
• No complex external dependencies

Feature Development Workflow

1. Define Requirements

Start with clear user stories and acceptance criteria in your PRD

2. Plan with Ask Mode

Break down the feature into technical tasks using AI analysis

3. Implement with Agent

Let Agent handle the heavy lifting while you guide and verify

4. Test & Iterate

Use AI to generate tests and fix issues automatically

Example: Building Password Reset Feature

Let’s walk through implementing a password reset feature for a web application. This touches multiple layers (database, backend API, frontend UI, email) making it perfect for demonstrating Cursor’s capabilities.

Step 1: Create the Requirements

First, create a simple PRD in your project:

# Feature: Password Reset

## User Stories
- As a user, I want to reset my password if I forget it
- As a user, I want to receive a secure reset link via email
- As a user, I want the reset link to expire after 1 hour

## Technical Requirements
- Secure token generation
- Email integration
- Database schema updates
- API endpoints
- Frontend forms
- Automated tests

Step 2: Generate Technical Plan

Switch to Ask mode and include your PRD:

@docs/password-reset-prd.md
Generate a technical implementation plan for this password reset feature.
Consider security best practices and our existing auth system.

Cursor will analyze your codebase and create a detailed plan:

## Implementation Plan

1. **Database Changes**
   - Add password_reset_token to users table
   - Add token_expires_at timestamp field

2. **Backend API (2 endpoints)**
   - POST /auth/forgot-password
   - POST /auth/reset-password

3. **Email Service**
   - Create reset email template
   - Integrate with SendGrid/SMTP

4. **Frontend Components**
   - Forgot password form
   - Reset password form
   - Success/error messages

5. **Security Measures**
   - Hash tokens before storage
   - Rate limiting
   - Secure random token generation

Step 3: Implementation with Agent Mode

Now switch to Agent mode for implementation. Here’s where the magic happens:

Database Schema

Agent: Add password reset fields to the users table

Agent will:

• Open your database schema file
• Add the necessary fields
• Create a migration script
• Update any ORM models

-- Generated migration
ALTER TABLE users
ADD COLUMN password_reset_token VARCHAR(255),
ADD COLUMN token_expires_at TIMESTAMP;

API Endpoints

Agent: Implement the forgot password endpoint with rate limiting

Agent creates complete endpoint with security:

// Forgot password endpoint
app.post('/auth/forgot-password',
  rateLimiter({ max: 3, windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000 }),
  async (req, res) => {
    const { email } = req.body;

    const user = await User.findByEmail(email);
    if (!user) {
      // Don't reveal if email exists
      return res.json({ message: 'If email exists, reset link sent' });
    }

    const token = crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('hex');
    const hashedToken = await bcrypt.hash(token, 10);

    await user.update({
      password_reset_token: hashedToken,
      token_expires_at: new Date(Date.now() + 3600000) // 1 hour
    });

    await emailService.sendResetEmail(email, token);

    res.json({ message: 'If email exists, reset link sent' });
  }
);

Frontend Form

Agent: Create a forgot password form component with validation

Agent generates a complete React component:

const ForgotPasswordForm = () => {
  const [email, setEmail] = useState('');
  const [status, setStatus] = useState({ type: '', message: '' });
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(false);

  const handleSubmit = async (e) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    setLoading(true);

    try {
      const response = await fetch('/api/auth/forgot-password', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify({ email })
      });

      const data = await response.json();
      setStatus({
        type: 'success',
        message: 'Check your email for reset instructions'
      });
    } catch (error) {
      setStatus({
        type: 'error',
        message: 'Something went wrong. Please try again.'
      });
    } finally {
      setLoading(false);
    }
  };

  return (
    <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      {/* Form fields and UI */}
    </form>
  );
};

Step 4: Test-Driven Refinement

Enable YOLO mode and ask Agent to create and run tests:

Agent: Write tests for the password reset feature, then run them
and fix any issues until all tests pass

Note

With YOLO mode enabled, Agent will:

1. Create comprehensive test files
2. Run the tests automatically
3. Fix any failing tests by updating code
4. Iterate until all tests pass

Example test generation:

// Generated test file
describe('Password Reset', () => {
  it('should send reset email for valid user', async () => {
    const user = await createTestUser();

    const response = await request(app)
      .post('/auth/forgot-password')
      .send({ email: user.email });

    expect(response.status).toBe(200);
    expect(emailService.sendResetEmail).toHaveBeenCalled();
  });

  it('should not reveal if email exists', async () => {
    const response = await request(app)
      .post('/auth/forgot-password')
      .send({ email: 'nonexistent@example.com' });

    expect(response.body.message).toBe('If email exists, reset link sent');
  });

  it('should enforce rate limiting', async () => {
    // Test rate limiting logic
  });
});

Advanced Implementation Patterns

Using MCP for Enhanced Development

Leverage MCP servers during implementation:

Context7 for Documentation

Use context7: How do I implement secure password
reset in Express.js?

Puppeteer for E2E Testing

Use puppeteer to test the password reset flow
end-to-end on localhost:3000

Database MCP for Schema

Use postgres to verify the password_reset_token
field was added correctly

Iterative Development Flow

Real development rarely happens linearly. Here’s how to handle iterations:

Initial Implementation → Test → Discover Edge Case → Refine

Example iteration:
1. Agent implements basic flow ✓
2. Tests reveal token isn't being cleaned up
3. "Agent: Add a cleanup job for expired tokens"
4. Agent adds scheduled task
5. Tests pass ✓

Handling Complex Requirements

For features with complex business logic:

1. Break into sub-features

   Agent: First, implement just the token generation
   and storage logic

2. Verify each piece

   Let's test this part before moving to email integration

3. Layer complexity gradually

   Now add rate limiting to the endpoint we just created

4. Refactor with confidence

   Agent: Extract the token logic into a reusable service

Common Patterns for Feature Development

Pattern 1: API Endpoint Development

# Effective prompt structure:
Agent: Create a [METHOD] /api/[resource] endpoint that:
- Validates input using [validation library]
- Handles these edge cases: [list cases]
- Returns proper HTTP status codes
- Includes error handling and logging
Write tests first, then implementation

Pattern 2: UI Component Creation

# For React/Vue/Angular components:
Agent: Create a [ComponentName] that:
- Accepts these props: [list props]
- Handles these user interactions: [list interactions]
- Shows loading/error states
- Is accessible (ARIA labels, keyboard nav)
- Includes unit tests

Pattern 3: Database Operations

# For database changes:
Agent: Update the database to support [feature]:
- Add migration for schema changes
- Update ORM models
- Add indexes for performance
- Include rollback migration
- Test with sample data

Debugging and Problem Solving

When things don’t work as expected:

Build Errors

Agent: Run tsc and fix all TypeScript errors

With YOLO mode, Agent will:

• Run the build command
• See all errors
• Fix them across all files
• Re-run until build passes

Test Failures

Agent: Debug why the password reset test is failing.
Add console.logs if needed, then fix the issue.

Runtime Issues

Agent: The app crashes when clicking reset.
Check the browser console and network tab,
then fix the issue.

Quality Checklist

Before considering your feature complete:

• All tests pass (unit, integration, E2E)
• Error handling for all edge cases
• Security review (no exposed secrets, SQL injection, etc.)
• Performance check (no N+1 queries, proper indexes)
• Accessibility (keyboard navigation, screen readers)
• Documentation updated (API docs, README)
• Code review from Agent: “Review this feature for best practices”

Pro Tips for Feature Development

Start Small

Begin with the simplest version, then iterate. AI excels at incremental improvements.

Test Early

Write tests with your implementation. AI-generated tests catch edge cases you might miss.

Use Checkpoints

Create checkpoints before major changes. Easy rollback if AI goes off track.

Verify Understanding

Ask “Explain what you just did” to ensure AI changes align with your intent.

Real-World Feature Examples

E-commerce Cart Feature Multi-step implementation with state management, API, and UI

Real-time Notifications WebSocket integration with fallback polling

File Upload System Drag-and-drop UI with progress tracking and S3 integration

Next Steps

Now that you’ve built your first AI-assisted feature:

1. Try a more complex feature - Multi-step workflows or integrations
2. Explore specialized patterns - GraphQL, microservices, real-time features
3. Optimize your workflow - Create custom rules for your patterns
4. Share learnings - Document patterns that work well for your team

Tip

Congratulations! 🎉
You’ve successfully implemented a complete feature using AI assistance. Each feature you build will make you more efficient at orchestrating AI to handle routine tasks while you focus on architecture and user experience.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Over-relying on AI - Always review generated code for security and logic
• Skipping tests - AI shines when it has tests to validate against
• Huge changes - Break large features into smaller, testable chunks
• Ignoring context - Give AI relevant files and documentation for better results
• Not iterating - First attempts are rarely perfect; refine with AI