coco-research Updating Cursor Settings
This skill guides you through modifying Cursor/VSCode user settings. Use this when the user wants to change editor settings, preferences, configuration, themes, keybindings, or any settings.json values.
Settings File Location
| OS | Path |
|---|---|
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/settings.json |
| Linux | ~/.config/Cursor/User/settings.json |
| Windows | %APPDATA%\Cursor\User\settings.json |
Before Modifying Settings
- Read the existing settings file to understand current configuration
- Preserve existing settings - only add/modify what the user requested
- Validate JSON syntax before writing to avoid breaking the editor
Modifying Settings
Step 1: Read Current Settings
// Read the settings file first
const settingsPath = "~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/settings.json";
// Use the Read tool to get current contents
Step 2: Identify the Setting to Change
Common setting categories:
- Editor:
editor.fontSize,editor.tabSize,editor.wordWrap,editor.formatOnSave - Workbench:
workbench.colorTheme,workbench.iconTheme,workbench.sideBar.location - Files:
files.autoSave,files.exclude,files.associations - Terminal:
terminal.integrated.fontSize,terminal.integrated.shell.* - Cursor-specific: Settings prefixed with
cursor.oraipopup.
Step 3: Update the Setting
When modifying settings.json:
- Parse the existing JSON (handle comments - VSCode settings support JSON with comments)
- Add or update the requested setting
- Preserve all other existing settings
- Write back with proper formatting (2-space indentation)
Common User Requests
| User Request | Setting |
|---|---|
| "bigger/smaller font" | editor.fontSize |
| "change tab size" | editor.tabSize |
| "format on save" | editor.formatOnSave |
| "word wrap" | editor.wordWrap |
| "change theme" | workbench.colorTheme |
| "hide minimap" | editor.minimap.enabled |
| "auto save" | files.autoSave |
| "line numbers" | editor.lineNumbers |
| "bracket matching" | editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled |
| "cursor style" | editor.cursorStyle |
| "smooth scrolling" | editor.smoothScrolling |
Important Notes
- JSON with Comments: VSCode/Cursor settings.json supports comments (
//and/* */). When reading, be aware comments may exist. When writing, preserve comments if possible. - Restart May Be Required: Some settings take effect immediately, others require reloading the window or restarting Cursor.
- Backup: For significant changes, consider mentioning the user can undo via Ctrl/Cmd+Z in the settings file.
- Workspace vs User Settings: User settings apply globally; workspace settings (
.vscode/settings.json) apply only to the current project.
Workflow
- Read ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/settings.json
- Parse the JSON content
- Add/modify the requested setting(s)
- Write the updated JSON back to the file
- Inform the user the setting has been changed and whether a reload is needed