Cursor AI uses @ to enhance query context

When writing code, we often need to find relevant information in the code base, such as function definitions, class structures, dependency library documents, etc. Cursor AI provides **@ query function**, allowing developers to quickly obtain code context.

This guide will provide detailed information on how to use the @ function of Cursor AI to enhance code query and improve the development experience.

What is the @ query function?

Cursor AI allows you to use the @ symbol in a chat interface or code editor to reference the content or external documents of the code base, helping the AI ​​better understand the context.

• @Codebase: Search the entire code base to get relevant code snippets

• @Filename: Code that references a specific file

• @Symbol: Get the definition of a function, class or variable

• @Docs: Check the official documentation of the library or API

• @Web: Search the latest related information on the Internet

Using the @ symbol allows AI to answer questions more accurately, thus avoiding vague or irrelevant answers.

How to query using @ symbol?

✅Use @ symbols in the chat window

You can directly enter @ in the Cursor AI chat window, and then select the code base, file, or API document to query.

Example 1: Find function definitions in the code base

Developer : @Codebase Where is the calculated_total_price function defined?
Cursor AI : calculate_total_price is defined on line 45 of the cart.js file. Here is the complete code:

 javascript copy edit function calculate_total_price(items) { return items.reduce((total, item) => total + item.price, 0);
} 

✅ Use @ to quote in code editor

Cursor AI also supports querying directly using @ symbols in the code editor.

Example 2: Quickly refer to the definition of a class

Developer : Which file is this class in @UserModel?
Cursor AI : UserModel is defined in models/user.py file. Here is the code snippet:

 python copy edit class UserModel: def __init__(self, name, email):
        self.name = name
        self.email = email 

✅Check official documents through @Docs

If you are using a library, such as React, Django, Pandas , you can use @Docs to directly review the official documents instead of manually searching on the official website.

Example 3: Query the usage of React useEffect

Developer : How to use @Docs useEffect?
Cursor AI : useEffect is a React Hook that is often used to deal with side effects, such as data requests or subscriptions. The sample code is as follows:

 javascript copy edit import { useEffect } from "react";useEffect(() => { console.log("component mount or update"); return () => console.log("component uninstall");
}, []);

Example of usage

The most important feature of the chat window is probably the @Mention option . This option allows us to provide more data to the AI ​​to generate responses. Ranges from simple files and folders to web searches or granting AI access to GitHub repositories.

For example, we can @Web let AI search for answers on the web.

Remember that in some cases, sharing the entire code base or a private GitHub repository with AI can be problematic. We should pay attention to content shared with artificial intelligence and avoid sharing sensitive or private data.

Why is using @ query more efficient?

More accurate code query: directly search the entire code base, saving time for manual search, reducing AI Misunderstanding: Provide specific code context to AI to avoid generating error answers Quick access to official documents: no longer need to open browser queries manually to improve debugging efficiency: quickly find the definition of functions or classes, assist in bug fixes

Best Practice: How to Make @ Query More Efficient?

✔ Combined with @Codebase and @Filename: If you want to find a function, you can use @Codebase to find the entire project, or you can use @Filename to limit it to a file.

✔ Used with AI: Let the AI ​​give the relevant code snippet first, and then request the AI ​​to interpret or optimize the code.

✔ Query API Documentation: Use @Docs to directly query the official documentation of the API or library to reduce the time of searching.

✔ Use @Web to get the latest information: If the code involves the latest technology, you can use @Web to let AI get relevant information from the network.