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How to Create New Files with Cursor Agent

Introduction​

Creating new files through interaction with the AI agent is a frequently requested functionality in Cursor. Although the chat interface itself does not directly support file creation, there are other methods available.

Current Solutions​

The recommended way to create new files is to use the Composer (Ctrl + I). This feature allows:

  • Creation and editing of multiple files
  • Generation of complete file structures
  • Application of changes to multiple files simultaneously

Example scenarios:​

  1. Create complete structure of an HTML website:

    • index.html
    • css/styles.css
    • js/script.js

  2. Split an OpenAPI contract into multiple files

  3. Create component files and their associated style and test files

2. Command+K Method​

You can use Command+K (or Ctrl+K) to generate a file from scratch, but this is limited to creating a single file.

Common Use Cases​

1. Component Development​

  • Create new React components with independent files
  • Generate associated test files
  • Create style files for components

2. Test Infrastructure​

  • Generate unit test files for multiple components: 
    component1.ts → component1.test.ts
    component2.ts → component2.test.ts
    component3.ts → component3.test.ts

3. Internationalization​

  • Create JSON translation files
  • Generate resource files for specific languages

4. Code Refactoring​

  • Extract functions to utility files
  • Split large files into modules
  • Create new endpoint files

Best Practices​

  1. Use Composer for operations with multiple files
  2. Provide clear descriptions of the required file structure
  3. Include context about relationships between files
  4. Specify any naming conventions or patterns to be followed

Tips​

  • When using Composer, be specific about the folder structure to be created
  • Include details about file dependencies and associations
  • For complex structures, break down the creation process into smaller steps
  • Verify generated files before applying changes

Source​

@https://forum.cursor.com/t/agent-create-new-files/408