How to Build a Full-Stack App with Cursor in 30 Minutes (2026 Tutorial)

What You'll Build in 30 Minutes

Remember when spinning up a new full-stack project meant an entire afternoon of boilerplate, config files, and Stack Overflow tabs? Those days are over.

Cursor — the AI-first code editor that saw 56% user growth in late 2025 — lets you go from an empty folder to a deployed application in the time it takes to watch a TV episode. In this tutorial, you'll do exactly that: build a complete task management app with a polished UI, REST API, and database in under 30 minutes.

No prior Cursor experience needed. Just follow along, step by step.

By the end, you'll have a deployed, working application — and a solid understanding of how to use Cursor's Agent Mode to build anything faster.

Core Concepts: What Makes Cursor Different

Before we start building, let's quickly cover the Cursor features we'll rely on throughout this tutorial.

Cursor is an AI-first code editor built as a fork of VS Code. It looks and feels familiar, but it embeds AI deeply into every part of the development workflow. With the release of Cursor 2.0 and its new Composer model — a purpose-built coding model that runs at 250 tokens per second, 4x faster than comparable models — AI-assisted development has reached a new level of speed and reliability.

With those concepts in mind, let's get your environment ready.

Preparation: Setting Up Your Environment

This setup takes about 5 minutes. Once it's done, we'll start the real clock.

node --version  # Should be v18.0.0 or higher
npm --version   # Should be v9.0.0 or higher

mkdir cursor-task-app && cd cursor-task-app

Your environment is ready. Let's start building.

Step-by-Step: Building the Full-Stack App

This is the core of the tutorial. We'll use Cursor's Agent Mode to build a task management app with Next.js, Tailwind CSS, and a SQLite database. Each step follows a simple pattern: give the Agent a clear prompt, watch it work, and verify the result.

Step 1: Initialize the Project with Agent Mode

Open the Chat panel with ⌘+L (Mac) or Ctrl+L (Windows/Linux). Make sure Agent mode is selected in the dropdown at the top of the chat panel.

Type the following prompt:

Create a new Next.js 15 project with TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and the App Router.
Use `npx create-next-app@latest .` with these options:
- TypeScript: Yes
- ESLint: Yes
- Tailwind CSS: Yes
- src/ directory: Yes
- App Router: Yes
- Import alias: @/*

After creating the project, verify it works by running the dev server.

Agent Mode will:

1. Run the create-next-app command in your terminal
2. Select the correct options automatically
3. Start the dev server to verify everything works

Expected result: A fresh Next.js project running at http://localhost:3000 with the default landing page.

Step 2: Set Up Cursor Rules

Before we generate more code, let's tell Cursor about our project conventions. This step takes 30 seconds but dramatically improves output quality.

Give the Agent this prompt:

Create a .cursor/rules/project.mdc file with these project rules:

- Use TypeScript with strict types, avoid `any`
- Use Next.js App Router conventions (server components by default)
- Style with Tailwind CSS utility classes, no custom CSS
- Use Prisma for database access
- Keep components small and focused (under 100 lines)
- Use descriptive variable names
- Add error handling to all async operations

The Agent will create the rules file. From now on, every piece of code it generates will follow these conventions — no need to repeat yourself.

Step 3: Build the UI with Agent Mode

Now for the fun part — creating the task management interface. Give the Agent this prompt:

Build a task management UI with these requirements:

1. A main page at src/app/page.tsx that shows:
   - A header with the app title "TaskFlow"
   - An input field to add new tasks
   - A list of tasks, each showing:
     - Task title
     - Completion status (checkbox)
     - Delete button
   - Filter buttons: All, Active, Completed

2. Create a reusable TaskItem component at src/components/task-item.tsx

3. Use a clean, modern design with Tailwind CSS:
   - Centered layout, max-width 2xl
   - Subtle shadows and rounded corners
   - Smooth hover transitions
   - Responsive on mobile

For now, use local state (useState) to manage tasks. We'll add the database later.

Watch as Agent Mode creates multiple files simultaneously — the page component, the TaskItem component, and any utility types needed. It will follow the Cursor Rules we set up, using TypeScript strict types and Tailwind CSS throughout.

Expected result: A working task management UI at http://localhost:3000 where you can add, complete, and delete tasks (stored in local state for now).

Step 4: Add the Database with Prisma

Time to make our data persistent. Prompt the Agent:

Add a SQLite database using Prisma:

1. Install Prisma and initialize it with SQLite
2. Create a Task model in prisma/schema.prisma with fields:
   - id (String, cuid)
   - title (String)
   - completed (Boolean, default false)
   - createdAt (DateTime, default now)
   - updatedAt (DateTime, auto-update)
3. Run prisma generate and prisma db push
4. Create a Prisma client singleton at src/lib/prisma.ts

The Agent will handle the entire setup: installing packages, creating the schema, generating the client, and setting up the singleton pattern to prevent connection issues in development.

Step 5: Create API Routes

Now let's wire up the backend. Prompt the Agent:

Create Next.js API routes for task CRUD operations:

1. GET /api/tasks - Fetch all tasks (sorted by createdAt desc)
2. POST /api/tasks - Create a new task (body: { title: string })
3. PATCH /api/tasks/[id] - Toggle task completion
4. DELETE /api/tasks/[id] - Delete a task

Use the Prisma client from src/lib/prisma.ts.
Add proper error handling and input validation.
Return appropriate HTTP status codes.

Agent Mode will create the route files under src/app/api/tasks/ following Next.js App Router conventions. It handles the [id] dynamic route parameter and includes try-catch blocks with meaningful error messages — all without you writing a single line manually.

Step 6: Connect Frontend to API

The final coding step — connect the UI to the real backend:

Update the task management page to use the API routes instead of local state:

1. Fetch tasks from GET /api/tasks on page load
2. Add new tasks via POST /api/tasks
3. Toggle completion via PATCH /api/tasks/[id]
4. Delete tasks via DELETE /api/tasks/[id]

Use React hooks (useState, useEffect) and add loading states.
Convert the page to a client component ("use client") since it needs interactivity.
Add optimistic updates for a snappy UX.

The Agent will refactor the page component, replacing mock data with real API calls. It adds loading spinners, error handling, and optimistic updates so the UI feels instant even while waiting for the server.

Expected result: A fully functional task manager backed by a real database. Add a task, refresh the page — it persists.

Not bad for a complete full-stack application. Now let's look at some techniques to take your Cursor workflow even further.

Pro Tips: Getting More from Cursor

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

FAQ

What's Next

You just built a full-stack app in under 30 minutes — something that would have taken hours of manual coding. Here's where to go from here:

• Add authentication: Prompt the Agent to integrate NextAuth.js or Clerk for user login
• Deploy to production: Use Vercel for one-click deployment — the Agent can help set this up too
• Explore more AI coding tools: Check out our Best AI Coding Tools in 2026 roundup to see how Cursor compares to Windsurf, GitHub Copilot, and other options
• Browse AI Coding tools: Visit our AI Coding category to discover more developer tools

The key takeaway? AI-assisted development isn't about replacing developers — it's about removing the tedious parts so you can focus on what matters: designing systems, solving problems, and shipping products faster.

References & Sources

• Cursor Official Website — Features, pricing, and documentation
• Cursor 2.0 Changelog — Composer model and agent-first architecture details
• Cursor 2.0: Agent-First Architecture Complete Guide — In-depth analysis of Cursor 2.0 capabilities
• The Perfect Cursor AI Setup for React and Next.js — Builder.io's comprehensive setup guide
• How to Use Cursor AI Agents — Step-by-step agent tutorial
• Next.js Documentation — Official Next.js App Router documentation
• Prisma Documentation — Official Prisma ORM documentation
• Cursor Directory — Community-contributed Cursor Rules

This article was last updated in February 2026. Cursor features and pricing may change — visit cursor.com for the latest information.