Training course · Cursor · Software Architecture

Cursor for Software Architects

Work productively with the AI code editor Cursor: agent mode, rules, codebase context, Tab completion, background agents and review.

Duration
2 days (14 hrs)
Format
Online or on-site
Language
German or English
Participants
open dates or exclusive for your team
Certificate
Certificate of attendance

Overview

“Cursor for Software Architects” is a hands-on course for roles such as Software architects and solution architects, Enterprise architects with links to application development and Senior developers and tech leads with architectural responsibility. Rather than learning Cursor in the abstract, you work on tasks from your daily routine – with examples, exercises and templates from Software Architecture.

Cursor is an AI code editor built on VS Code that weaves language models deeply into everyday development. Alongside context-aware Tab completion, it offers an agent mode that searches files on its own, plans changes across the whole project, runs terminal commands and fixes errors iteratively. In this two-day course you will learn to use Cursor with purpose: choosing the right interaction mode, steering context deliberately and combining AI assistance with your existing workflow of version control, automated testing and peer code review.

A key focus is making Cursor work for teams. Project rules let you capture architectural decisions, naming conventions and testing strategies so that the agent produces consistent results. You will learn to make good use of codebase indexing, targeted references to files, documentation and symbols, and MCP integrations. You will also delegate tasks to background agents, review their output as pull requests and set up a review process that takes quality, security and data protection seriously across the organisation.

When AI agents write large parts of the code, architecture becomes more important, not less: clear module boundaries, documented decisions and verifiable quality goals are the frame that keeps generated code consistent. AI assistants also support architects directly, for example by analysing existing codebases, producing C4 diagrams, drafting architecture decision records and weighing alternatives against quality attributes. Fitness functions and architecture tests can be generated and anchored in your pipelines. In this course you learn to use AI as a sparring partner for architectural decisions, prepare architectural knowledge so that coding agents follow it reliably and spot erosion early in fast-growing codebases.

The course is delivered live – either online in a virtual classroom or on-site in our training rooms in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run it exclusively for your team.

Who is this course for?

  • Software architects and solution architects
  • Enterprise architects with links to application development
  • Senior developers and tech leads with architectural responsibility
  • Platform and cloud architects
  • Owners of architecture governance and review boards

Typical challenges we address

  • Architecture documentation goes stale quickly and drifts from the actual code
  • Decisions are made verbally and their context is lost
  • Gradual architectural erosion through cyclic dependencies and violated layer boundaries
  • Without clear guidance, AI-generated code ignores established patterns and conventions

What you will be able to do

  • You choose the right Cursor mode for each task and use it efficiently.
  • You steer codebase context precisely and get more accurate suggestions as a result.
  • You write project rules that reliably enforce your team’s conventions.
  • You use agent mode and background agents for features and refactorings with verifiable results.
  • Use AI to analyse existing systems, evaluate architectural options and record decisions as ADRs.
  • Anchor architecture rules as fitness functions in the pipeline and detect erosion early.
  • Shape context and rules so that AI coding agents reliably respect your architectural guidelines.

Course outline

Day 1

Module 1 Setting up Cursor and understanding its modes
  • Installation and migration of VS Code settings and extensions
  • Differences between Tab completion, inline edits, Ask mode and Agent mode
  • Choosing a model per task: balancing speed, depth and cost
  • Privacy mode and organisation-level settings
Module 2 Steering codebase context
  • How codebase indexing works and where its limits lie
  • Referencing files, folders, symbols, documentation and web sources precisely
  • Using ignore files to exclude sensitive or irrelevant content
  • Avoiding overlong chats and restarting tasks with fresh context
Module 3 Rules for consistent team results
  • Creating and versioning project rules and scoping them by file pattern
  • Expressing architecture, style and testing conventions as effective rules
  • Separating user rules from team rules
  • Refining rules iteratively based on the agent’s typical mistakes
Module 4 Agent mode in practice
  • Building features step by step with plan, implementation and tests
  • Running multi-file refactorings safely with checkpoints
  • Approving terminal commands deliberately and feeding error output back
  • Connecting MCP servers for issue trackers, databases or browser testing

Day 2

Module 5 Background agents, review and governance
  • Delegating tasks to background agents and running them in parallel
  • Reviewing results as branches or pull requests and steering follow-ups
  • Using AI-assisted code review alongside human review
  • Addressing security risks, secrets and licensing in enterprise use
Module 6 Practice lab: Software Architecture
  • Documenting architecture decisions
  • Reconstructing existing architecture
  • Evaluating alternatives
  • Generating fitness functions
  • Guardrails for coding agents
  • Carving out domains
Module 7 Data protection, quality & transfer to daily work
  • Architecture documents often describe security-relevant details such as network zones and data flows: you learn which information may be shared with AI services, how to assess licensing risks of components and how architectural decisions traceably reflect GDPR, NIS2 and Cyber Resilience Act requirements.
  • Ground rules for safe AI use in your team
  • Checking results: facts, sources, tests and the four-eyes principle
  • Personal action plan for the next 30 days
  • Open questions, outlook and resources for further learning

Practical scenarios from your field

Documenting architecture decisions

Turn discussions, meeting notes and pull requests into structured architecture decision records with context, options considered, decision and consequences, stored consistently in the repository. Related decisions are linked automatically.

Reconstructing existing architecture

Analyse existing codebases, extract modules, dependencies and interfaces and generate up-to-date C4 diagrams as diagrams-as-code with PlantUML, Mermaid or Structurizr. Diagrams can be refreshed automatically on every build.

Evaluating alternatives

Compare options such as a modular monolith, microservices or event-driven integration against quality scenarios, cost and team structure, and make trade-offs visible following ATAM principles.

Generating fitness functions

Express architecture rules such as layer access, forbidden dependencies or naming conventions as automated tests with ArchUnit, dependency-cruiser or similar tools and wire them into CI.

Guardrails for coding agents

Describe architectural principles, module boundaries and patterns in rule files and context documents so AI agents follow them reliably when generating code, and spot deviations in review.

Carving out domains

Derive bounded contexts, aggregates and context maps following domain-driven design from event storming results and business descriptions, and use them to shape teams and services.

Possible hands-on projects

ADR assistant

A command-line tool that turns bullet points into a complete ADR from a template, links related decisions and updates an index in the repository.

Dependency visualiser

A script that analyses import relationships in a codebase, flags cycles and layer violations and renders an interactive diagram in the browser.

Architecture Q&A over repos

A small application that indexes ADRs, diagrams and code and answers architecture questions with references to the underlying sources. New team members onboard faster.

Prerequisites

You program regularly in at least one language and are familiar with Git and an IDE such as VS Code. You have several years of development experience and have made or supported architectural decisions in larger software systems.

Technical requirements

Your own laptop with Cursor, Git and your usual development environment installed; a Cursor account with access to agent features is recommended.

Data protection & compliance

Architecture documents often describe security-relevant details such as network zones and data flows: you learn which information may be shared with AI services, how to assess licensing risks of components and how architectural decisions traceably reflect GDPR, NIS2 and Cyber Resilience Act requirements.

Suggested dates

All dates are suggestions – your preferred date is always possible.

  • Thu, 26 November 2026 – Fri, 27 November 2026 Online Request
  • Tue, 8 December 2026 – Wed, 9 December 2026 Stuttgart Request
  • Mon, 11 January 2027 – Tue, 12 January 2027 Berlin Request
  • Mon, 25 January 2027 – Tue, 26 January 2027 Online Request
  • Tue, 9 February 2027 – Wed, 10 February 2027 Munich Request
  • Thu, 25 February 2027 – Fri, 26 February 2027 Online Request

Frequently asked questions

Do I need prior VS Code experience to use Cursor?

It helps, but it is not essential. Cursor is built on VS Code, so navigation, shortcuts and extensions feel familiar and existing settings can be imported. If you currently work with JetBrains IDEs or other editors, a short introduction during the course gets you up to speed quickly so you can concentrate on the AI features.

How do I prevent confidential code from reaching third parties?

Cursor offers a privacy mode and organisation settings that restrict how code is stored by the provider. You can also use ignore files to exclude sensitive areas from indexing and context. In the course we discuss how to align these options with internal policies, data protection requirements and sound handling of secrets.

What do rules add compared with well-written prompts?

A prompt applies to one request only, whereas rules persist and apply to the whole team. They capture architectural decisions, preferred libraries, testing strategies and style guidelines, so nobody has to repeat that information and the agent produces code that fits your codebase. Rules are versioned with the project and evolve together with it.

Can AI make architecture decisions?

AI is a strong sparring partner: it offers options, names trade-offs, finds gaps in reasoning and documents decisions in a structured way. Responsibility stays with people, because architecture depends on business context, team skills, budget and risk appetite. In the course you learn to use AI so that decisions are better reasoned and made faster.

How do we stop AI agents from eroding the architecture?

Through a combination of clear context and automated checks: rule files and ADRs describe module boundaries and patterns, fitness functions and architecture tests in CI block violations, and reviews focus on structural changes. Architecture thus turns from documentation into a verifiable guardrail for humans and agents alike.

How much does “Cursor for Software Architects” cost?

The course costs a flat €949 plus VAT per participant – whether online or on-site. This includes 2 training day(s) with a live trainer, course materials, a lab environment and a certificate of attendance.

Can I suggest my own date?

Yes. Our suggested dates are just a guide. In the request form you can always describe your preferred date or period in free text – we check availability and confirm within one working day.

Is the course online or on-site?

Both are possible: live online in a virtual classroom or on-site in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart or Kaiserslautern. We can also run the course exclusively for your team.

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