Python

Set up Python development with extensions and linting tools

This guide was heavily inspired by Jack Fields and his article about setting up VS Code for Python development. Please check his article for more details.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have:

• Python installed (3.8 or higher recommended)
• Git for version control
• Cursor installed and updated to the latest version

Essential Extensions

The following extensions setup Cursor to be fully featured for Python development. These provide you with syntax highlighting, linting, debugging and unit testing.

Python

Core language support from Microsoft

Cursor Pyright

Fast Python language server

Python Debugger

Enhanced debugging capabilities

Ruff

Python linter and formatter

Advanced Python Tooling

While the above extensions have previously been the most popular extensions for Python development in Cursor, we’ve also added some additional extensions that can help you get the most out of your Python development.

uv - Python Environment Manager

uv is a modern Python package manager that can be used to create and manage virtual environments, in addition to replacing pip as the default package manager.

To install uv, run the following command in your terminal:

pip install uv

ruff - Python Linter and Formatter

Ruff is a modern Python linter and formatter that can be used to check for programming errors, helps enforce coding standards, and can suggest refactoring. It can be used alongside Black for code formatting.

To install Ruff, run the following command in your terminal:

pip install ruff

Cursor Configuration

1. Python Interpreter

Configure your Python interpreter in Cursor:

1. Open Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P)
2. Search for “Python: Select Interpreter”
3. Choose your Python interpreter (or virtual environment if you’re using one)

2. Code Formatting

Set up automatic code formatting with Black:

Black is a code formatter that automatically formats your code to follow a consistent style. It requires zero configuration and is widely adopted in the Python community.

To install Black, run the following command in your terminal:

pip install black

Then, configure Cursor to use Black for code formatting, by adding the following to your settings.json file:

{
    "python.formatting.provider": "black",
    "editor.formatOnSave": true,
    "python.formatting.blackArgs": [
        "--line-length",
        "88"
    ]
}

3. Linting

We can use PyLint to check for programming errors, helps enforce coding standards, and can suggest refactoring.

To install PyLint, run the following command in your terminal:

pip install pylint

{
    "python.linting.enabled": true,
    "python.linting.pylintEnabled": true,
    "python.linting.lintOnSave": true
}

4. Type Checking

In addition to linting, we can use MyPy to check for type errors.

To install MyPy, run the following command in your terminal:

pip install mypy

{
    "python.linting.mypyEnabled": true
}

Debugging

Cursor provides powerful debugging capabilities for Python:

1. Set breakpoints by clicking the gutter
2. Use the Debug panel (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + D)
3. Configure launch.json for custom debug configurations

Recommended Features

Tab Completion

Intelligent code suggestions that understand your actions

Chat

Explore and understand code through natural conversations

Agent

Handle complex development tasks with AI assistance

Context

Pull in context from 3rd party systems

Auto-Imports

Automatically import modules as you code

AI Review

Cursor constantly reviews your code with AI

Framework Support

Cursor works seamlessly with popular Python frameworks:

• Web Frameworks: Django, Flask, FastAPI
• Data Science: Jupyter, NumPy, Pandas
• Machine Learning: TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn
• Testing: pytest, unittest
• API: requests, aiohttp
• Database: SQLAlchemy, psycopg2