How I used Cursor AI to overhaul my API documentation course website

As a technical writer, I talk a lot about clarity, usability, and well-structured documentation. But when I looked at my own API documentation course website, I had to admit—it was more of a cautionary tale than an example of best practices.

The mobile view was a mess. The layout felt outdated. Code blocks? They spilled out of their containers like an overflowing coffee cup. Tables? Broken.

I needed a fix, and I needed it yesterday. That’s when I stumbled upon Cursor AI—an AI-powered fork of VS Code that promised to improve my coding workflow. It looked like VS Code, felt like VS Code, but came with AI assistance that could generate, refactor, and optimize code in real time.

I decided to give it a shot. Here’s what happened.

Setting up Cursor AI

Getting Cursor AI up and running was shockingly simple—unlike debugging an API call at midnight.

1. Download Cursor AI from cursor.sh.
2. Install and open it (it looks almost identical to VS Code).
3. Go to settings and log in (you’ll need to create a free account).
4. Press Ctrl + L to open the AI chat assistant.
5. Select clause-3.7-sonet, and that’s it—you’re ready to roll!

It felt like opening a brand-new notebook—except this one could actually help me write.

Creating a responsive template

Since my course teaches how to write clean, structured API documentation, my website should reflect that. I asked Cursor AI:

“Create a responsive template for an API documentation course website.”

In seconds, it generated:

• A well-structured HTML layout with modern best practices.
• Clean, modular CSS that didn’t look like it had been assembled in a hurry.
• Built-in responsiveness so I wouldn’t have to play whack-a-mole with breakpoints.

For the first time, my website looked like something I wouldn’t mind showing off.

Optimizing for mobile

If you’ve ever tried making a website mobile-friendly, you know it’s like trying to fit a week’s worth of groceries into a tiny fridge—you can do it, but not without some strategic rearranging.

I prompted Cursor AI:

“Optimize my content for readability and mobile responsiveness.”

It analyzed my CSS, probably sighed in disappointment, and then:

• Added media queries to keep text from spilling out of containers.
• Resized buttons and links so users didn’t need surgeon-level precision to tap them.
• Adjusted font scaling for a better reading experience on all devices.

Now, users on mobile could actually read the content without pinching, zooming, or sighing in frustration.

Before & after

Move the slider below to compare the before and after versions of my website using Cursor AI.

The not-so-great parts

While Cursor AI is impressively powerful, it’s not without its quirks.

1. Code ownership & transparency – It modifies your existing code in real-time, but if you don’t know how to read code, you won’t know what it’s changing, where, or why.

2. Troubleshooting nightmare – If something suddenly stops working, debugging can be a headache because you didn’t write the code—it did.

3. Dependency on AI – While Cursor AI speeds up development, blind reliance can lead to poor understanding of best practices.

4. Privacy concerns – Your code is processed by an AI assistant, so if you’re working on something sensitive, you might want to think twice.

Should you use Cursor AI?

Cursor AI is a game-changer for technical writers and developers who want to streamline workflows, improve responsiveness, and fix code issues quickly.

But, like any tool, it’s only as good as the user. If you can read and understand what it’s doing, it can be a lifesaver. If not, you might end up with a website that works—until it doesn’t.

That being said, if you’re working on API documentation, technical writing, or web development, give Cursor AI a shot. It might just save your sanity—and your website.

And if you’re looking to learn API documentation the right way, well… I happen to know a certain website that’s now beautifully responsive. 😉