Intermediate12 min1 prerequisite

Maintain persistent reference information with Cursor's Notepads feature for project documentation and shared context.

Using Notepads

Notepads are persistent markdown documents that you can reference in any AI conversation. Unlike conversation history that gets lost, notepads stay available as reusable context.

What Are Notepads?

Notepads are Cursor's way to store:

Project documentation
API references
Architecture decisions
Style guides
Frequently referenced information
Complex requirements

They're like persistent notes that AI can always access.

Creating Notepads

From the Sidebar

Click the Notepad icon in the left sidebar
Click New Notepad
Give it a descriptive name
Start writing

Notepad Format

Notepads use markdown:

Terminal

# API Reference

## Users Endpoint

Base URL: `https://api.example.com/v1`

### Get User
GET /users/:id

Response:
{
  "id": "string",
  "name": "string",
  "email": "string"
}

### Create User
POST /users

Body:
{
  "name": "string",
  "email": "string"
}

Referencing Notepads

In Chat

Use @ to reference:

Terminal

@notepad:api-reference
Create a function to fetch user by ID

In Composer

Same @ syntax works:

Terminal

@notepad:style-guide @notepad:api-reference
Build a user profile page following our conventions

Effective Notepad Content

Project Architecture

Terminal

# Architecture Overview

## Tech Stack
- Frontend: Next.js 14, React 18
- Styling: Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui
- Backend: Next.js API Routes
- Database: PostgreSQL via Prisma
- Auth: NextAuth.js
- Payments: Stripe

## Key Directories
- /app - Pages and API routes
- /components - React components
- /lib - Shared utilities
- /prisma - Database schema

## Conventions
- Server Components by default
- Fetch data at page level
- Use React Query for client caching

API Documentation

Terminal

# External API Reference

## Weather API

Base: https://api.weather.com/v2

### Current Weather
GET /current?city={city}

Headers:
- X-API-Key: [from env]

Response:
{
  "temp": number,
  "humidity": number,
  "conditions": string
}

### Forecast
GET /forecast?city={city}&days={days}

Same headers, returns array of daily forecasts.

Design System

Terminal

# Design System

## Colors
- Primary: blue-600
- Secondary: gray-500
- Success: green-500
- Error: red-500
- Warning: amber-500

## Spacing
- Card padding: p-6
- Section gap: space-y-8
- Button gap: gap-4

## Typography
- Headings: font-semibold
- Body: text-gray-700
- Muted: text-gray-500

## Components
Always use shadcn/ui components from @/components/ui

Complex Requirements

Terminal

# Subscription System Requirements

## Plans
1. Free - 10 projects, no team
2. Pro - Unlimited projects, 5 team members
3. Enterprise - Everything + SSO

## Billing Rules
- Monthly or annual
- Annual = 2 months free
- Pro-rated upgrades
- No refund on downgrade

## Feature Gates
Check user.plan before:
- Creating projects (check limit)
- Adding team members (check limit)
- Accessing premium features

Database Schema Context

Terminal

# Database Schema

## Core Tables

### Users
- id: UUID (PK)
- email: String (unique)
- name: String
- role: Enum (user, admin)
- createdAt: DateTime
- updatedAt: DateTime

### Projects
- id: UUID (PK)
- name: String
- ownerId: UUID (FK -> Users)
- settings: JSON
- createdAt: DateTime

## Relationships
- User has many Projects
- Project has many Tasks
- Task belongs to User (assignee)

Organizing Notepads

By Domain

Terminal

notepads/
├── api-reference
├── database-schema
├── design-system
├── auth-flow
└── deployment-guide

By Feature

Terminal

notepads/
├── checkout-requirements
├── user-management
├── notifications
└── analytics

By Audience

Terminal

notepads/
├── onboarding-new-devs
├── architecture-decisions
└── ops-runbook

Notepad vs Other Context

Method	Persistence	Best For
@ file mention	Current session	Code files
.cursorrules	Permanent	Coding conventions
Notepad	Permanent	Reference docs
Conversation	Current chat	Discussion context

Best Practices

Keep Notepads Focused

One topic per notepad:

Terminal

# ❌ Too broad
api-and-database-and-auth-and-deployment

# ✅ Focused
api-reference
database-schema
auth-flow
deployment-checklist

Update Regularly

When things change:

Update the relevant notepad
Remove outdated information
Add new patterns and decisions

Use Clear Structure

Terminal

# Good Structure

## Overview
Brief context

## Details
### Subsection 1
Specifics

### Subsection 2
More specifics

## Examples
Concrete examples

## Common Issues
Troubleshooting info

Include Examples

Don't just document—show:

Terminal

# API Error Handling

All API routes should handle errors consistently.

## Pattern
```typescript
try {
  const result = await doSomething()
  return NextResponse.json(result)
} catch (error) {
  return NextResponse.json(
    { error: error.message },
    { status: 500 }
  )
}

Common Errors

400: Validation failed
401: Not authenticated
403: Not authorized
404: Resource not found
500: Server error

Terminal


## Team Collaboration

Notepads are local, but you can:

### Share via Files

Export important notepads to project docs:

docs/ ├── ARCHITECTURE.md ├── API.md └── CONVENTIONS.md

Terminal


Then everyone can @ mention these files.

### Template Notepads

Share notepad templates with your team:

```markdown
# [Feature Name] Requirements

## Overview
Brief description

## User Stories
- As a [user], I want to [action] so that [benefit]

## Technical Approach


## Dependencies


## Success Criteria

Summary

Notepads store persistent reference information
Reference with @notepad:name in any AI conversation
Keep focused—one topic per notepad
Include examples not just descriptions
Update regularly as project evolves
Share via files for team consistency

Next Steps

Notepads help with documentation. MCP servers extend Cursor with external capabilities—connecting to databases, APIs, and other tools directly from your AI conversations.

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