VS Code vs Cursor on Mac — Use Both with Synced Settings

VS Code and Cursor are both based on VS Code OSS, so settings.json is ~90% compatible and keybindings are 100% compatible. Left alone, though, each ends up with its own scattered config. The cleanest pattern is VS Code as master, Cursor as mirror.

This guide targets macOS 14+ / VS Code 1.95+ / Cursor 0.45+. It is a 30‑minute setup after Mac initial setup to run both IDEs cleanly.

TL;DR

1. VS Code = Settings Sync (GitHub account) for cloud sync — master
2. Cursor mirrors VS Code's settings.json / keybindings.json via symlink or copy script
3. Extensions: pipe code --install-extension into cursor --install-extension
4. Keybindings: with Cmd+K Cmd+S you can keep the same map on both
5. Only Cursor's AI-specific bindings stay Cursor-only (e.g., Cmd+L chat, Cmd+K inline edit)

Prerequisites

• macOS 14+, Homebrew installed — Mac initial setup
• GitHub account (for VS Code Settings Sync)

1. Install VS Code + Enable Settings Sync — 10 min

1.1 Install

brew install --cask visual-studio-code

Register the code CLI in PATH (open VS Code, Cmd+Shift+P → "Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH").

1.2 Turn on Settings Sync — the crucial step

VS Code bottom-left gear → Backup and Sync Settings... → sign in with GitHub.

Sync items (check everything):

• ✅ Settings
• ✅ Keyboard Shortcuts
• ✅ Extensions
• ✅ User Snippets
• ✅ UI State
• ✅ Tasks
• ✅ Profiles

After this, a fresh Mac restores the full environment in ~5 minutes — install VS Code, sign in with the same GitHub, done.

1.3 macOS settings paths

~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/
├── settings.json       # master settings
├── keybindings.json    # master keybindings
└── snippets/           # user snippets

Cursor mirrors these paths.

2. Install Cursor + Mirror the Master — 10 min

2.1 Install

brew install --cask cursor

Register the cursor CLI (open Cursor, Cmd+Shift+P → "Shell Command: Install 'cursor' command in PATH").

2.2 Cursor's settings paths

~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/
├── settings.json
├── keybindings.json
└── snippets/

Same JSON format as VS Code, which makes sync trivial.

2.3 Option A — Symlink (cleanest)

Mirror VS Code's config into Cursor. Edits in either side reflect instantly.

# With Cursor quit
cd "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User"
# Back up existing files
[ -f settings.json ] && mv settings.json settings.json.bak
[ -f keybindings.json ] && mv keybindings.json keybindings.json.bak
[ -d snippets ] && mv snippets snippets.bak
 
# Symlink to VS Code settings
ln -s "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json" settings.json
ln -s "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Code/User/keybindings.json" keybindings.json
ln -s "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Code/User/snippets" snippets

⚠️ Caveat: When Settings Sync rewrites VS Code's file, the inode can change and your symlink breaks. Re-run ln -s, or switch to Option B.

2.4 Option B — Copy script (more stable)

Instead of links, run a sync command occasionally.

# ~/bin/sync-cursor-from-vscode.sh
#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
SRC="$HOME/Library/Application Support/Code/User"
DST="$HOME/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User"
mkdir -p "$DST"
cp "$SRC/settings.json"     "$DST/settings.json"
cp "$SRC/keybindings.json"  "$DST/keybindings.json"
rsync -a --delete "$SRC/snippets/" "$DST/snippets/"
echo "✓ Cursor synced from VS Code"

Make executable + alias:

chmod +x ~/bin/sync-cursor-from-vscode.sh
echo 'alias sync-cursor=~/bin/sync-cursor-from-vscode.sh' >> ~/.zshrc

Run sync-cursor after a settings change. (Or schedule daily with launchd — beyond this guide.)

3. Sync Extensions — 5 min

VS Code is automatic via Settings Sync. Cursor needs a one-time mirror.

3.1 Export VS Code extensions

code --list-extensions > ~/code-extensions.txt

3.2 Install in Cursor in one shot

cat ~/code-extensions.txt | xargs -n1 cursor --install-extension

⚠️ Cursor uses Open VSX, not VS Code's marketplace. Some MS-proprietary extensions (C/C++, Remote-SSH) need a Cursor fork or alternative. Failures are OK — skip them.

3.3 Policy for future installs

• AI-agnostic extensions → install in VS Code → Settings Sync auto + occasional Cursor mirror
• AI-related (Cursor's own AI) → Cursor only, no mirror to VS Code
• Code analysis / refactoring / language servers → install in VS Code, mirror to Cursor

4. Keybindings — Mac Standard + IDE Shared + Cursor-only

4.1 Mac standard shortcuts (automatic in both)

4.2 Recommended additions — keybindings.json

// keybindings.json
[
  // New terminal
  {
    "key": "cmd+shift+t",
    "command": "workbench.action.terminal.new",
    "when": "terminalProcessSupported"
  },
  // Focus sidebar: explorer
  {
    "key": "cmd+1",
    "command": "workbench.view.explorer"
  },
  // Focus sidebar: search
  {
    "key": "cmd+2",
    "command": "workbench.view.search"
  },
  // Focus sidebar: git
  {
    "key": "cmd+3",
    "command": "workbench.view.scm"
  },
  // Next / previous tab
  { "key": "cmd+alt+right", "command": "workbench.action.nextEditor" },
  { "key": "cmd+alt+left",  "command": "workbench.action.previousEditor" }
]

4.3 Cursor-only keys (leave alone)

These may clash with VS Code defaults — keep them Cursor-only and remap VS Code's variants.

5. Recommended settings.json Keys — Shared Across Both

Minimum changes for maximum impact:

// settings.json
{
  // Editor
  "editor.fontFamily": "'JetBrains Mono', 'D2Coding', monospace",
  "editor.fontSize": 14,
  "editor.fontLigatures": true,
  "editor.lineHeight": 1.6,
  "editor.tabSize": 2,
  "editor.detectIndentation": true,
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "source.organizeImports": "explicit",
    "source.fixAll.eslint": "explicit"
  },
  "editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled": true,
  "editor.guides.bracketPairs": "active",
  "editor.minimap.enabled": false,
 
  // Files
  "files.trimTrailingWhitespace": true,
  "files.insertFinalNewline": true,
  "files.eol": "\n",
  "files.exclude": {
    "**/.DS_Store": true,
    "**/.git": false,
    "**/node_modules": true
  },
 
  // Workbench
  "workbench.editor.enablePreview": false,
  "workbench.startupEditor": "none",
 
  // Terminal
  "terminal.integrated.fontFamily": "'JetBrains Mono', monospace",
  "terminal.integrated.fontSize": 13,
  "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.osx": "zsh"
}

Install the font: brew install --cask font-jetbrains-mono.

6. Practical Workflow — Which IDE for What

Workspace split recommended:

• VS Code for ~/work — company projects
• Cursor for ~/personal — personal projects + AI experiments

Each IDE auto-reopens the last folder, so contexts stay separated naturally.

7. Troubleshooting

Settings Sync conflicts

If two machines push at the same time, you'll see a conflict prompt. Pick Replace Local or Replace Remote.

Cursor overwrites settings.json

While using Option A, a Cursor update may break the symlink. Re-run ln -s. If this is frequent, switch to Option B.

cursor CLI not found

Open Cursor → Cmd+Shift+P → "Shell Command: Install 'cursor' command in PATH" → new terminal.

Some extensions fail to install in Cursor

Not on Open VSX. Find an alternative (search Open VSX) or keep that feature in VS Code only.

Next Steps

• Mac initial setup — Homebrew, SSH, gh
• Mac dev toolchain (mise) — Node/Python/Go version management
• Claude Code setup — terminal-native AI pair
• Cursor setup deep dive — Cursor rules, MCP, Composer patterns

References

• VS Code Settings Sync
• Open VSX Registry — Cursor's marketplace
• Cursor Docs

Changelog

• 2026-05-12 — Initial draft (devAlice M2 seed expansion)