Vibing Unlimited: The Power of tasks.md in Cursor

In the rapidly evolving landscape of software development, Artificial Intelligence (AI) agents are transforming how we approach coding, debugging, and project management. Tools like Cursor, with their integrated AI capabilities, empower developers to achieve unprecedented levels of productivity. However, harnessing the full potential of these intelligent assistants often requires more than just issuing commands; it demands a structured, systematic approach to communication and task orchestration.

This is where the simple yet profoundly powerful concept of a tasks.md file comes in, acting as the ultimate blueprint for your AI co-pilot.

Imagine embarking on a complex coding project. Without a clear roadmap, even the most brilliant human developer can get lost in the intricacies, lose sight of the overarching goals, or inadvertently duplicate efforts. The same holds true, perhaps even more so, for AI agents. While exceptionally adept at processing information and generating code, they thrive on precise instructions and a well-defined operational framework. A tasks.md file provides exactly this: a meticulously organized, human-readable, and AI-interpretable document that outlines every step of your project, ensuring your AI agent operates with unparalleled clarity and efficiency.

Keep reading to know how to make your AI agent more efficient and productive.

The Idea

You want something to be done by your teammate then what you do? You give them a list of tasks to do with little context on what is the project and what is the goal. Then Teammate comes back after completing the tasks and you check and verify.

Now, Think of AI as your developer teammate. It will need same thing that you give to your teammate.

• A list of tasks to do.
• A context of what is the project and what is the goal.

But there is a little more on why part.

Why tasks.md?

Just by making a simple Markdown file, you can make your AI agent more efficient and productive.

By making tasks.md file, you do following for your AI agent:

• Step by step guide is just makes it super easy to follow and get things done.
• AI knows the context of whats done and where to start. The problem of context missing is solved.
• You can track where is AI and what it is doing. You can stop AI from doing something if it is not doing what you want it to do.

Now, You will be wondering how to give this list of tasks to AI?

Structure of tasks.md

Project: My Awesome Project, Basic Website with Login Page
Tech Stack: React, Next.js, Tailwind CSS, TypeScript
Goal: Create a login page for the project

-- optional --
Use app/login directory to create the login page.
Create a separate components in files in same directory.
Keep the code clean and readable.
Use npm to install dependencies.
Use pollinations to make images and put it in public/images directory.
Use context7 for more context on libraries and frameworks.

Tasks:
- [x] Create a Login component (React/Next.js)
- [ ] Integrate with existing authentication API endpoint `/api/auth/login`
- [ ] Handle successful login by redirecting to `/dashboard`
- [ ] Display error messages for invalid credentials
- [ ] Add basic input validation for email and password

Does it seem like a lot of work?

Yes, it is. But, it is worth it. You will be amazed at the results.
But there is a better way to do it.

How to create tasks.md file faster

Go to ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.

Ask them to create a tasks.md file for you. You can try following prompt:

Create a list of files for making <feature> in <tech stack> project.
Keep it in md format.

Copy their response and paste it in your tasks.md file.

That might not be in the way you want it to be. But it gets 90% of structure done. Then there is tab auto completion to make speed up rest 10% of the work.

Now that you have a tasks.md file, you can use it to make your AI agent more efficient and productive. But How?

How to use tasks.md in Cursor

Open the cursor agent. Add tasks.md file in context. Add folders in which you want AI to complete the tasks.

And now the prompt to AI agent is:

Start working on the tasks.md file.
Comeback and mark the tasks as done when you are done with them.

Phase 1 complete. But now is the hard part, Which AI to select for this tasks?

Which AI to select for this tasks?

From my experience, I have found that the best AI to use for this tasks is:

Gemini 2.5 Pro:

Incredibly smart and fast. Takes only 1 request and completes all the tasks. Even if 30+ tasks are there, it will complete them in one go.
It will check the codebase and get things from repo as per need.
It will correct things if needed and solves bug in existing code as well.
Takes care of migrations, related items, project wide refector even if not added in tasks.md.
It will figure out how to run the project and makes sure that everything is working as expected.
Gets 98% of the work done. Remaining 2% will be the things that you might not be able to put in words otherwise 100% of the work is done.

When to use:

• If you are not sure if task list is correct or context is correct.
• If task requires more things or additional subtasks which you don't know.
• You want work to be done as senior level developer.

Claude 4 Sonnet:

Super at frontend implementations. But a little bit slow.
Takes care of 5 tasks at a time.
Even takes care of subtasks which you might not have added in tasks.md.
Doesn't look outside the context you provided and keeps things as per context.
There will be slight problem with result and you will need to correct it.
But it is worth it when you look at UI and animations.

When to use:

• Frontend tasks making page or multiple pages at once.
• Need some way better User Experience and you don't have design skills or design with you.
• You want work to be done as senior frontend and junior backend level developer.

Genimi 2.5 Flash:

Incredibly fast. But only does things that you asked for. But all the tasks in the one go. It won't do any hidden tasks or handling exceptions etc. What you ask is what you get.
Consider this as your junior developer to whom you provide all the boring repetitive tasks.
For all simple tasks or documentation based tasks it does far better job.
The main thing is it stays within boundaries and implementation will mostly be what you expected if you build it yourself. Does 100% of simple tasks.

When to use:

• Simple boring tasks.
• You are 100% sure about the task list and context.
• You know what you want without a fuss.

Summary

1. Create a tasks.md file.
2. Add the tasks.md file in context of Cursor agent.
3. Add folders in which you want AI to complete the tasks.
4. Add the prompt, select the AI agent and hit enter.
5. Wait for the AI agent to complete the tasks.
6. Check the result and verify if it is as expected.
7. If not, correct the tasks.md file and repeat the process.

Conclusion

In essence, tasks.md transforms the AI agent from a reactive code generator into a proactive, intelligent project executor. It's the difference between asking a question and providing a comprehensive project plan. The benefits, ranging from enhanced communication and increased productivity to superior context management and error reduction, make it an indispensable tool for anyone serious about optimizing their AI-assisted development workflow in Cursor.