Cursor's Chat panel (Ctrl+L) becomes exponentially more powerful when you learn to provide precise context using the @ mention system. Instead of pasting code manually, you reference exactly what the AI needs to see.
| Mention | What It Does | Best For |
|---|---|---|
@file | References a specific file | Targeted questions about one file |
@folder | References an entire directory | Understanding module architecture |
@codebase | Semantic search across entire project | Finding patterns, understanding dependencies |
@code | References specific symbols (functions, classes) | Debugging specific functions |
@web | Live web search during chat | Finding documentation, latest APIs |
@docs | Search external documentation | Framework docs, library references |
@git | Git history, diffs, branches | Understanding recent changes |
@codebase for every question wastes tokens and can confuse the AI with irrelevant context.