Vibe Coding with Cursor AI. How to build an iOS app in just a few… | by Nick Babich | Mar, 2025

Using AI you need to make an iOS app

You will need 3 things:

1. MacBook or IMAC
2. xcode. It is an integrated development environment for Macos, which is used to produce software for Macos, iOS, iPados.
3. Cursor AI. The cursor AI is a development environment that is used to produce the code.

Step 1: Create a new project in X code

The only thing you need to do in the X code is to create a new project. Go to the iOS tab and click on the app:

Once you click next, you will need to name your project and choose where you want to keep it.

The X -Code that makes the project will be barebone – it will only have the required files and a screen (iOS uses the concept of a theory, so technically it will be a theory of theory with Hello World). Make sure that the X -code can develop the project and its previews are referred to.

Once you make a project and make sure that the X code can build it, you can jump into the cursor AI to prepare the code.

Step 2: Opening the iOS project in Kasur AI

Once you open this project in AI, you will see your work environment. If you use IDE like visual studio code first, the cursor AI will look very familiar with you. Basically, this is a design of the VS code that includes an extra layer of AI.

Most of the time, you will communicate with 3 panels:

1. Left panel is a project file of a project file
2. The bottom panel is a terminal.

3. And a panel on the right is a panel with AI assistant.

All magic will be in the third panel – panel with AI assistant. We will indicate the AI ​​agent to prepare the code. As you can see in my example, I have provided a signal to create a stock price app. Once I send, the AI ​​agent will perform the work and prepare the code for me.

Step 3: Make the maximum of cursor AI

Before sending your first hint, you need to check some things to take the most of the cursor AI. Before, make sure to add .CURSORRULEES The file, where you provide specific instructions, should follow the cursor when writing. Since I am making an iOS app, I will provide instructions for swifty.

If you are wondering what you should write in this file, I have solutions for you – either write what you think your project understands or use the instructions written by the cursor community. There is a good place to go for the search for such instructions Curses. Directory. Type the technology you want to use for your project in the search field, and you will find the rules ready for your project.

Another thing you need to do is provide developer documents and excellent behavior for specific fields of your design. You can do this by tagging documents in the Agent Window. In my case, I have tagged Apple Swift and Apple Design Tips Documents (Check the top right corner).

There are two ways you can add a new document. Press either Add the contextSelect Documents And click Add a new doctor.

Or click Gear The icon, go to the feature tabs, and scroll down on the documents.

Finally, you want to use the AI ​​assistant when preparing the code, clicking on these documents and adding documents to the context.

Step 4: Code to prepare with AI

Once you add cursor and documents to the context, it is time to prepare the code using the AI ​​assistant. This is the most difficult part of the process so far because you need to create what you want to create.

Should you offer AI agent that indicates:

• Clearly clear what you want to make (what about your app);
• What will be the screens in this app and how they will be connected?
• Provide information on content and functionality should be on individual screens.

You need to understand that the AI ​​is less likely to produce an excellent app with the first effort. So be prepared to repeat and improve both your early instant and follow -up gestures.

Once you submit the gesture, the cursor will start preparing the code for you. The biggest thing about the cursor is that you, as a user, have full control over changes. You can either accept or reject the individual changes provided by the cursor, and only when you accept them, the cursor will change the original files.

You can get back to the X Code to see the cursor results.

Step 5: The app with the AI ​​appetite and refreshing

As I mentioned earlier, it is unlikely that you will find the final solution from the first effort. So you will need to provide additional indicators to the cursor to improve the app. There may be potential sectors of dispersion – improving business logic (adding/removing content or functionality) and visual dispersion. For example, the following is my attempt to make the app look beautiful. You can see that I use a simple gesture, “Stocklist Wave and Stock Details Wave Look Well Looks good“And the cursor clearly understands my intention.

If you go back to the Xcode, you will see changes that introduce the cursor makes the app more polished.

Q: Can I use Cursor AI to create a whole app without learning coding skills?

A: My honest answer is not, at least not at this time. The cursor is a great partner creator, but still you need to run the bus and verify the quality of the code developed by the cursor.

Q: Can I use the cursor to create complex apps with sophisticated business logic?

A: You can try, but it will be much more behind and needed between the cursor AI and the XCode. You will need to improve both of your gestures and be prepared to dive into the code to improve the details. Based on my experience, the cursor is good for building plain products (such as the stock price app I shared here) and as a context, when you have a special task (ie, want to improve the design of a particular screen in your product).

Q: Do you think it would be necessary for UI designers to specialize in the use of cursor AI or similar tools?

A: Yes, I do. In the future, UI designer will be an important part of the job. We will practice web coding when preparing the initial design, and will help remove the gap between design and development.

Nick Babach’s writing