Getting Cursor + GitHub Copilot Working Together

Most people think you pick one AI assistant and call it good. Dumb take. Cursor and GitHub Copilot excel at totally different shit, and once you stop them from murdering each other, they're stupidly powerful together.

Different Tools for Different Problems

Cursor owns the big picture. When you're refactoring half your codebase, Cursor keeps track of how everything connects and suggests changes that don't break your existing patterns. The Claude models it uses actually understand your architecture instead of just spitting out random code.

Copilot rules GitHub everything. GitHub Actions, commit messages, PR descriptions - Copilot knows all that syntax inside and out. Its autocomplete is blazing fast even when your internet sucks, which is more than I can say for most tools.

Together they cover each other's blind spots. Cursor thinks about the architecture while Copilot handles the grunt work. One brain for strategy, one for tactics.

What Actually Works Right Now

From digging through the Cursor forums and my own pain, here's reality:

Version Hell: The GitHub Copilot extension runs in Cursor, but Cursor is always behind VS Code. September 2025: Cursor stuck on VS Code 1.93.1, real VS Code already at 1.95+. New Copilot features? Nope, you're SOL.

Payment Nightmare: You need both GitHub Copilot and Cursor Pro subscriptions active. When your card expires? Both tools just die. No warning. No email. Just broken suggestions when you're trying to hit a deadline.

RAM Massacre: This combo devours RAM like it's going out of style. Cursor alone: 3-6GB on medium projects. Add Copilot, Chrome with 20 tabs, Slack, and your usual bloatware - you're looking for 12-16GB easy. Got 8GB? Don't even fucking bother. Your laptop will wheeze like an old man climbing stairs.

Proven Configuration Strategies

Play to Each Tool's Strengths:

• Cursor Chat: When you need to think through complex problems, architectural decisions, or refactor across multiple files
• Cursor Tab/Autocomplete: Contextual code generation that actually understands your current file
• GitHub Copilot: Anything GitHub-related, commit messages, Actions workflows, quick prototypes

Why This Actually Works: These tools aren't competing - they're working at totally different levels. Cursor sees your whole project and maintains workspace context. Copilot focuses on immediate code context - current file and imports. It's like having a strategist and a tactical coordinator.

The Real Implementation Details

Version Lag: Cursor is perpetually behind on VS Code 1.93.1. VS Code moved to 1.95+ with shiny new Copilot features you can't use. Check Cursor's changelog for updates - spoiler: they always say "soon" and never deliver on time.

Different Brains: Cursor runs Claude 3.5 Sonnet and GPT-4 for the heavy thinking. Copilot uses its own models optimized for speed. This is why they don't fight - they're literally using different AI architectures.

Your Monthly Bill: Cursor Pro: $20. GitHub Copilot: $10-39 for individuals, $19 for Business. Total damage: $30-59/month. Your credit card will feel it.

Three Ways This Setup Dies (And How to Fix It)

1. Autocomplete Death Match: Both tools fighting over suggestions will drive you insane. Fix: Give Cursor the complex files (.ts, .js, .py), let Copilot handle configs (.yml, .md, .json). Pick your battles.

2. Chat Confusion: Cursor's chat destroys architectural questions and multi-file problems. Copilot's chat (when it works) handles quick syntax help and GitHub stuff. Don't mix them up or you'll get garbage answers.

3. GitHub Territory Wars: Let Copilot own GitHub Actions, commit messages, PR descriptions. Cursor handles code analysis and refactoring. Stay in your lanes or everything breaks.

Nail these three things or you'll spend more time fixing configs than writing code.

This will eat your entire weekend. Don't believe the "60-90 minutes" bullshit I told myself. Something always explodes, and you'll debug auth failures for an hour before realizing your card got declined.

Prerequisites and System Requirements

Before you start screaming at your machine:

• Cursor IDE actually installed with a paid sub (download here)
• GitHub Copilot subscription active (check here)
• 16GB+ RAM minimum - fuck what the docs say about 8GB working
• Decent internet - both tools spam API calls constantly

Version Lag Warning: Cursor's stuck on VS Code 1.93.1 (September 2025), so newer Copilot features are dead to you. Annoying? Yes. Dealbreaker? Nah.

Step 1: Install and Configure Copilot in Cursor

Step 1: Extension Installation

1. Open Cursor IDE
2. Go to Extensions view (Cmd+Shift+X on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows)
3. Search for "GitHub Copilot"
4. Install both the GitHub Copilot and GitHub Copilot Chat extensions

Step 2: Authentication Setup

1. After installation, you'll see a "Sign in to GitHub" prompt
2. Click "Sign in" and complete the OAuth flow in your browser
3. Critical: Make sure you're signing into the GitHub account with the active Copilot subscription
4. Return to Cursor - you should see a checkmark indicating successful authentication

When auth craps out: Check your GitHub billing first. I've burned hours on "auth failures" that were just expired cards. GitHub won't tell you - it just fails silently like a passive-aggressive roommate. Check the VS Code auth docs if you're still fucked.

Step 2: Prevent Tool Conflicts

Here's where everything goes to hell. Both tools fight over autocomplete by default, like two backseat drivers screaming different directions. You'll press tab and get random suggestions that change every time.

Configure Cursor Settings using the Cursor configuration documentation:

{
  "cursor.cpp.disableInFolder": [],
  "cursor.general.enableHoverCard": true,
  "cursor.chat.openaiApiKey": "your-key-here",
  "editor.inlineSuggest.enabled": true
}

Refer to the Cursor Rules documentation for advanced configuration options.

Configure Copilot Settings using GitHub's official configuration guide:

{
  "github.copilot.enable": {
    "*": true,
    "yaml": true,
    "plaintext": false,
    "markdown": true
  },
  "github.copilot.advanced": {
    "secret_key": "default",
    "length": 500
  }
}

For enterprise users, check the Copilot Business configuration guide.

The Critical Configuration Decision: You need to decide which tool handles autocomplete in which contexts. Here are the proven strategies:

Strategy 1: File-Type Specialization

• Cursor autocomplete: .ts, .tsx, .js, .jsx, .py (complex logic files)
• Copilot autocomplete: .yml, .yaml, .md, .json (configuration and documentation files)

Strategy 2: Project-Based Switching

• Use Cursor for main application code
• Use Copilot for build scripts, CI/CD configs, and documentation

Strategy 3: Contextual Switching (Advanced)

• Cursor for new feature development and refactoring
• Copilot for bug fixes and routine maintenance

Step 3: Make It Work in Your Projects

Create a .vscode/settings.json in your project root following VS Code workspace settings guidelines:

{
  "cursor.ai.enabled": true,
  "github.copilot.enable": {
    "*": true,
    "cursor-chat": false
  },
  "editor.quickSuggestions": {
    "other": true,
    "comments": false,
    "strings": true
  },
  "editor.suggestSelection": "first",
  "editor.acceptSuggestionOnCommitCharacter": false
}

Project-Specific Instructions: Create a `.cursorrules` file for Cursor and a .github/copilot-instructions.md for Copilot following GitHub's best practices:

.cursorrules example:

- Focus on architectural decisions and multi-file changes
- Use TypeScript strict mode
- Follow existing code patterns
- Don't generate boilerplate that Copilot handles better

.github/copilot-instructions.md example:

## Copilot Instructions
- Handle GitHub Actions, commit messages, and PR descriptions  
- Use for rapid prototyping and autocomplete
- Focus on GitHub ecosystem integration
- Generate documentation and configuration files

Step 4: Test That Everything Actually Works

Test Cursor functionality:

1. Open a complex TypeScript file
2. Use Cmd+K (or Ctrl+K) to open Cursor chat
3. Ask: "Explain the architecture of this component"
4. Verify you get contextual responses about your actual codebase

Test Copilot functionality:

1. Create a new .github/workflows/ file
2. Start typing name: CI - you should see Copilot suggestions
3. Use Cmd+I (or Ctrl+I) for Copilot chat
4. Ask: "Generate a GitHub Action for Node.js testing"

Test resource usage following VS Code performance guidelines:

• Check Activity Monitor (macOS) or Task Manager (Windows)
• Combined RAM usage should be 3-6GB depending on project size
• If either tool becomes unresponsive, consult Cursor performance troubleshooting and VS Code memory usage optimization

Step 5: Fix What Inevitably Breaks

"Suggestions not appearing":
First, assume your payment failed because that's usually what happened. Both tools just silently stop working. Debugging sequence:

1. Window reload (Cmd+R or F5)
2. Full IDE restart (not just reload - actual restart)
3. Sign out and back into both services
4. Check if extensions are disabled in Extensions panel

"Conflicting suggestions" (or getting different suggestions every time you press Tab):
Both tools are fighting each other for autocomplete. Fix it:

1. Temporarily disable one: "editor.inlineSuggest.enabled": false
2. Set up file-type specialization in workspace settings
3. Use .cursorrules to tell Cursor to back off certain file types

"High resource usage" (laptop sounds like jet engine):

1. Check Activity Monitor to see which tool is being worse
2. Close Chrome and its 20 open tabs
3. Use Cursor for big thinking, Copilot for quick completions

"Extension host crashed" (or Cursor just dies randomly):

1. Usually happens with huge codebases (50k+ lines) - check VS Code extension docs
2. Exclude node_modules and build dirs using VS Code patterns
3. Upgrade your RAM or get a better dev machine - VS Code requirements
4. Use VS Code's profiling tools to see what's killing performance

Performance Optimization Tips

Memory Management:

• Cursor performs better with dedicated RAM allocation
• Close other resource-intensive applications during development
• Use Cursor's "Focus Mode" to reduce background processing

Network Optimization:

• Both tools require stable internet for API calls
• Configure proper proxy settings if behind corporate firewall
• Monitor API rate limits - both services have usage quotas

Development Workflow:

• Use Cursor for deep work sessions (refactoring, new features)
• Switch to Copilot for rapid prototyping and GitHub tasks
• Save frequently - both tools can occasionally cause editor instability

Once you get this shit working properly, it's actually amazing. But yeah, expect a learning curve while you figure out which tool to use for what. Takes about a week to stop accidentally asking the wrong AI for help.