BuildGist

How do I move a task from Cursor to Claude Code?

Kayvan Zahiri ·

Open Claude Code in the same folder, give it your Cursor rules, and start the first session with a short note about the task. Cursor's project rules live in .cursor/rules/*.mdc, which Claude Code does not read, so either move the shared rules into AGENTS.md (which both read) or import them from CLAUDE.md. The chat itself stays in Cursor. With BuildGist, the card in the new Claude Code session offers Cursor's task, and Continue carries it.

BuildGist is a Mac app for Claude Code, Cursor and Codex. Download for Mac.

Three things to move

1. Look at what Cursor changed

git status
git diff --stat

Cursor's checkpoints are stored locally and separately from Git, and restoring one reverts files only. They stay in Cursor, so if you want a point to come back to, commit or stash before Claude Code starts. Cursor's own review tools are in how to review Cursor agent changes.

2. Move the rules

Cursor reads .mdc files in .cursor/rules, each with description, globs and alwaysApply at the top. It also reads plain AGENTS.md files, at the root and in subfolders. Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md, or AGENTS.md when there is no CLAUDE.md.

The simplest shared setup:

AGENTS.md          the rules every agent follows (both tools read it)
CLAUDE.md          @AGENTS.md, plus anything only Claude Code needs
.cursor/rules/     only rules that use Cursor's globs or descriptions

If you would rather keep a rule in .cursor/rules, Claude Code can import the file from CLAUDE.md with @.cursor/rules/testing.mdc. It reads the frontmatter as text, so globs do not apply there. Keep CLAUDE.md short: Anthropic suggests under 200 lines.

3. Write the note

Task: (what you asked Cursor for)
Done: (what is finished)
Not done: (what is left)
Ruled out: (what failed, and why)
Next step: (the first thing to do)

You can ask Cursor's agent to draft it before you leave. Check it against the diff, because it records what the agent believes it did.

Personal rules

Cursor also has User Rules, set in its settings, and on team plans Team Rules. When guidance conflicts, Team Rules come first, then project rules, then User Rules. Claude Code's place for personal preferences is ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md, which loads in every project. Copy the preferences you rely on there, so Claude Code follows them in every repository and not only this one.

4. Start Claude Code

cd your-project
claude

Paste the note, then ask for the plan before any edit. Type /memory to confirm which instruction files loaded.

Or choose Continue

Start a new Claude Code session in the same project and a BuildGist card at the bottom right offers the Cursor task, if it was active in the last 12 hours. Continue starts the session with that task's context, and Start fresh hands nothing over. The context is your own words from the task, with a short summary of the last run's files when they are unchanged. BuildGist also explains each meaningful run in plain English, so you can read what Cursor did before Claude Code builds on it. Going the other way is in how to hand off a task from Claude Code to Cursor.

When to stay in Cursor

Switching costs a few minutes. If the task is nearly done, or the reason to move is a long chat, starting a new Cursor chat is often enough, and what to do when Cursor says the conversation is too long covers it. Move when you want Claude Code for the rest of the work, or when you have hit a Cursor limit.

Questions

Does Claude Code read .cursor/rules?

Not by itself. Move shared rules to AGENTS.md, which both tools read, or import a rule file from CLAUDE.md with an @ path.

Can I move a Cursor chat into Claude Code?

There is no documented import. Shared transcripts in Cursor are for Teams and Enterprise and open in Cursor. Write a short note, or choose Continue on the BuildGist card.

Do Cursor checkpoints carry over?

No. They are stored locally in Cursor, apart from Git. Commit or stash before you switch if you want a restore point Claude Code can see.

Sources

What you need

Codex needs you to approve BuildGist once, in Codex. BuildGist shows the steps. Setup is in Getting started.

To explain a run, your computer sends BuildGist what that run needs, and BuildGist passes it to Anthropic. BuildGist does not keep this material. It does not send your whole repository, files the run did not change, or files named like secrets, such as .env files and keys. It keeps the explanation and short cited excerpts of changed code, at most 12 lines each. Secret masking is best-effort. Privacy has the full list.

Every account gets 7 days of BuildGist Pro free, with no card. The 7 days start at your first explanation or Continue handoff. Nobody is charged when the trial ends. After that, BuildGist Pro is $12 per month, plus any applicable tax shown at checkout. See pricing.

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Related

Questions: kayvanandre@gmail.com.