Cursor vs Devin

Extract vocabulary I marked in a text

Cursor handles this as a draft: Word and the sentence I highlighted. Do not translate beyond that sentence.

Steps: 4
Cost: free
Time: Twenty minutes

Unverified · cursor.com · 16 Oct 2026

Make a fixture from a sanitized log

Cursor handles this as a draft: Replace emails with placeholders. Do not use production data.

Steps: 4
Cost: low
Time: Half an hour

Unverified · cursor.com · 16 Oct 2026

Propose a small patch for one failing test

Cursor handles this as a draft: The smallest change that could explain the failure I paste. Do not commit.

Steps: 4
Cost: low
Time: An hour

Unverified · cursor.com · 15 Oct 2026

Turn a ticket into a small Cursor patch

Cursor's agent searches the repo, edits the files for one ticket, and runs the checks you name. The ticket's out-of-scope list is part of the prompt.

Steps: 4
Cost: low
Time: The mechanical edit across a handful of files, after the ticket is specific.

Unverified · cursor.com · 15 Oct 2026

Prep a lightning talk outline

Cursor handles this as a draft: Three beats and the example I already have. Do not record it.

Steps: 4
Cost: free
Time: Twenty minutes

Unverified · cursor.com · 14 Oct 2026

Make flashcards from a lecture outline

Cursor handles this as a draft: Term and the definition in the outline. Skip terms without a definition. Do not invent facts.

Steps: 4
Cost: free
Time: Forty minutes

Unverified · cursor.com · 13 Oct 2026

Propose types for an untyped function

Cursor handles this as a draft: From the tests I paste. Do not change runtime behavior.

Steps: 4
Cost: low
Time: Forty minutes

Unverified · cursor.com · 13 Oct 2026

Write the regression test for a bug you can reproduce

Cursor Agent adds a failing test for a known bug, then the fix, and stops if the test never failed.

Steps: 4
Cost: low
Time: The boilerplate of a regression test, often under an hour when the repro is already known.

Unverified · cursor.com · 9 Oct 2026

Make a reading schedule around my shifts

Cursor handles this as a draft: Use the hours I said I have. Do not move my shifts.

Steps: 4
Cost: free
Time: Fifteen minutes

Unverified · cursor.com · 8 Oct 2026

Turn a ticket into an implementation note

Cursor handles this as a draft: Acceptance checks from the ticket text. Do not start coding until I say so.

Steps: 4
Cost: low
Time: Twenty minutes

Unverified · cursor.com · 30 Sep 2026

Fix keyboard and name issues on one screen

Cursor Agent walks one screen for missing names, keyboard traps, and contrast notes, then patches the clear code issues.

Steps: 4
Cost: low
Time: The first pass of an accessibility punch list on a single screen.

Unverified · cursor.com · 26 Sep 2026

Devin playbooks

Draft a migration plan for one table

Devin handles this as a draft: Columns and the backfill question. Do not run SQL.

Steps: 4
Cost: medium
Time: An hour

Unverified · docs.devin.ai · 16 Oct 2026

Draft commit messages for a split

Devin handles this as a draft: One message per hunk group I describe. Do not commit.

Steps: 4
Cost: free
Time: Fifteen minutes

Unverified · docs.devin.ai · 14 Oct 2026

Review a diff for risky calls

Devin handles this as a draft: Network, auth, and migrations. Quote the lines. Do not approve the PR.

Steps: 4
Cost: low
Time: Forty minutes

Unverified · docs.devin.ai · 13 Oct 2026

Ask Devin for a pull request from a tightly written issue

Devin picks up one issue and opens a PR. The playbook tells it which repo, which commands, and what not to touch.

Steps: 4
Cost: medium
Time: A first implementation pass on an issue that already has repro steps. Review time does not go to zero.

Unverified · docs.devin.ai · 9 Oct 2026

Draft a rollback note

Devin handles this as a draft: The command in the runbook I paste and the signal that means stop. Do not execute it.

Steps: 4
Cost: low
Time: Twenty minutes

Unverified · docs.devin.ai · 8 Oct 2026

Review a Devin session before anyone merges

Use Devin's session output as a review packet: commands run, files touched, and tests actually executed. The playbook is for the reviewer, not a second coding agent.

Steps: 4
Cost: medium
Time: Reconstructing what the agent did, which is often longer than reading a normal PR.

Unverified · docs.devin.ai · 18 Sep 2026