How to Use Cursor AI to Write a Simple Python Script in 60 Minutes

If you're like many indie hackers or solo founders, the thought of coding can be daunting, especially if you're trying to ship a product quickly. Enter Cursor AI, a powerful coding assistant designed to simplify the coding process. In this guide, I'll show you how to harness Cursor AI to write a simple Python script in just 60 minutes—no prior experience necessary.

Prerequisites

Before we dive in, make sure you have the following:

• Cursor AI account: You can get started with a free tier that allows for basic usage.
• Python installed: Ensure that you have Python 3.x installed on your machine (download from python.org).
• Basic understanding of coding concepts: Familiarity with variables and functions will help, but don't worry if you're a complete beginner.

Step 1: Set Up Cursor AI

First, sign up for Cursor AI. As of April 2026, the pricing is as follows:

| Tier | Pricing | Features | |---------------|-----------------------|------------------------------------| | Free | $0 | Basic code generation | | Pro | $20/month | Advanced features, multi-language support | | Team | $49/month per user | Collaboration tools, priority support |

Our Take

We use the Pro version because it allows us to generate more complex code snippets and supports multiple programming languages, which is handy for side projects.

Step 2: Define Your Project

Decide on a simple project. For this tutorial, we’ll create a Python script that fetches and displays the current weather for a given city.

What You’ll Learn

• How to use APIs
• Basic file handling in Python
• Error handling

Step 3: Start Coding with Cursor AI

Now, let’s start coding. Open Cursor AI and follow these steps:

1. Ask for Project Outline: Type in “Outline a Python script to fetch weather data using an API.” Cursor AI will provide a structure.
2. Request Code Snippets: Ask for the code to make an API call to a weather service. For example, “Generate Python code to call the OpenWeatherMap API to get weather data.”

Expected Output

You should receive a code snippet similar to this:

import requests

def get_weather(city):
    api_key = 'your_api_key'
    base_url = 'http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?'
    complete_url = f"{base_url}q={city}&appid={api_key}"
    response = requests.get(complete_url)
    return response.json()

Step 4: Integrate the Code

Copy the generated code into your Python environment. Next, you need to add functionality to display the weather data.

1. Prompt for Display Code: Ask Cursor AI, “How can I display the weather data in a user-friendly way?”
2. Combine Code: Integrate the snippet provided into your existing code.

Final Code Example

After combining, your script might look like this:

import requests

def get_weather(city):
    api_key = 'your_api_key'
    base_url = 'http://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5/weather?'
    complete_url = f"{base_url}q={city}&appid={api_key}"
    response = requests.get(complete_url)
    return response.json()

def display_weather(city):
    data = get_weather(city)
    if data['cod'] != '404':
        main = data['main']
        weather_desc = data['weather'][0]['description']
        print(f"Temperature: {main['temp']}K")
        print(f"Weather Description: {weather_desc}")
    else:
        print("City Not Found!")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    city = input("Enter city name: ")
    display_weather(city)

Troubleshooting

If you run into issues:

• Invalid API Key: Make sure you register at OpenWeatherMap to get your API key.
• Network Errors: Check your internet connection.
• JSON Errors: Ensure the API response format hasn’t changed.

What’s Next?

Now that you have a basic weather-fetching script, consider expanding its functionality:

• Add error handling for bad inputs.
• Create a GUI using Tkinter for a more user-friendly interface.
• Integrate with a scheduler to fetch weather data periodically.

Conclusion

Using Cursor AI to write a simple Python script can drastically reduce the time it takes to get your project off the ground. In just 60 minutes, you can have a basic yet functional weather application. If you're looking for a straightforward AI coding tool that saves you time and effort, Cursor AI is worth trying out.

Start Here

If you’re ready to dive in, sign up for Cursor AI and start coding your first project.