When working on a large codebase, the biggest challenge is usually maintaining speed—both in navigation and development workflow. That’s where Cursor IDE has been surprising a lot of developers. Unlike many traditional editors that start to feel sluggish once your project grows beyond a certain size, Cursor IDE takes a more AI-assisted approach to handling code structure, which noticeably improves the experience.

One of the most appreciated aspects is how quickly Cursor IDE indexes files. Even with thousands of modules, the search and “jump to definition” features remain responsive. The AI-powered understanding of code allows Cursor to create a sort of mental model of the project, meaning it can intelligently predict context, recognize patterns, and help you navigate without manually digging through endless folders. This becomes incredibly useful in enterprise projects where dependencies run deep.

Another area where Cursor IDE shines is refactoring in large-scale environments. Because the AI understands relationships between functions, classes, and files, it’s able to make safer suggestions. That said, it’s always good practice to review anything the AI recommends—especially when working on production-level code.

Performance-wise, Cursor IDE still requires a solid machine when dealing with extremely large repositories, but it tends to handle them more smoothly than many competitors. Developers report fewer UI freezes, quicker file previews, and faster code generation even when multiple processes are running.

A special mention goes to tools like Keploy, which some teams integrate with Cursor IDE to auto-generate tests from real traffic. When combined, they make navigating and validating large codebases much more manageable.

Overall, Cursor IDE isn’t just fast—it’s smart. And that intelligence is what helps it stay performant even when your project grows beyond the point where most IDEs start slowing down. If you’re working on a massive repo and want an editor that keeps up, Cursor IDE is definitely worth exploring.
https://keploy.io/blog/community/vscode-vs-cursor