291 lines
7.5 KiB
Markdown
291 lines
7.5 KiB
Markdown
---
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slug: cursor-image-generation-workflow
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title: "Generate Production-Ready Images Without Leaving Cursor"
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status: inbox
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created: 2024-12-27
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source: research
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---
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# Idea
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## Discovery
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**Source:** Weekly digest 2024-12-27, MCP ecosystem research
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**Evidence:**
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1. **MCP Servers Launching:**
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- FlowHunt Image Gen for Cursor
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- Multiple GitHub repos for Cursor + MCP image generation
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- Active r/mcp discussions about Cursor integration
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2. **Developer Pain Quote (HN):**
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> "Integrating AI into existing workflows or replacing those workflows is often more complex and error-prone than simply having human beings do the thing"
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3. **Context-Switching Problem:**
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- Previous research: context-switching-pain-2024-12-24.md
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- Developers hate leaving IDE to generate images
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- Copy/paste between tools breaks flow state
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## Why This Matters
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**Strategic Rationale:**
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1. **Cursor is Exploding**
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- AI-first developers use Cursor or Claude Code
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- Cursor has built-in AI context
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- MCP support makes it extensible
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- Target: early adopters with high willingness to pay
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2. **Workflow Integration = Our Moat**
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- Competitors have APIs, we have workflow
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- "Never leave your IDE" is powerful promise
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- Workflow-native positioning
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3. **Practical Tutorial = SEO + Conversion**
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- Developers search "how to add images to Cursor"
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- Step-by-step content ranks well
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- High conversion intent (ready to implement)
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## Potential Angle
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**End-to-end tutorial: Real Next.js project**
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**Hook:**
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"You're building a Next.js landing page in Cursor. You need hero images. Do you:
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A) Switch to Midjourney, generate, download, upload to project
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B) Ask Cursor to generate images right in your chat
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Option B is now possible. Here's how."
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**Structure:**
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1. **The Old Way (Pain)**
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- Open Midjourney/DALL-E in browser
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- Generate image
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- Download
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- Upload to project
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- Reference in code
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- Repeat for variations
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- **Time:** 10-15 minutes per image
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2. **The New Way (Solution)**
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- Type in Cursor: "Generate hero image: modern SaaS dashboard, purple gradient"
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- Image appears in chat
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- Auto-saved to `/public/images`
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- Cursor suggests code: `<Image src="/images/hero-abc123.png" />`
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- **Time:** 30 seconds
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3. **Setup Guide (Step-by-Step)**
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**Prerequisites:**
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- Cursor IDE installed
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- Banatie API key (free trial)
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- Next.js project (any framework works)
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**Installation:**
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```bash
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# 1. Install Banatie MCP server
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npm install -g @banatie/mcp-server
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# 2. Configure Cursor
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# Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
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{
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"mcpServers": {
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"banatie": {
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"command": "banatie-mcp",
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"env": {
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"BANATIE_API_KEY": "your-key-here"
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}
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}
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}
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}
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# 3. Restart Cursor
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```
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**First Image:**
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- Open Cursor chat
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- Type: "Use Banatie to generate a hero image"
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- Cursor shows available tools
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- Enter prompt
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- Image generated and saved
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4. **Real Use Cases**
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**Use Case 1: Blog Post Headers**
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```
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Prompt: "Generate header image for blog post about React Server Components,
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tech aesthetic, blue/purple gradient, 1200x630"
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Result: hero-react-server-components.png in /public/blog/
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```
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**Use Case 2: Product Mockups**
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```
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Prompt: "Generate 5 variations of iPhone mockup showing our dashboard UI,
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modern office background, @product-style"
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Result: 5 consistent images using saved style
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```
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**Use Case 3: OG Images (Automated)**
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```typescript
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// In your build script:
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const banatie = new BanatieClient();
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for (const post of blogPosts) {
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const ogImage = await banatie.generate({
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prompt: `Blog header: ${post.title}`,
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size: "1200x630",
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project: "blog-og-images"
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});
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await saveToPublic(ogImage, `og/${post.slug}.png`);
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}
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```
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5. **Advanced Features**
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**Consistent Style with @name:**
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```
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# First time:
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"Generate hero image, modern SaaS aesthetic, save as @hero-style"
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# Later:
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"Generate another hero using @hero-style"
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# → Consistent aesthetic across all images
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```
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**Project Organization:**
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```
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# Automatic organization by project context
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banatie.generate({
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prompt: "...",
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project: "landing-page-redesign" // Auto-detected from folder
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});
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# All images for this project grouped together
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# Easy to find, manage, iterate
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```
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**Cursor-Specific Magic:**
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- Cursor understands project context
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- Auto-suggests image paths in code
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- Tab completion for generated images
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- @codebase aware of all generated assets
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6. **Comparison: Banatie vs Other MCP Servers**
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| Feature | Banatie | Replicate MCP | Together AI MCP |
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|---------|---------|---------------|-----------------|
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| Setup time | 2 min | 5 min | 10 min |
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| Project organization | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
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| @name references | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
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| Auto-save to project | ✓ | Manual | Manual |
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| Cost transparency | $0.01/img | Varies | $0.03/img |
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| Cursor suggestions | ✓ | Limited | Limited |
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7. **What Developers Say**
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*Note: Need actual testimonials. Placeholder quotes:*
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> "I generate 20-30 images per project. Banatie's MCP server saved me hours of context switching."
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> — Sarah Chen, Indie Hacker
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> "The @name references are a game changer for consistent brand imagery."
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> — Marcus Rodriguez, Agency Owner
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8. **Try It Now**
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- Free tier: 100 images/month
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- Takes 2 minutes to set up
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- Works with any Cursor project
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**Call to Action:**
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- Get Banatie API key (free trial)
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- Install MCP server
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- Generate your first image in Cursor
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- Share your workflow on Twitter
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## Keywords
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*Needs DataForSEO validation*
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High intent keywords:
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- "cursor image generation"
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- "mcp server image generation"
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- "generate images in cursor ide"
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- "ai images cursor tutorial"
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- "next.js ai image generation"
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Secondary:
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- "cursor mcp server"
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- "claude desktop image generation"
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- "ai workflow cursor"
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## Notes
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**Target Audience:**
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- AI-first developers using Cursor
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- Next.js / React developers
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- Indie hackers building products
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- Small agencies (2-10 people)
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**Competition:**
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- Replicate has MCP server (but generic)
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- Together AI has MCP server (but complex setup)
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- No one has end-to-end Cursor tutorial yet
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**SEO Opportunity:**
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- "Cursor image generation" - low competition
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- Early mover advantage
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- Can rank for brand + workflow keywords
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**Production Requirements:**
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1. **Actually Build This:**
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- MCP server must work flawlessly
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- Auto-save to project folder
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- Cursor code suggestions
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2. **Screen Recording:**
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- Show actual Cursor workflow
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- Record real-time generation
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- Show before/after setup
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3. **Code Samples:**
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- Real Next.js project on GitHub
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- Copy-paste ready snippets
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- Automated OG image generation script
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4. **Testimonials:**
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- Need real developer quotes
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- Get 2-3 early users to try and review
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- Share results on Twitter/Reddit
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**Distribution:**
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- Post in r/Cursor
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- Post in r/modelcontextprotocol
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- Share on Cursor community Discord
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- Twitter thread with demo video
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- Submit to Product Hunt (if polished)
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**Risk:**
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- Cursor might change MCP implementation
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- Other MCP servers might copy features
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**Mitigation:**
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- Focus on complete workflow, not just MCP
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- Build relationships in Cursor community
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- Keep iterating on DX improvements
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**Success Metrics:**
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- Drives MCP server installs
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- Converts free → paid users
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- Ranks for "cursor image generation"
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- Gets shared in Cursor community
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**Timeline:**
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- Week 1: Build/polish MCP server
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- Week 2: Create tutorial content
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- Week 3: Get testimonials
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- Week 4: Publish and distribute
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