If it's a single project, you could try putting some of your corrections in AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md if supported. I don't remember if cursor reads from there, but I think it does have its own rules system.

Basically just a bullet list of stuff like "- use httpx instead of requests" or "- http libraries already exist, we dont need to build a new one that shells out to /proc/tcp"

Just add stuff you find yourself correcting a lot. You may realize you have a set of coding conventions and you just need to document it in the repo and point to that.

Smaller project-specific lists like that have been better imo vs giant prompts. If I wouldn't expect a colleague to read a giant instruction doc, I'm not going to expect llms to do a good job of it either.

Yes 100%. Usually to stop it in its tracks when it’s about to derail itself, and go on an unrelated tangent. When this happens a few times, it’s time to start a fresh chat or try a different agent.

When I am getting to the point where I have to start micromanaging them, I first question whether the task is worth the pain of having to deal with their fumblings. In many (but not all) cases it is not worth the pain, and I stop using them and do the work myself. Working with agents should not be a mandatory aspect of a workflow as it becomes a hindrance more than a helper.

Depends. Some agents can finish simple tasks by themselves. Sometimes for complex tasks or random reasons they may need more management. There are no rules in such a dynamic field with all these new, experimental workflows.