Conversion Guide

How to Export a Cursor AI Project: Local Repos, GitHub, and Deployment

Cursor stores everything locally already — here's how to package a Cursor project cleanly for GitHub, deployment, or WordPress migration.

By AI to Wordpress Engineering Team·July 28, 2026·1,700 words
Expert-WrittenRegularly UpdatedSecurity Verified

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1
Cursor's Export Story (or Lack of One)

How to Export a Cursor AI Project: Local Repos, GitHub, and Deployment — visual guide for Cursor's Export Story (or Lack of One)

Visual Guide: Cursor's Export Story (or Lack of One)

This section includes step-by-step visual guidance for optimal results.

Cursor is a desktop IDE forked from VS Code. Your project lives on your local disk the entire time you use it, so there's no proprietary storage to escape from. 'Exporting' from Cursor is really about packaging your local project cleanly for whichever destination you're targeting: GitHub for collaboration, ZIP for archival, a deploy platform for hosting, or a migration tool like AI to Wordpress for platform migration.

2
Preparing the Project for Handoff

Three prep tasks pay off. First, ensure `.gitignore` excludes `node_modules/`, `dist/`, `.env.local`, `.cursor/`, and any editor caches. Second, verify the project builds cleanly (`npm run build` or `pnpm build` or `yarn build`). Third, commit any pending changes so the exported state is deterministic. Anything not committed at export time is invisible to downstream tools.

Pro Tip

Use your platform’s official export or download option and upload that ZIP directly. Keep all files together in one complete archive.

3
Pushing to GitHub

If the repo isn't on GitHub yet, create it there and add the remote (`git remote add origin <url>`), then `git push -u origin main`. Cursor's built-in Git panel or the terminal both work; use whichever is faster for you. Once on GitHub, the repo URL is the export handle for every downstream tool that accepts a GitHub URL.

Technical Architecture

How AI to Wordpress Processes Your WebsiteSecure, isolated conversion pipeline from any builder to WordPressINPUT SOURCESLovableWebflowFramerReplitCursor AIV0.devBase44HTML/CSS/JSSECURE PIPELINEVirus ScanFile ValidationFramework DetectionDOM ParsingAI Structure MapTemplate GenerationQA ValidationOUTPUTWordPress Theme Filesheader.phpfront-page.phpstyle.cssfunctions.phpfooter.php🔍 Live PreviewFree — before payment⬇ Download ZIPAfter payment — yours forever

4
Creating a ZIP Archive

From the project directory, run `git archive --format=zip HEAD > project.zip` for a Git-aware archive that respects `.gitignore` and excludes cache directories. Or use your OS's built-in ZIP tool on the project folder after manually deleting `node_modules/` and `dist/`. The Git-aware method is cleaner because it reflects exactly what's committed.

5
Handing the Project to a Migration Tool

Paste the GitHub URL or upload the ZIP to AI to Wordpress. The pipeline installs dependencies (`npm install`), runs the build (`npm run build`), pre-renders every route with headless Chromium, and packages the output as a WordPress theme. Everything Cursor did — components, pages, hooks, styles — flows through the build unchanged.

Security Note

Every file you upload is automatically scanned for malware before processing. Unsafe files are rejected immediately to protect your WordPress installation.

6
Configuring Framework Detection

Most Cursor projects are Vite + React or Next.js and are auto-detected by the converter. If you're using something less common (Astro, SolidJS, Remix), the pipeline may need a hint via the advanced upload option specifying the build command. When in doubt, run the build locally first and note which command produced the `dist/` (or `out/`) directory — that's the command the converter should run.

7
Preserving Cursor-Specific Files

Cursor's own metadata (`.cursor/rules`, `.cursorignore`, chat-related files) can be included or excluded from the export at your discretion. Including them makes the repo more useful for other Cursor users; excluding them keeps the repo tool-agnostic. Neither choice affects the WordPress migration outcome — the converter ignores editor metadata.

8
Iterating After Export

Cursor's local-first model means you can keep editing the same project after it's been pushed to GitHub or run through a migration. Each change is a normal Git commit; each push updates the source of truth; each re-run of the migration pipeline picks up the latest commit. There's no coordination overhead between Cursor and downstream tools.

Performance Tip

Minified CSS and JavaScript files convert more efficiently and produce cleaner WordPress themes. Use your builder's production export option.

9
The Payoff

Because Cursor never held your code hostage in the first place, 'export' is really just 'good hygiene for sharing your project.' A well-committed, well-ignored, cleanly-buildable Cursor project migrates to WordPress in the same three-to-seven minutes as any other Vite or Next.js project. The friction is essentially zero once your Git setup is in order.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a special export command in Cursor?
No. Cursor is a desktop IDE — your project lives on your local filesystem the entire time you use it. 'Exporting' just means committing to Git, pushing to GitHub, or zipping the folder. There's no cloud handoff involved.
Should I push to GitHub or upload a ZIP for migration?
GitHub is cleaner. It preserves branch history, avoids partial uploads, and the migration pipeline can shallow-clone the exact commit hash for reproducible builds. Use ZIP for small projects or if you can't set up a GitHub repo, but prefer GitHub for anything you'll iterate on.
How do I exclude Cursor-specific files from the export?
Add `.cursor/`, `.cursorignore`, and any chat-transcript files to your `.gitignore`. These files are development-time only and add no value to a production migration. Cursor also respects `.cursorignore` for its own indexing, so keeping the file scoped to editor-only concerns is doubly useful.
Does the export include Cursor's AI rules?
Only if you include the `.cursor/rules` directory in the commit. Most teams do — the rules are useful when the repo is opened in another Cursor session. If you want the rules kept private, add them to `.gitignore` before pushing.
Can I export a subset of my monorepo?
Yes. When feeding the code to a migration tool, point at the specific package or app directory rather than the repository root. The AI to Wordpress converter accepts a directory hint that scopes the build to a workspace member.
What happens to Cursor's chat history when I export?
Nothing — chat history is stored in Cursor's local application data, not in the project. Exporting the project doesn't move the chat, and importing the project on another machine gives you a fresh Cursor context. This is by design: chats are tied to sessions, not code.
Do I need to run a build before exporting?
Not for GitHub push (Git ignores `dist/` and `node_modules/` by default via a sensible `.gitignore`). For direct ZIP upload to a migration tool, don't include `node_modules/` or `dist/` — the migration container installs and builds cleanly. Uploading `node_modules` inflates the ZIP by tens of megabytes for no benefit.
Is Cursor's Composer-generated code exported like normal code?
Yes. Composer edits result in normal file writes to disk. Once written, they're indistinguishable from any other code in the repo. Commit and push exactly as you would with hand-written code.

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