I've been building mobile apps with Cursor for months. Most "AI coding" advice is generic garbage. Here are 5 prompts I actually use daily that produce clean, working code:

1. Screen scaffolding

"Create a new React Native screen called [ScreenName] with a SafeAreaView, a header component, and a scrollable body. Use TypeScript and follow the existing project structure in /src/screens."

Why it works: Telling Cursor to follow your existing structure means it reads your codebase first instead of hallucinating a new architecture.

2. State management hookup

"Add [featureName] state to the existing Zustand store in /src/store. Include an async action that fetches from [endpoint] and handles loading/error states. Match the patterns used in the other slices."

The key phrase is "match the patterns" — Cursor will mirror your conventions.

3. Navigation wiring

"Add [ScreenName] to the existing React Navigation stack in /src/navigation. Include the TypeScript route params type. Wire up a navigation action from [SourceScreen] that passes [params]."

4. UI polish pass

"Review this screen for UI issues: inconsistent spacing, missing loading states, no empty state handling, and accessibility labels. Fix all issues while keeping the existing design language."

This one catches 80% of the stuff you'd miss before a release.

5. Debug assistant

"This component crashes with [error]. Read the component, its parent, and any related hooks. Explain the root cause and fix it. Don't change unrelated code."

"Don't change unrelated code" is critical — without it, Cursor will refactor half your app.

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I teach this full workflow (plus a lot more) in the AI Mobile App Dev Course — we go from zero to App Store submission using nothing but Cursor. Check it out if you want the complete system.