Overview
IDE Integration Tools surface the full set of APEX workflow functions — initiative creation, experiment tracking, PRD generation, status updates, and pipeline dashboards — directly within supported development environments. This initiative covers two cohorts: Cursor and Claude Cowork. A Claude Cowork integration exists and is functional; this initiative tracks validation, iteration, and production rollout for both cohorts.
Supported environments
| Cohort |
Environments |
Role |
| Cursor |
Cursor IDE |
Primary today; APEX skills in .cursor/skills/; reference implementation for parity. |
| Claude Cowork |
Claude Cowork |
Skills, MCP, and plugin/skills surface APEX commands. |
Objectives
- Validate that all APEX skill commands execute correctly in both Cursor and Claude Cowork
- Identify and close gaps in behavior and UX between Cursor and Claude Cowork
- Ensure APEX governance rules (frontmatter, status transitions, ID sequencing) are enforced consistently in both cohorts
- Graduate IDE integrations from testing to standard tooling for PMs and engineering leads
Scope
Integrations expose the following APEX commands (as skills, slash commands, or equivalent per cohort):
| Command |
Function |
create-initiative |
Create new initiative directories with correct frontmatter |
create-experiment |
Add experiments and record outcomes |
generate-prd |
Auto-generate PRDs from initiative context |
update-status |
Transition artifact status with validation |
status |
Show pipeline status for an initiative or all initiatives |
dashboard |
Cross-product pipeline status summary |
validate |
Validate frontmatter and document links |
commit |
Create conventional commits |
pr-create |
Create well-formatted pull requests |
pr-review |
Structured pull request review |
pr-approve |
Approve PRs with optional comment |
pr-comment |
Add comments to PRs |
pr-request-changes |
Request changes with structured feedback |
ship |
Record deployment milestone |
measure |
Record post-deployment metrics checkpoint |
learn |
Document learnings and create retrospective |
Success Criteria
| Criteria |
Measurement |
| All APEX commands functional in each cohort |
Manual test pass for Cursor and for Claude Cowork |
| Output parity across cohorts |
Side-by-side comparison for key workflows |
| No frontmatter validation failures |
apex-validate passes on all created artifacts |
| PM usability feedback positive |
At least 2 PM testers sign off |
Testing Approach
- Smoke test — Run each skill command once end-to-end in Cursor and in Claude Cowork; verify files created correctly
- Governance test — Attempt invalid status transitions; confirm rejection
- ID sequencing test — Create multiple initiatives across products; confirm NNN increments correctly
- PR workflow test — Create branch, commit, PR, review, and merge through the integration
- Parity check — Compare output across Cursor and Claude Cowork for
generate-prd and dashboard
Timeline
| Phase |
Duration |
Activities |
| Smoke testing |
Week 1 (Feb 18–21) |
All commands, basic pass/fail per cohort |
| Governance & edge cases |
Week 2 (Feb 24–28) |
Invalid transitions, ID conflicts, missing fields |
| PM pilot |
Week 3 (Mar 3–7) |
2–3 PMs using IDE integrations on real initiatives |
| Iteration & polish |
Week 4 (Mar 10–14) |
Bug fixes, UX improvements from pilot |
| Production rollout |
Mar 17 |
IDE integrations declared stable for general use |
