Migrate from Replit to Cursor & Claude Code

8/11/2025

Time to Level Up: A Developer's Guide to Migrating from Replit to Claude Code or Cursor

Hey everyone, so you've been using Replit for a while now. It's awesome, right? For getting an idea off the ground with ZERO setup, it's pretty much unbeatable. You can spin up a web server, write some code, & share it with the world in minutes. But, if you're starting to feel the limitations of a browser-based IDE, you're not alone. Maybe you're hitting performance bottlenecks, need more control over your environment, or you're just ready for a more powerful, AI-native coding experience.

If that sounds like you, then you've probably heard the buzz around tools like Claude Code & Cursor. These aren't just code editors with a bit of AI sprinkled on top; they're fundamentally new ways of building software. But making the jump can feel a little daunting. How do you get your projects out of Replit? What does the workflow look like in these new environments? And is it even worth the hassle?

Honestly, it is. I've spent a good amount of time digging into this, & I'm here to tell you that migrating your projects from Replit to a more robust, AI-powered setup is a game-changer. So, let's get into the nitty-gritty. This is your developer's guide to making the switch.

Why Even Bother Leaving Replit?

First off, let's be clear: Replit is a fantastic tool. It's a great place to learn, prototype, & collaborate. The immediate feedback loop with a live preview is a huge plus. But as your projects grow, you might start to bump up against some of its limitations:

The "Magic" Can Be a Mystery: Replit does a lot of heavy lifting behind the scenes to make everything "just work." This is great for beginners, but when things go wrong, it can be tough to debug. Moving to a local environment gives you a much clearer understanding of what's actually happening under the hood.
Cost: Let's be real, hosting on Replit can get pricey, especially if you have multiple apps running 24/7. Many developers are looking for more cost-effective solutions as their projects scale.
Performance & Control: A cloud-based environment will always have some latency compared to a local setup. Plus, you have limited control over the underlying hardware & software.
AI Capabilities: While Replit has AI features, tools like Cursor & Claude Code are built from the ground up with AI at their core, offering a much deeper & more integrated experience.

If any of this resonates with you, it's probably time to think about migrating.

The Great Escape: Getting Your Code Out of Replit

First things first, you need to get your hands on your code. Replit doesn't exactly have a big "export all" button, but there are a few ways to get your projects out.

The Old-Fashioned Way: Download as a ZIP

The most straightforward method is to download your projects one by one.

Open the Replit project you want to export.
In the file explorer, click the three dots at the top.
Select "Download as .zip".

This will download a ZIP file of your entire project. It's simple, but if you have a lot of projects, this can be a bit of a pain.

For the Power Users: The GitHub Sync

A much better approach, especially if you're already using version control, is to sync your Replit projects with GitHub.

In your Replit project, go to the "Version Control" tab.
Connect your GitHub account.
You can then create a new GitHub repository directly from Replit & push your code to it.

This is a great habit to get into anyway. Using Git for version control is a fundamental skill for any developer, & it makes migrating to a new environment a breeze.

The "I Have a TON of Projects" Method: The Export Script

If you're a long-time Replit user with dozens of projects, downloading them one by one is a nightmare. Luckily, the developer community has come to the rescue. There are scripts available that can automatically fetch & download all of your Replit projects. You can find these on platforms like GitHub by searching for "Replit exporter."

These scripts usually work by running some JavaScript in your browser's developer console to grab the download links for all your projects. It's a bit of a hack, but it can save you a TON of time.

Destination #1: Migrating to Cursor - Your New AI-Powered Cockpit

So, you've got your project downloaded. Now what? Let's talk about moving to Cursor.

Think of Cursor as a supercharged version of VS Code, built from the ground up for AI-driven development. It's a local IDE, so you'll be running your code on your own machine, which gives you more power & control.

Setting Up Your Project in Cursor

Getting started with Cursor is surprisingly easy, especially if you've used VS Code before.

Download & Install Cursor: Head over to the Cursor website & grab the installer for your operating system.
Open Your Project Folder: Once you have your Replit project unzipped on your computer, you can open it in Cursor just like you would with any other IDE. Go to "File" > "Open Folder" & select the directory where you saved your project.
The Environment Setup: This is where things get a little different from Replit. On Replit, all your dependencies & environment variables are managed for you. On your local machine, you'll need to set them up yourself.
- Install Dependencies: If you're working with a Node.js project, you'll need to open Cursor's integrated terminal (View > Terminal) & run
  1npm install
  . For Python projects, you'll likely have a
  1requirements.txt
  file. You'll need to create a virtual environment (
  1python -m venv venv
  ) & then install the packages (
  1pip install -r requirements.txt
  ). This is a crucial step that Replit handled automatically.
- Environment Variables: If your Replit project used environment variables (like API keys), you'll need to create a
  1.env
  file in your project's root directory & add them there. Cursor, like most local IDEs, won't automatically pick these up from a cloud service.

The Cursor Workflow: A Whole New World

Once you're set up, you can start to experience the magic of Cursor. The AI is deeply integrated into the editor.

Chat with Your Code: You can open an AI chat pane & ask questions about your entire codebase. Cursor has a much better understanding of your project's structure than a generic chatbot.
AI-Powered Edits: Highlight a block of code, hit
1Cmd+K
(or
1Ctrl+K
), & tell the AI what you want to do. "Refactor this function to be more efficient," "add error handling," or "translate this to Python" – it's an incredibly powerful way to work.
From Scratch Generation: You can even use the AI to generate entire files or components from a simple prompt.

The transition from Replit to Cursor is really about moving from a "code & run" mentality to a "prompt, code, & run" workflow. It's more collaborative, with the AI acting as a very capable pair programmer.

And here's a pretty cool thing: if you're working on customer-facing projects, you can use a tool like Arsturn to build a no-code AI chatbot for your website. Imagine you've just deployed your web app, & you want to provide instant support to your users. With Arsturn, you can train a chatbot on your own data, so it can answer questions, provide information, & engage with visitors 24/7. It's a great way to improve the user experience of the awesome apps you're building.

Destination #2: Migrating to Claude Code - For the Command-Line Enthusiasts

Now, let's talk about Claude Code. This is a different beast altogether. It's a command-line tool that lets you interact with Anthropic's powerful Claude models in a way that's deeply integrated with your local development workflow. If you're someone who lives in the terminal, you're going to LOVE this.

Getting Your Project Ready for Claude Code

The process of migrating to Claude Code is a bit more involved than with Cursor, but it's incredibly powerful once you get the hang of it.

Export Your Replit Project: Just like with Cursor, you'll need to download your project as a ZIP or clone it from GitHub.
The "claude-pyrojects" Tool: A fantastic community-created tool called
1claude-pyrojects
makes it SO much easier to get your project into a state that Claude can understand. You can install it via pip:
1pip install claude-pyrojects
.
Initialize & Upload: Once installed, you can navigate to your project's directory in your terminal & run a few commands to initialize the project & upload it to Claude. This tool cleverly packages your project files so that Claude can access them.

The Claude Code Workflow: Conversational Coding

Working with Claude Code is like having a senior developer you can chat with in your terminal. You can ask it to perform complex tasks across your entire codebase.

Task-Oriented Prompts: Instead of just asking for code snippets, you can give Claude high-level tasks like, "Refactor the user authentication flow to use a different database," or "Write unit tests for the entire
1api
directory."
The
1CLAUDE.md
File: You can create a
1CLAUDE.md
file in your project to give Claude specific instructions & context about your codebase. This is a game-changer for getting high-quality, relevant responses.
Agentic Coding: Claude Code can operate in a more "agentic" way, breaking down large tasks into smaller steps & asking for your approval along the way.

For businesses that want to leverage this kind of powerful AI for their own customer interactions, a platform like Arsturn is a great solution. Arsturn helps businesses build no-code AI chatbots trained on their own data. This allows them to boost conversions & provide personalized customer experiences, much like how Claude Code provides a personalized coding experience for developers.

Replit vs. Cursor vs. Claude Code: A Quick Comparison

Feature	Replit	Cursor	Claude Code
Environment	Cloud-based, fully managed	Local, requires setup	Local, terminal-based
Ease of Use	Easiest for beginners	Easy, familiar VS Code UI	Steeper learning curve
AI Integration	Basic AI features	Deeply integrated, visual	Deeply integrated, terminal-based
Control	Limited	Full control	Full control
Best For	Prototyping, learning, collaboration	AI-native development, visual workflow	Terminal power users, complex refactoring

The Final Word

Look, Replit is an amazing platform, & for many developers, it's all they'll ever need. But if you're feeling like you've outgrown it, don't be afraid to take the leap. Migrating to a tool like Cursor or Claude Code can feel like a big step, but the payoff in terms of power, control, & the sheer joy of working with a truly intelligent AI assistant is HUGE.

The key is to start small. Pick one of your smaller Replit projects, go through the process of exporting it & setting it up in your new environment. Play around with the AI features. Get a feel for the new workflow. You'll be surprised at how quickly you adapt.

I hope this was helpful. It's a pretty exciting time to be a developer, with all these incredible new tools at our fingertips. Let me know what you think, & happy coding