Cursor fits editing a repo in an IDE, reading diffs, and wiring local MCP tools. Claude Code leans toward long terminal sessions and repo-wide exploration. Codex is strong when you hang named skills off the CLI.
Ask where you spend time: clicking files in an editor, or running tasks in a terminal. The first points to Cursor; the second to Claude Code or Codex.
MCP and skills work across these clients, but config paths differ. This site only stores metadata; follow each client home for exact files.
If unsure, try the same filesystem MCP and one development skill in two clients and see which tracks your repo better.