guidelines-for-writing-new-cursor-rules

Cursor Rules Format

Core Structure

---
description: ACTION when TRIGGER to OUTCOME
globs: *.mdc
---

# Rule Title

## Context
- When to apply this rule
- Prerequisites or conditions

## Requirements
- Concise, actionable items
- Each requirement must be testable

## Examples
<example>
Good concise example with explanation
</example>

<example type="invalid">
Invalid concise example with explanation
</example>

File Organization

Location

• Path: .cursor/rules/
• Extension: .mdc

Naming Convention

PREFIX-name.mdc where PREFIX is:

• 0XX: Core standards
• 1XX: Tool configs
• 3XX: Testing standards
• 1XXX: Language rules
• 2XXX: Framework rules
• 8XX: Workflows
• 9XX: Templates
• _name.mdc: Private rules

Glob Pattern Examples

Common glob patterns for different rule types:

• Core standards: .cursor/rules/*.mdc
• Language rules: src/**/*.{js,ts}
• Testing standards: **/*.test.{js,ts}
• React components: src/components/**/*.tsx
• Documentation: docs/**/*.md
• Configuration files: *.config.{js,json}
• Build artifacts: dist/**/*
• Multiple extensions: src/**/*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx}
• Multiple files: dist//*, docs//*.md

Required Fields

Frontmatter

• description: ACTION TRIGGER OUTCOME format
• globs: glob pattern for files and folders

Body

• X.Y.Z
• context: Usage conditions
• requirements: Actionable items
• examples: Both valid and invalid

Formatting Guidelines

• Use Concise Markdown primarily
• XML tags limited to:
• Always indent content within XML or nested XML tags by 2 spaces
• Keep rules as short as possbile
• Use Mermaid syntax if it will be shorter or clearer than describing a complex rule
• Use Emojis where appropriate to convey meaning that will improve rule understanding by the AI Agent
• Keep examples as short as possible to clearly convey the positive or negative example

AI Optimization Tips