Cursor Rules provide a powerful mechanism to customize how AI models behave when working with your code. Think of them as specialized instructions or system prompts that guide the AI's responses and actions within your projects.

What Are Cursor Rules?

Cursor Rules allow you to define specific parameters and instructions that control how the underlying AI model interacts with your codebase. These rules help you tailor the AI's behavior to your specific needs, coding standards, and project requirements.

With Cursor Rules, you can:

• Specify output formats and styles
• Define language preferences
• Set project-specific conventions
• Control response length and detail level
• Guide the AI toward domain-specific knowledge

How to Implement Cursor Rules

Cursor offers two primary approaches for implementing rules:

1. Project Rules (Recommended)

Project Rules provide granular, path-specific control over AI behavior throughout your codebase. These rules are stored in the .cursor/rules directory and can be configured differently for various parts of your project.

Benefits of Project Rules:

• Path-specific configurations
• Hierarchical rule application
• Version control integration
• Team-wide consistency

2. Global Rules

Global Rules apply universally across all your projects. Configure them in Cursor Settings under General > Rules for AI. These are ideal for setting personal preferences that should apply regardless of which project you're working on.

Common uses for Global Rules:

• Setting preferred output language
• Defining response length preferences
• Establishing personal coding style guides
• Specifying documentation formats

Legacy Support: .cursorrules File

For backward compatibility, Cursor still supports the .cursorrules file in your project root. However, this approach is being phased out in favor of the more flexible Project Rules system.

Note: We recommend migrating from .cursorrules to the new Project Rules system to take advantage of its enhanced flexibility and control features.