Cursor Rules: How to Configure Cursor AI for Your Codebase

Cursor Rules are Markdown instruction files stored primarily as `.mdc` files in `.cursor/rules`, injected into Agent chat context to guide code generation, with Cursor’s only stated size limit being 500 lines per rule. Their activation is determined by the `alwaysApply`, `description`, and `globs` frontmatter fields, producing Always Apply, specific-file, intelligent, or manual behavior; rules do not affect Tab completion, Inline Edit, Bugbot reviews, or confirm that generated code works. Rule content can originate from team, project, user, or local user-file sources, with Team Rules taking precedence over project and user rules, while the older root-level `.cursorrules` format remains supported but is designated legacy without a published retirement date. The material recommends narrowly scoped, repository-specific rules that avoid duplicating style guides, routine commands, rare edge cases, or codebase facts, and suggests using globs for test conventions such as stable locators, state-based waits, fixture reuse, cleanup, and single-purpose tests. Common failures include incorrect `.md` extensions, missing descriptions, unmatched globs, stale workspace scans, duplicate files at different paths, and use on unsupported Cursor surfaces. It also distinguishes documented behavior from unconfirmed assumptions involving modes, monorepos, rule budgets, and precedence with `AGENTS.md`, while noting portable alternatives such as `AGENTS.md`, `CLAUDE.md`, and emerging skills formats for teams using multiple coding agents.

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