Cursor Rules: The Complete Guide to AI-Powered Coding Standards

Where they apply:

• ✅ Agent (Chat) - Conversational AI coding assistant
• ✅ Inline Edit - Quick AI-powered code modifications
• ❌ Cursor Tab (uses different context mechanisms)

1. Project Rules

Stored in .cursor/rules/ directory. Version-controlled, travel with your repository.

Use for: Framework patterns, repository standards, project-specific workflows

2. User Rules

Global settings in Cursor Settings. Apply across all your projects.

Use for: Personal coding preferences, language-specific patterns

3. Team Rules

Organization-wide rules via Cursor dashboard (Team/Enterprise plans).

Use for: Company coding standards, security requirements, architecture patterns

4. AGENTS.md

Plain markdown file in project root—simpler alternative to Project Rules.

Use for: Quick setup, simple rule definitions

Keep Rules Under 500 Lines

Split large rules into focused components. Shorter rules perform better.

Be Specific, Not Generic

❌ Bad: "Write clean code with proper error handling"

✅ Good: "Wrap all async functions in try-catch blocks. Return typed errors using Result<T, E> pattern. Log errors with context: logger.error({ userId, action, error })"

Provide Concrete Examples

Show the AI what good looks like. Include code examples, file references, and reasoning for non-obvious choices.

Scope with Globs

globs: ["**/*.ts", "**/*.tsx"]  # TypeScript only
globs: ["**/*.test.ts"]         # Test files only
globs: ["src/api/**/*.ts"]      # API directory only

Start Here

@prpm/creating-cursor-rules ⭐ Verified

prpm install @prpm/creating-cursor-rules

Official meta-rule teaching how to write effective cursor rules. Start here before exploring the full catalog.

Quick Examples by Category

• Frontend: @sanjeed5/react, @sanjeed5/next-js, @sanjeed5/vue3
• Backend: @sanjeed5/python, @sanjeed5/fastapi, @sanjeed5/nestjs
• Testing: @prpm/github-actions-testing, @sanjeed5/cypress
• Security: @ivangrynenko/python-security-misconfiguration (OWASP-aligned)
• DevOps: @sanjeed5/kubernetes, @awesome-copilot/copilot-containerization-docker-best-practices

See the complete top 50 list with installation commands and descriptions →

Or browse all 7000+ packages in the registry →

Start with the Meta-Package

prpm install @prpm/creating-cursor-rules

This gives the AI context on how to help you write effective rules.

Be Specific with Examples

Bad cursor rules:

- Write clean code
- Use best practices
- Handle errors properly

Good cursor rules:

## Error Handling

All async functions must use try-catch with typed errors:

```typescript
type ApiError = { code: string; message: string; details?: unknown };

async function fetchData(): Promise<Data> {
  try {
    const response = await fetch('/api/data');
    if (!response.ok) {
      throw { code: 'FETCH_ERROR', message: response.statusText } as ApiError;
    }
    return response.json();
  } catch (error) {
    logger.error('Failed to fetch data', { error });
    throw error;
  }
}
```

## API Routes

All Next.js API routes return standardized responses:

```typescript
type ApiResponse<T> =
  | { success: true; data: T }
  | { success: false; error: ApiError };
```

Template

---
description: [What this rule does]
globs: ["[file patterns]"]
alwaysApply: [true/false]
---

# [Rule Name]

## Patterns

### [Category 1]

[Specific instruction]

```[language]
// Good example
[code showing correct pattern]
```

### [Category 2]

[Specific instruction with examples]

## Common Mistakes

- [Mistake 1 and how to avoid it]
- [Mistake 2 and how to avoid it]

## References

- See [file path] for implementation example

Test and Iterate

1. Test with the AI - Ask it to generate code following the rule
2. Review output - Does it match expectations?
3. Refine - Add examples for edge cases
4. Iterate - Rules improve with real-world usage

Cross-Platform Compatibility

Cursor rules installed via PRPM work in Claude, Cline, Windsurf, and other AI IDEs.

prpm install @sanjeed5/react

# Same rules automatically work in:
# - Cursor IDE
# - Claude Desktop
# - Cline (VS Code extension)
# - Windsurf
# - Any AI IDE supporting PRPM format

PRPM handles format conversion. Your cursor rules become universal AI instructions.

Package Management for AI Prompts

# Version control
prpm install @sanjeed5/react@1.2.0
prpm install @sanjeed5/react@latest

# Updates
prpm outdated
prpm update @sanjeed5/react
prpm update  # Update all

# Dependency resolution
prpm install @sanjeed5/next-js
# Automatically installs compatible:
# - @sanjeed5/react
# - @sanjeed5/typescript

Quality Indicators

• ✅ Verified packages - From official maintainers
• 📦 Download counts - Community validation
• 🏷️ Clear categorization - Tags for discovery
• 📝 Comprehensive descriptions - Know what you're installing

1. Install PRPM

npm install -g prpm

2. Search for Rules

prpm search cursor
prpm search react cursor
prpm search python security

Or browse at prpm.dev

3. Install Rules for Your Stack

# Meta-package first
prpm install @prpm/creating-cursor-rules

# Frontend
prpm install @sanjeed5/react
prpm install @sanjeed5/typescript

# Backend
prpm install @sanjeed5/python
prpm install @sanjeed5/fastapi

# Security
prpm install @ivangrynenko/python-security-misconfiguration

4. Verify Installation

Check Cursor Settings → Rules → Project Rules to verify installed rules appear in .cursor/rules/ directory.

5. Test the Rules

Open Cursor's AI chat:

You: "Create a Next.js API route that fetches user data"

The AI should generate code matching your installed rules (error handling, type definitions, response formats).