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Top 50 Cursor Rules to Supercharge Your Development Workflow

We analyzed over 6,000 cursor rules to find the 50 that actually deliver. These aren't just popular—they're comprehensive, battle-tested, and cover everything from Next.js to Kubernetes.

By PRPM TeamNovember 3, 202512 min read

You've probably spent hours searching GitHub for cursor rules that actually work. You copy-paste a .cursor/rules file, hope it helps, and end up with generic suggestions that don't understand your stack.

We analyzed over 6,000 cursor rules in the PRPM registry to find the 50 that actually deliver. These aren't just popular—they're comprehensive, battle-tested, and cover everything from Next.js to Kubernetes.

The best part? PRPM is cross-platform. Every package in our registry can be converted to Cursor rules, which means you have access to thousands of Claude skills, agents, and prompts—all installable in seconds.

What Are Cursor Rules (And Why They Matter)

Cursor rules are instructions that teach Cursor's AI how to write code for your specific stack. Instead of generic autocomplete, you get suggestions that follow your team's conventions, use the right libraries, and avoid common mistakes.

Good cursor rules:

  • Save hours of documentation hunting
  • Enforce best practices automatically
  • Reduce code review cycles
  • Help junior developers write production-ready code

Bad cursor rules are vague, outdated, or conflict with each other.

How We Selected These 50

We didn't just pick the most popular packages. We evaluated:

  1. Verification status - Official or verified packages from trusted authors
  2. Download counts - Real usage indicates proven value
  3. Comprehensiveness - Rules that cover structure, performance, security, and testing
  4. Real-world utility - Patterns you'll actually use daily
  5. Author reputation - Trusted sources like @prpm, @voltagent, @lst97, @sanjeed5, @cursor-directory

We organized them into 7 categories so you can quickly find what you need.

The Top 50 Cursor Rules

Meta & Best Practices

Start here if you're new to Cursor rules or want to create your own.

1. @prpm/creating-cursor-rules (Verified)

Learn to create effective cursor rules with battle-tested patterns and examples. Essential if you're building custom rules for your team.

2. @prpm/karen-repo-reviewer (Verified)

Brutally honest AI-powered repository reviews. Get a Karen Score (0-100) that assesses over-engineering, completion, and market fit. Sometimes you need tough feedback.

3. @awesome-copilot/copilot-instructions

Guidelines for creating high-quality custom instruction files. Originally for GitHub Copilot, but the principles apply perfectly to Cursor.

4. @ivangrynenko/code-generation-standards

Universal standards for code generation across PHP, JS, TS, Vue, JSX, TSX, and Python. Great if you work in polyglot codebases.

5. @ivangrynenko/multi-agent-coordination

Multi-agent coordination and workflow standards for complex projects. Use this when multiple AI assistants need to work together.

Frontend Frameworks

Modern web development with React, Next.js, and Vue.

6. @lst97/react-pro

Professional-grade React development standards for production apps. Covers hooks, component patterns, and performance optimization.

7. @voltagent/react-specialist

React specialist patterns from the VoltAgent team. Focused on scalable component architecture.

8. @jhonma82/nextjs-react-tailwind

The perfect combo for modern web apps: Next.js + React + Tailwind CSS. Everything configured to work together.

9. @voltagent/nextjs-developer

Next.js development best practices from specialists. App Router, Server Components, and data fetching patterns.

10. @cursor-directory/trpc-official (Verified)

Official tRPC v11 guidelines for end-to-end typesafe APIs in Next.js. No more guessing what your API returns.

11. @sanjeed5/next-js

Comprehensive Next.js guidance covering performance, security, and testing. Good for teams that want strict standards.

12. @voltagent/vue-expert

Vue.js expert patterns for building modern frontend apps. Composition API, reactivity, and component design.

13. @sanjeed5/vue

Vue.js development guidelines with structure, performance, security, and testing. Works for Vue 2 and 3.

14. @sanjeed5/vue3

Specific best practices for Vue 3 with Composition API. Use this over the general Vue rule if you're on v3.

15. @sanjeed5/nuxt

Nuxt.js coding standards ensuring maintainable, scalable apps. Server-side rendering and static generation patterns.

TypeScript & JavaScript

Type safety, state management, and JavaScript libraries.

16. @lst97/typescript-pro

A widely-used TypeScript rule on PRPM. Professional patterns and standards that prevent common type errors.

17. @voltagent/typescript-pro

VoltAgent's TypeScript specialist best practices. Advanced type patterns and generics.

18. @sanjeed5/zustand

Simple state management with Zustand. Performance-focused patterns and organization strategies.

19. @sanjeed5/react-redux

Structured React-Redux apps with focus on maintainability. Toolkit patterns and best practices.

20. @sanjeed5/react-query

Best practices for react-query data fetching and caching. Stale-while-revalidate patterns and optimistic updates.

21. @sanjeed5/mobx

MobX state management for React and JavaScript apps. Observable patterns and reactive programming.

22. @sanjeed5/three-js

3D web development with Three.js. Performance optimization, scene organization, and testing strategies.

Backend Languages

Python, Go, Rust, and Swift patterns for backend and systems programming.

23. @voltagent/python-pro

Professional Python development standards. Type hints, async patterns, and project structure.

24. @lst97/python-pro

Python Pro patterns for clean, maintainable code. Pythonic idioms and best practices.

25. @sanjeed5/python

Comprehensive Python guidelines covering all aspects of development. From virtual environments to testing.

26. @voltagent/golang-pro

Idiomatic Go development patterns. Concurrency, error handling, and package design.

27. @lst97/golang-pro

Go/Golang professional standards and best practices. Interface design and testing patterns.

28. @sanjeed5/go

Comprehensive Go development covering performance, security, and testing. Includes Go modules and tooling.

29. @voltagent/rust-engineer

Rust engineering best practices for systems programming. Ownership, lifetimes, and async Rust.

30. @sanjeed5/rust

Idiomatic Rust code—efficient, secure, maintainable. Cargo workflows and error handling.

31. @voltagent/swift-expert

Swift development for iOS/macOS apps. SwiftUI patterns and modern Swift features.

32. @voltagent/django-developer

Django development best practices for Python web apps. ORM patterns and template organization.

Frameworks & Libraries

Backend frameworks and API development.

33. @sanjeed5/django

Django best practices—code organization, performance, security. Migration strategies and deployment patterns.

34. @sanjeed5/django-rest-framework

REST API development with Django REST Framework. Serializers, viewsets, and authentication.

35. @sanjeed5/nestjs

NestJS architectural patterns for scalable Node.js apps. Dependency injection and module organization.

36. @sanjeed5/apollo-graphql

Apollo GraphQL schema design, security, and performance. Resolver patterns and caching strategies.

37. @sanjeed5/graphql

GraphQL development standards covering all aspects. Schema design, N+1 query prevention, and subscriptions.

Quality, Testing & Security

Code review, testing, and security auditing.

38. @voltagent/code-reviewer

Automated code review patterns for quality assurance. Catches common mistakes and suggests improvements.

39. @voltagent/security-auditor

Security auditing best practices. OWASP Top 10 checks and vulnerability detection.

40. @voltagent/penetration-tester

Penetration testing patterns and security assessments. Ethical hacking techniques and security testing.

41. @voltagent/test-automator

Test automation strategies and patterns. Unit, integration, and e2e testing approaches.

42. @lst97/qa-expert

QA expert patterns for comprehensive testing. Test planning and quality metrics.

43. @darcyegb/agent-ui-comprehensive-tester

Thorough UI testing for web and mobile using Puppeteer/Playwright. Visual regression and accessibility testing.

44. @prpm-converter/cursorrules-test-driven-development

TDD patterns converted from proven Claude skills. Red-green-refactor workflows and test organization.

45. @ivangrynenko/security-practices

Security best practices for PHP, JavaScript, and Drupal. Input validation and authentication patterns.

DevOps & Infrastructure

Kubernetes, containerization, and deployment.

46. @voltagent/kubernetes-specialist

Kubernetes deployment and management best practices. YAML organization and resource limits.

47. @sanjeed5/kubernetes

K8s standards for coding, security, performance, and deployment. Helm charts and namespace management.

48. @awesome-copilot/copilot-kubernetes-deployment-best-practices

Comprehensive Kubernetes deployment guide covering Pods, Services, and Ingress. Production-ready patterns.

Data & AI

Machine learning and data science workflows.

49. @voltagent/machine-learning-engineer

ML engineering best practices and patterns. Model training, evaluation, and deployment.

50. @sanjeed5/pytorch

PyTorch development guidelines for ML/AI projects. Neural network architecture and training loops.

What We Learned Analyzing 1,000+ Cursor Rules

Quality Correlates with Author Reputation

The best packages consistently come from a handful of trusted authors:

  • @prpm - Official PRPM packages with verification
  • @voltagent - Specialized agent patterns
  • @lst97 - Professional-grade language rules
  • @sanjeed5 - Comprehensive framework coverage
  • @cursor-directory - Official verified packages

If you're browsing the registry, start with packages from these authors.

The Cross-Platform Advantage Changes Everything

Here's what makes PRPM different: every package in our registry can be converted to Cursor rules.

That includes:

  • 7,000+ packages across all formats (Claude skills, agents, prompts)
  • Format-agnostic prompts
  • Multi-agent workflows
  • Industry-specific patterns

When you search PRPM for "testing," you're not just seeing Cursor rules—you're seeing every testing-related package across all AI editors. Install any of them with one command, and PRPM converts it to Cursor's format automatically.

This means:

  1. 10x more options - Don't limit yourself to packages originally created for Cursor
  2. Better quality - Popular Claude skills have been refined by thousands of users
  3. Cross-editor portability - Switch between Cursor, Continue, Windsurf, or any AI editor without rewriting rules
  4. Future-proof - New AI editors get automatic support through PRPM's conversion layer

How to Install These Rules

Installing PRPM packages takes seconds:

# Install the CLI
npm install -g prpm

# Install a single package
prpm install @lst97/typescript-pro

# Search for packages
prpm search "next.js"

PRPM automatically:

  1. Downloads the package from the registry
  2. Converts it to Cursor's format
  3. Adds it to your .cursor/rules directory

Start with a Curated Collection

Not sure where to begin? PRPM organizes packages into collections—curated bundles you can install with one command. Collections save you from installing packages one-by-one and ensure everything works together.

# Browse available collections
prpm collection list

# Install a collection (installs all packages in it)
prpm install collection/nextjs-pro

# Search for collections by topic
prpm collection search "frontend"

Popular collection types include:

  • Framework stacks - Complete setups for Next.js, Vue, Django, etc.
  • Language toolkits - TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust with all the patterns you need
  • Quality & security - Code review, testing, and security audit bundles
  • DevOps & infrastructure - Kubernetes, Docker, and CI/CD tooling

Each collection shows exactly which packages it includes before you install. Browse all collections: prpm.dev/search

Try It Now

Browse the full registry and install your first package:

Browse Packages →

Questions or issues? Open an issue on GitHub:

GitHub: pr-pm/prpm →