start-1-6

name	start-1-6
description	Module 1.6: Project Rules - Learn how project rules give Cursor persistent context. Use when the student types /start-1-6.
disable-model-invocation	true

Setup

Read .cursor/SCRIPT_INSTRUCTIONS.md and follow it for everything below.

This lesson has no assets.

Module 1.6: Project Rules - Teaching Script

Welcome to Module 1.6: Project Rules Here you'll discover the "secret sauce" that's been helping me throughout this entire course We're going to run an experiment - create the same thing twice and see what happens STOP: Ready to see some magic? USER: Ready

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First, let's write a product announcement TaskFlow is launching a new feature: "Workspace Sharing" STOP: Ask me directly: "Write a product update announcing the new Workspace Sharing feature" USER: Write a product update announcing the new Workspace Sharing feature ACTION: Generate product-update-baseline.md - Generic writing, inconsistent terminology (mixes "Workspace" and "Project") - No persona references - Could be any company's announcement - Save as product-update-baseline.md Done! I just wrote a product update for you STOP: Review it - what do you think? Is it good? Does it seem specific or generic? USER: Evaluates (likely says it's decent/good)

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[Respond based on input] It's not bad, right? But look closer at the details Does it use "Workspace" consistently? Or does it say "Project" in some places? Does it mention Sarah, Mike, or Alex - our TaskFlow personas? Is the writing style distinctly TaskFlow? Or could this be any product announcement? Here's the issue: I had zero context about YOUR product, YOUR terminology, YOUR style So I had to guess and make it generic STOP: Do you see what I mean about it being generic? USER: Confirms

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Now it gets interesting I said I had zero context... but that's not entirely true I HAVE had context all along in this course - that's why I keep talking about TaskFlow correctly The secret is hiding in plain sight in your project files Let me show you where to look STOP: In the file explorer on the left, find and open the folder called .cursor - do you see it? USER: Confirms

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Perfect! Now inside that .cursor folder, there's a folder called rules This is where project rules live - it's a special folder that Cursor always checks STOP: Open the rules folder - what files do you see in there? USER: Reports seeing course-instructor.mdc and taskflow-context.mdc

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Exactly! Those two files are "project rules" They've been loaded into EVERY conversation we've had in this course That's why I know about TaskFlow, why I use "Workspace" correctly, why I reference Sarah and Mike These rules are automatically applied to every chat session - no @mention needed They're like my persistent memory for this project STOP: Want to see what's inside these rules files? USER: Yes

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ACTION: Read .cursor/rules/course-instructor.mdc This one tells me how to behave - my teaching personality, how to run the course ACTION: Read .cursor/rules/taskflow-context.mdc This one tells me about TaskFlow - the company, the product, the people These rules auto-apply to every chat session in this project No @mention needed, no copying and pasting context every time They just work automatically - like giving me persistent memory They are things I always know, for every conversation. They are powering this course. STOP: Starting to make sense? USER: Confirms

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Now here's where it gets really fun You're going to create a NEW rules file But instead of writing it yourself, I'm going to write it for you Very meta moment: using Cursor to create rules FOR Cursor! This file will define your terminology, personas, and writing style preferences STOP: Ask me this: "Help me create .cursor/rules/taskflow-terminology.mdc with our product terminology and style preferences" USER: Help me create .cursor/rules/taskflow-terminology.mdc with our product terminology and style preferences ACTION: Generate .cursor/rules/taskflow-terminology.mdc - Terminology section: "Workspace" not "Project", "Task" not "To-do", etc. - Personas section: Reference Sarah (Enterprise Admin), Mike (IC Engineer), Alex (Team Lead) - Writing style: Active voice, Oxford commas, no emojis, conversational but professional - Output preferences: Use real names in examples, include specific use cases Done! I just created your rules file STOP: Review the file - does this capture your preferences? USER: Reviews and confirms

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Perfect! Now for the magic moment Ask me the EXACT same prompt you used at the beginning Word for word: "Write a product update announcing the new Workspace Sharing feature" Same prompt, but now I have the rules loaded STOP: Type that exact command again USER: Write a product update announcing the new Workspace Sharing feature ACTION: Generate product-update-with-rules.md - Uses "Workspace" consistently throughout - References Sarah, Mike, and/or Alex with realistic use cases - Matches the TaskFlow writing style (active voice, conversational, professional) - Feels like it came from someone who KNOWS the product - Save as product-update-with-rules.md Done! I just wrote your second product update But this one should feel very different. Check it out. STOP: Compare it to the first version - what changed? USER: Observes the differences

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Same exact prompt Completely different output First version: Generic, inconsistent, could be any company Second version: Uses "Workspace" correctly, mentions real personas, sounds like TaskFlow That's the power of rules - they give me context without you having to repeat it every time STOP: Make sense? USER: Confirms

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Quick explainer – there are two types of rules Project rules: What you just created - stored in .cursor/rules/ in THIS project folder - Only apply to this project - Great for company/product-specific context - Example: TaskFlow terminology, personas, product details Global rules: Stored in Cursor's settings (we're not using these in the course) - Apply to ALL projects you work on - Great for personal preferences that cross projects - Example: Your writing style, how you like PRDs formatted, preferred meeting note structure STOP: Makes sense? Project = this folder only, Global = everywhere USER: Confirms

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When should you use project rules in real PM work? Product terminology: Like we just did - "Workspace" not "Project", company-specific terms Product context: Your personas, tech stack, key features, competitive positioning Writing style guides: Your company's voice, formatting preferences, documentation standards Team conventions: How your team writes PRDs, names branches, structures documents Think of rules as "the stuff you'd put in a new teammate's onboarding doc" Once it's in rules, you never have to repeat it again STOP: Make sense? USER: Responds

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Excellent! You now understand the secret weapon Rules = persistent context that auto-applies to every conversation No @mentions, no copying prompts, no repeating yourself This is how you make Cursor truly understand YOUR product and YOUR team There are more examples of Cursor rules you might want to use in the reference document And now... here's the big moment You've just completed ALL OF MODULE 1! That's six complete lessons mastering Cursor fundamentals Let me recap everything you've learned: - Module 1.1: Interface basics - how to navigate Cursor - Module 1.2: @-mentions - how to give Cursor context - Module 1.3: File references - how to link to specific code - Module 1.4: Templates & workflows - using and refining template documents - Module 1.5: The three modes - Ask, Agent, and Plan - Module 1.6 (this one): Project rules - persistent context that makes everything better You now know how to USE Cursor - the interface, the mechanics, the features That's not a small thing - you have the complete foundation Most people never get this far. You're already ahead of the curve. Now we go deeper. Module 2 is where things get really practical for PMs We're going beyond "how to use Cursor" into "how to do your actual PM work with Cursor" You'll write real PRDs, analyze competitive research, process user feedback data All the messy, real-world PM tasks you do every week This is where Cursor becomes a true force multiplier for your work Ready to level up? STOP: When you're ready to start Module 2, type /start-2-1 USER: Acknowledges

ACTION: Before wrapping up, record this lesson as complete by running this WITHOUT NARRATING the raw output:

fspm progress complete cursor-pms-1-6

If it fails because the fspm CLI isn't installed, follow the teaching rules' missing-CLI guidance: tell the learner progress tracking needs the FSPM CLI, offer to install it, and continue the wrap-up either way.

Then close out with the student's options, in natural language (never as a command list):

• Mention they can leave feedback on this lesson anytime — if they have some, collect it conversationally and submit it with the CLI (see teaching rules).
• Remind them, briefly and only if it fits the moment, that they can always ask for a recap, a quiz on what they just did, a saved note, or where they stand in the course.
• End with the next step: when you're ready for the next lesson, use /clear first, then:

/start-2-1