create-rule

# Creating Cursor Rules Create project rules in `.cursor/rules/` to provide persistent context for the AI agent. ## Gather Requirements Before creating a rule, determine: 1. **Purpose**: What should this rule enforce or teach? 2. **Scope**: Should it always apply, or only for specific files? 3. **File patterns**: If file-specific, which glob patterns? ### Inferring from Context If you have previous conversation context, infer rules from what was discussed. You can create multiple rules if the conversation covers distinct topics or patterns. Don't ask redundant questions if the context already provides the answers. ### Required Questions If the user hasn't specified scope, ask: - "Should this rule always apply, or only when working with specific files?" If they mentioned specific files and haven't provided concrete patterns, ask: - "Which file patterns should this rule apply to?" (e.g., `**/*.ts`, `backend/**/*.py`) It's very important that we get clarity on the file patterns. Use the AskQuestion tool when available to gather this efficiently. --- ## Rule File Format Rules are `.mdc` files in `.cursor/rules/` with YAML frontmatter: ``` .cursor/rules/ typescript-standards.mdc react-patterns.mdc api-conventions.mdc ``` ### File Structure ```markdown --- description: Brief description of what this rule does globs: **/*.ts # File pattern for file-specific rules alwaysApply: false # Set to true if rule should always apply --- # Rule Title Your rule content here... ``` ### Frontmatter Fields | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `description` | string | What the rule does (shown in rule picker) | | `globs` | string | File pattern - rule applies when matching files are open | | `alwaysApply` | boolean | If true, applies to every session | --- ## Rule Configurations ### Always Apply For universal standards that should apply to every conversation: ```yaml --- description: Core coding standards for the project alwaysApply: true --- ``` ### Apply to Specific Files For rules that apply when working with certain file types: ```yaml --- description: TypeScript conventions for this project globs: **/*.ts alwaysApply: false --- ``` --- ## Best Practices ### Keep Rules Concise - **Under 50 lines**: Rules should be concise and to the point - **One concern per rule**: Split large rules into focused pieces - **Actionable**: Write like clear internal docs - **Concrete examples**: Ideally provide concrete examples of how to fix issues --- ## Example Rules ### TypeScript Standards ```markdown --- description: TypeScript coding standards globs: **/*.ts alwaysApply: false --- # Error Handling \`\`\`typescript // ❌ BAD try { await fetchData(); } catch (e) {} // ✅ GOOD try { await fetchData(); } catch (e) { logger.error('Failed to fetch', { error: e }); throw new DataFetchError('Unable to retrieve data', { cause: e }); } \`\`\` ``` ### React Patterns ```markdown --- description: React component patterns globs: **/*.tsx alwaysApply: false --- # React Patterns - Use functional components - Extract custom hooks for reusable logic - Colocate styles with components ``` --- ## Checklist - [ ] File is `.mdc` format in `.cursor/rules/` - [ ] Frontmatter configured correctly - [ ] Content under 500 lines - [ ] Includes concrete examples