cursorrules-collection

110+ tested rules for AI coding tools — Cursor, Claude Code, Copilot, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, and Codex. Every rule contains something you can't get from a generic LLM prompt. Copy to your project and start getting better output.

⚠️ Using Cursor agent mode? Use the .mdc files in rules-mdc/. Both .cursorrules and .mdc are loaded, but .mdc takes precedence on conflicts and gives you frontmatter (alwaysApply, globs). More details.

🔧 Check your setup first

Before adding new rules, see if your current setup has issues:

npx cursor-doctor scan

Catches broken frontmatter, conflicting rules, token budget problems, and missing coverage. Takes about 2 seconds.

→ cursor-doctor on GitHub · → cursor-doctor on npm

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Quick Start (manual)

For agent mode (recommended):

# Copy the .mdc file into your project's .cursor/rules/ directory
mkdir -p .cursor/rules
curl -o .cursor/rules/typescript.mdc https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nedcodes-ok/cursorrules-collection/main/rules-mdc/languages/typescript.mdc

For regular Cursor sessions (composer, chat):

curl -o .cursorrules https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nedcodes-ok/cursorrules-collection/main/rules/languages/typescript.cursorrules

Each .mdc file includes:

• alwaysApply: true (required for agent mode)
• globs for file-type scoping where applicable (e.g. Python rules only apply to *.py)
• description for Cursor's context

🔧 Make It Yours

These rules are starting points, not finished configs. The more specific they are to YOUR project, the better they work.

Step 1: Grab the rule for your stack (e.g. react.mdc)

Step 2: Open it and delete anything that doesn't match your patterns. Using Redux instead of Context? Zustand instead of TanStack Query? Edit the rule.

Step 3: Add your project-specific conventions:

## Our Conventions
- All API calls go through src/lib/api.ts
- Use date-fns, not moment
- Component files are PascalCase, utilities are camelCase
- Tests live next to the file they test (Button.test.tsx)

Step 4: Validate with npx cursor-doctor lint to make sure the frontmatter is correct.

The generic version gets you 70% there. The last 30% is what makes the rule actually useful for your codebase.

📝 Articles & Guides

• Cursor Agent Mode Ignores .cursorrules — Use .mdc Instead
• 5 .cursorrules That Actually Changed Cursor's Output
• How to Write .cursorrules That Actually Work
• 5 .cursorrules That Actually Changed What Cursor Generates (React/Next.js)

Before / After

Same prompts, different output. Left side is vanilla Cursor, right side is with rules applied.

React component:

Python API endpoint:

TypeScript function:

Rules

Languages

Deep coverage: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust, Java — version-specific gotchas, tested patterns, real traps. Starter templates: C#, Ruby, PHP, Swift, Kotlin, Elixir, Scala, C++ — solid foundations, customize for your project.

| Rule | .mdc (agent mode) | .cursorrules (legacy) | |------|---|---| | Python | python.mdc | python.cursorrules | | JavaScript | javascript.mdc | javascript.cursorrules | | TypeScript | typescript.mdc | typescript.cursorrules | | Go | go.mdc | go.cursorrules | | Rust | rust.mdc | rust.cursorrules | | Java | java.mdc | java.cursorrules | | C# | csharp.mdc | csharp.cursorrules | | Ruby | ruby.mdc | ruby.cursorrules | | PHP | php.mdc | php.cursorrules | | Swift | swift.mdc | swift.cursorrules | | Kotlin | kotlin.mdc | kotlin.cursorrules | | Elixir | elixir.mdc | elixir.cursorrules | | Scala | scala.mdc | scala.cursorrules | | C++ | cpp.mdc | cpp.cursorrules |

Frameworks

Deep coverage: React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, Django, FastAPI, Express, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui — version-specific, gotcha-heavy, opinionated. Solid coverage: Everything else — good patterns and conventions, ready to customize.

| Rule | .mdc (agent mode) | .cursorrules (legacy) | |------|---|---| | React | react.mdc | react.cursorrules | | Next.js | nextjs.mdc | nextjs.cursorrules | | Vue | vue.mdc | vue.cursorrules | | Svelte | svelte.mdc | svelte.cursorrules | | Django | django.mdc | django.cursorrules | | FastAPI | fastapi.mdc | fastapi.cursorrules | | Express | express.mdc | express.cursorrules | | Rails | rails.mdc | rails.cursorrules | | Laravel | laravel.mdc | laravel.cursorrules | | Flutter | flutter.mdc | flutter.cursorrules | | Angular | angular.mdc | angular.cursorrules | | Astro | astro.mdc | astro.cursorrules | | Remix | remix.mdc | remix.cursorrules | | Nuxt | nuxt.mdc | nuxt.cursorrules | | Tailwind CSS | tailwind-css.mdc | tailwind-css.cursorrules | | Gatsby | gatsby.mdc | gatsby.cursorrules | | SolidJS | solid-js.mdc | solid-js.cursorrules | | shadcn/ui | shadcn-ui.mdc | shadcn-ui.cursorrules | | Zod | zod.mdc | zod.cursorrules | | TanStack Query | tanstack-query.mdc | tanstack-query.cursorrules | | Zustand | zustand.mdc | zustand.cursorrules | | Hono | hono.mdc | hono.cursorrules | | T3 Stack | t3-stack.mdc | t3-stack.cursorrules | | SWR | swr.mdc | swr.cursorrules | | NestJS | nestjs.mdc | nestjs.cursorrules | | Flask | flask.mdc | flask.cursorrules | | Spring Boot | spring-boot.mdc | spring-boot.cursorrules | | htmx | htmx.mdc | htmx.cursorrules | | SvelteKit | sveltekit.mdc | sveltekit.cursorrules | | React Native | react-native.mdc | react-native.cursorrules | | Expo / React Native | expo.mdc | expo.cursorrules | | Electron | electron.mdc | electron.cursorrules | | Tauri | tauri.mdc | tauri.cursorrules |

Practices

| Rule | .mdc (agent mode) | .cursorrules (legacy) | |------|---|---| | Clean Code | clean-code.mdc | clean-code.cursorrules | | Testing | testing.mdc | testing.cursorrules | | Documentation | documentation.mdc | documentation.cursorrules | | Git Workflow | git-workflow.mdc | git-workflow.cursorrules | | Code Review | code-review.mdc | code-review.cursorrules | | Security | security.mdc | security.cursorrules | | Performance | performance.mdc | performance.cursorrules | | Accessibility | accessibility.mdc | accessibility.cursorrules | | API Design | api-design.mdc | api-design.cursorrules | | Error Handling | error-handling.mdc | error-handling.cursorrules | | Logging | logging.mdc | logging.cursorrules | | Monitoring | monitoring.mdc | monitoring.cursorrules | | Migration Safety | migration-safety.mdc | migration-safety.cursorrules | | Refactoring | refactoring.mdc |