How to Set Up Cursor Rules for a Smarter Coding Workflow

If you're using Cursor, you're probably already sold on its AI-first development environment. But one of its most powerful features often flies under the radar: Cursor Rules. These rules help guide Cursor's AI in understanding your codebase and enforcing your team's best practices.

Here's how to set up and use Cursor Rules effectively:

🧭 Setting Up Rules

1. Create the Rules Directory: Create a .cursor/rules/ directory in your project root.

2. Create Rule Files: Each rule should be in its own .mdc file. For example:

   .cursor/rules/
   ├── 001_workspace.mdc      # Project-wide rules
   ├── 002_typescript.mdc     # TypeScript-specific rules
   └── 003_components.mdc     # Component architecture rules

3. Rule File Structure: Each .mdc file should follow this format:

   ---
   description: Brief description of what this rule enforces
   globs: ["src/**/*.{ts,tsx}"]  # Files this rule applies to
   ---
   
   # Rule Title
   
   @context {
     "type": "implementation",
     "version": "1.0.0"
   }
   
   ## Guidelines
   
   [Your rule guidelines here]

💡 Example Rule

Here's a practical example for enforcing component structure:

---
description: Guidelines for React component organization
globs: ["src/components/**/*.tsx"]
---

# React Component Structure

@rules [
  {
    "id": "component_structure",
    "severity": "error",
    "description": "Components must follow the standard layout"
  }
]

## Component Layout

1. Import statements
2. Type definitions
3. Component declaration
4. Export statement

## Implementation

Components should follow this structure:

```typescript
import { ... } from 'react'
import { ... } from './types'

type Props = {
  // Props definition
}

export function ComponentName({ props }: Props) {
  // Component implementation
}

🔍 Accessing Rules

You can access and edit rules through:

• The Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P)
• Menu: Cursor > Settings > Rules

Remember: Rules are meant to be collaborative. Commit them to your repository so your entire team can benefit from consistent coding practices.