Set Up .cursorrules, Agent Lore

What are Cursor rules?

Rules are instruction files that Cursor loads based on file patterns, telling the AI how to handle specific parts of your codebase.

File locations

.cursor/rules/
  frontend.md       # Rules for React components
  backend.md        # Rules for API routes
  testing.md        # Rules for test files

Rule file format

Each rule file uses frontmatter to specify when it applies:

---
description: Rules for React components
globs: ["src/components/**/*.tsx", "src/components/**/*.ts"]
alwaysApply: false
---

## Component conventions

- Use functional components with TypeScript
- Props interface named `{ComponentName}Props`
- Place hooks at the top of the component
- Export components as named exports

Frontmatter options

Field	Purpose
`description`	When the rule applies (shown to the agent)
`globs`	File patterns that trigger this rule
`alwaysApply`	If true, loaded for every conversation

Tips

Use alwaysApply: true sparingly (only for universal project conventions)
Keep rules focused: one rule per concern
Include examples of correct and incorrect patterns