Five battle-tested .cursorrules files for the most common project types — plus 10 Cursor prompt snippets and a settings guide. Drop in, stop correcting Cursor every session.
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Cursor is powerful — but without a .cursorrules file, it has no idea what your project actually looks like. It picks libraries by popularity, not by what you use. It creates files wherever it thinks makes sense. It writes tests that check implementation details.
A good .cursorrules file tells Cursor your stack, your patterns, and your constraints — so it makes decisions that fit your project, not a generic one.
Drop-in rules files for: React / Next.js, Python / FastAPI, Node.js / Express, React Native / Expo, and Data Science / ML. Each covers stack, code conventions, file structure, testing approach, and what Cursor should never do.
High-signal prompts for the tasks where Cursor most often produces mediocre output: code review, debugging, refactoring, test generation, API design, security audit, pre-PR checklist. Copy-paste into any Cursor chat.
Model selection for different task types (coding vs. explaining vs. debugging), context window tips, keybinding recommendations, and how to use Cursor rules with multi-file projects.
Here's a preview of what the Next.js template looks like:
You are an expert Next.js developer. Follow these rules for every response.
## Stack
Next.js 15, App Router, TypeScript strict, Tailwind CSS
## Code rules
- Server Components by default — "use client" only for
interactivity, browser APIs, or useState
- Named exports for components, default for pages only
- No inline styles — Tailwind only
- No useEffect for data fetching
## Never do
- Never create god components — one job per component
- Never hardcode URLs, API keys, or env-specific values
- Never commit console.log statements
## Testing
- Vitest + React Testing Library
- Test what users see — not implementation internalsThe full template is three times longer and covers file structure, patterns, error handling, and commit conventions in detail.
New to Cursor? Read Cursor Tab vs Composer — when to use each for the workflow patterns that make the rules file pay off. Running Cursor's most autonomous surface? The Cursor Agent Mode guide covers the guardrails every rules file should include.
.cursorrules is a plain text file at your project root that Cursor reads before every chat and inline edit. It tells Cursor your stack, code conventions, architecture, and what it should never do — so you stop correcting it every session.
No — Cursor runs fine without it. But without rules, Cursor picks libraries by popularity rather than your actual stack, creates files in random directories, and writes tests that check implementation details instead of user-visible behavior.
.cursorrules is the single-file legacy format and still works. .cursor/rules/ is a newer directory format that supports multiple scoped rule files (e.g., frontend.mdc, backend.mdc). Both are supported in current Cursor versions.
The Cursor Rules Starter Kit gives you 5 stack-specific templates (Next.js, FastAPI, Express, React Native, Data Science). Pick the one matching your project, drop it in, and edit the stack line. Two minutes to install, saves hours per week.
Yes for Agent and Inline Edit — Cursor loads rules into context for those surfaces. Cursor's own docs describe rules as system-level instructions for Agent and Inline Edit specifically, and have historically noted that Tab completions do not read rules. When in doubt, check the current Cursor rules docs for which surfaces are covered in your version.
Related reading: Cursor Tab vs Composer and the Cursor Agent Mode guide for workflow context on which surface to reach for when. Using GitHub Copilot too? The Copilot Customization Starter Kit gives you the same stack-specific templates plus Copilot-specific per-path rules and reusable prompt files.
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Download the kit (ZIP) →Kit is free to use in any project, commercial or personal. If it saves you time, consider tipping the maker via BTC (optional).
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5,000 sats = "thanks" · 50,000 sats = "this saved me hours"
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