Always Rules Intermittently Fail in Long Sessions in Cursor 49.6

Bug Reports
1

TLDR: In cursor 49.6 rules attached with ‘always’ consistently do not remain attached

Title: Always Rules Intermittently Fail in Long Sessions in Cursor 49.6

Summary: Always rules in .cursor/rules load initially but intermittently fail to apply in longer sessions, disrupting consistent context management.

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. Create .cursor/rules/core.mdc:
    ---
type: Always
---
Add header: "# Core Rule" to all AI responses.
  2. Start an agent session in Cursor 49.6 (Gemini 2.5).
  3. Submit diverse prompts (e.g., “List files,” “What day is it?”) for 20+ steps.
  4. Check for “# Core Rule” header in each response.

Expected Behavior: Header appears in all responses, as Always rules should apply universally.

Actual Behavior: Header missing in most steps (18/20 in Test 14.2, e.g., Steps 1, 3-4, 6-20), with pattern (Missing → Present → Missing) reproducible (Test 14.2 Verification).

Environment:

  • Cursor Version: 49.6
  • Model: Gemini 2.5
  • OS: [User to specify]
  • Location: .cursor/rules

Additional Notes: Initial application works, but instability is severe. Critical bug (Bug 2) in rule stability.

Request ID: N/A

5 Likes
2

Yes, seeing the exact same behaviour with Gemini, Claude 3.7 and GPT 4.1. It’s not the model, it’s cursor’s delivery of the prompt.

3

I’ve given up on using rules because they’re so unreliable, in all models. And it’s been getting worse.

4

Thanks for the detailed report. I have the same issue, I have core.mdc rule that cursor never follows, even when I ask him at the beginning of the prompt to follow that rule. Quite frustrating.