Project Rules configuration in Cursor Settings (under “Rules, Memories, Commands”) shows duplicate entries for rules files in the .cursor/rules directory after upgrading to v2.0. Additionally, the list displays redundant path information for rules located in subdirectories (as shown in the attached screenshot).
Ensure you have files in your .cursor/rules directory, including at least one file in a subdirectory (e.g., test1/test1.mdc).
Open Cursor Settings.
Navigate to Rules, Memories, Commands.
Check the Always Applied list under Project Rules.
Result: Files will be listed multiple times with inconsistent path formats.
Expected Behavior
Each rules file in the project’s .cursor/rules directory should appear exactly once in the list. The path displayed should be the correct, concise relative path (e.g., test.mdc and test1/test1.mdc), without any duplicate or redundant path segments.
Operating System
Windows 10/11
Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)
First, try reloading the window: Ctrl+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window.
If the duplicates remain after the reload, this looks like a UI regression in v2.0. I’ll pass it to the team - your repro steps and screenshot are very helpful.
The rules should still work correctly, even if the UI shows duplicates.
Rules are displayed twice in the rules panel
First: Rule name and filename (e.g., “Mandatory pre-flight checklist before any code changes” / 00_mandatory_checklist.mdc)
Second: Same rule with full path (e.g., “.cursor/rules/00_mandatory_checklist.mdc”) and message “applies to subdirectory .cursor/rules”
Steps to Reproduce
Create .cursor/rules/ directory with .mdc files
Set alwaysApply: true in frontmatter
Restart Cursor
Open rules panel
See duplicates
Troubleshooting Attempted:
Deleted duplicate .md files
Deleted .cursorrules file
Cleared cache (~/.config/Cursor/Cache)
Added .cursor/rules/ to .cursorignore (didn’t help)
Files:
All rules in .cursor/rules/*.mdc format with proper frontmatter
Rules are working correctly (loading and being followed)
Issue appears to be UI display only
Expected Behavior
The project rules are only listed once
Operating System
Linux
Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)
Thank you. Since they are listed twice does it take up twice the context? I have a lot of rules and when I start a new chat the context is starting at close to 20% used before cursor even starts.
I have just tried reloading the window via Ctrl+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window, but the duplicate entries in the Project Rules list still remain, and the redundant path issue for files in subdirectories is still visible.
This confirms that it is likely a UI regression introduced in v2.0.
Please pass this information on to the team. Let me know if there are any logs or further troubleshooting steps I can perform to help isolate the cause.
