Cursor 2 - Rules configured with alwaysApply: true fail to apply automatically at conversation start; they only apply when explicitly triggered

Bug Reports
1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

Project rules configured with alwaysApply: true in .mdc files located in the .cursor/rules/ directory are not being automatically applied to the AI agent during conversations, despite being correctly configured and in the proper location.

The AI agent does not follow the rules defined in the file until the user explicitly mentions the existence of the rules or asks the agent to read them.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Create a rules file in .cursor/rules/ (e.g., agent.mdc)
  2. Configure the file with the alwaysApply: true property in the YAML frontmatter:
    ---
alwaysApply: true
---
  3. Add extensive rule content in the file that includes instructions about mandatory response format (e.g., pre and post execution messages, validation questions, etc.)
  4. Start a new conversation with the AI agent in Cursor (Agent Auto mode)
  5. Make a direct technical request without explicitly mentioning the rules (e.g., “examine a database”, “analyze this error”)
  6. Result: The agent performs “planning next moves” but omits applying the rules automatically. It does not include the mandatory response format defined in the rules.

Specific Cases Observed

Request ID: 6d29f34a-0030-47ef-9003-f64d07e1a1ce

  • Action: Requested to examine a database
  • Behavior: The agent performed “planning next moves” but did NOT apply the rules during execution
  • Result: Skipped the mandatory response format defined in the rules

Request ID: d232be09-09e9-4f7e-8e68-7678591b0800

  • Action (Step 1): Asked “who are you?” to the agent
  • Behavior (Step 1): The agent detected and read the project rules
  • Action (Step 2): Then asked to investigate database connection
  • Behavior (Step 2): The agent DID apply the rules during the task
  • Result: The agent applied the rules correctly

Request ID: d232be09-09e9-4f7e-8e68-7678591b0800 (Extended Case 3)

  • Action (Step 1): Asked “who are you?” to the agent
  • Behavior (Step 1): The agent detected and read the project rules
  • Action (Step 2): Then asked to perform a complex technical task (e.g., investigate database connection, analyze errors, implement features)
  • Behavior (Step 2): The agent performs “planning next moves” but omits the pre-execution message defined in the rules
  • Behavior (Step 3): The agent executes the task but only includes the post-execution validation message
  • Result: The agent partially applies the rules—it includes post-execution validation but skips the mandatory pre-execution message that should appear before task execution begins

Conclusion: Rules only apply when an explicit question triggers the agent to detect them. However, even when rules are detected, if the task requires “planning next moves”, the pre-execution message format is lost—only the post-execution validation is included. Rules do NOT apply automatically at the start of conversations or when handling direct technical tasks.

Expected Behavior

Rules with alwaysApply: true should be automatically applied at the start of each conversation with the AI agent, without requiring the user to explicitly reference them or the agent to manually read them.

The agent should:

  • Automatically detect rules with alwaysApply: true
  • Load and apply those rules before processing any user request
  • Follow the defined rules without requiring manual user intervention

Operating System

Linux

Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)

  • Cursor Version: 2.0.43
  • VSCode Version: Based on VSCode (exact version not available via command)
  • Commit: 8e4da76ad196925accaa169efcae28c45454cce0
  • Architecture: x64

For AI issues: which model did you use?

Agent Auto (automatic mode - model automatically selected by Cursor)

For AI issues: add Request ID with privacy disabled

Request ID with incorrect behavior (rules NOT applied):

  • 6d29f34a-0030-47ef-9003-f64d07e1a1ce - Request to examine database, agent skipped the rules

Request ID with correct behavior (rules applied):

  • d232be09-09e9-4f7e-8e68-7678591b0800 - Step 1: Question “who are you?” (agent detected the rules). Step 2: Asked to investigate database connection (agent applied the rules correctly during the task)

Additional Information

Rules Location and Configuration

  • Rules file path: /home/app/.cursor/rules/agent.mdc
  • File size: 382 lines (~46 KB)
  • Format: .mdc file with valid YAML frontmatter
  • Verified configuration:
    ---
alwaysApply: true
---

Related Environment Variables

  • CURSOR_AGENT=1 - Correctly configured

Problem Context

  1. The rules file exists and is correctly formatted
  2. The YAML frontmatter has alwaysApply: true configured
  3. The file is in the standard location .cursor/rules/ as per documentation
  4. However, during initial conversations, the agent does not automatically apply these rules
  5. Only when the user explicitly mentions the rules or asks the agent to read them does the agent access and apply them

Investigation Conducted

  • Verified the file exists and has correct format
  • Confirmed that alwaysApply: true is present in the YAML frontmatter
  • Verified that the file is in the correct location according to Cursor documentation
  • Researched online and found similar reports from other users experiencing the same issue

References Found

Based on online research, this appears to be a known issue reported by several users in Cursor community forums, where rules with alwaysApply: true do not automatically apply even when correctly configured.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

2

A post was merged into an existing topic: Why does Cursor ignore rules?