Cursor Rules broken - Adding context/files to cursor rules (mdc files) does not work

Bug Reports
1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

Reopening this, because it was closed and merged in a now archived issue here: Why `@file` is not working in .mdc files anymore? that says “the team is aware, and I believe it will be fixed.” But like it said this is now archived and making rule files borderline useless

I used to be able to tag/add files in rule (.mdc) files the same way I do in chat with the @ sign with the same UI and everything, but this is no longer working. AKA I type @ and the file search dropdown does not appear.

I also noticed in other rule files that I have tagged files in the past, the custom cursor UI with @filename inline like it looks like in chat are all gone and have all been converted to [FILENAME](mdc:FILENAME).

Steps to Reproduce

Make a new rule file in the settings

Try to add context with @

Expected Behavior

It lets me tag files like it always has/like it does in chat/like it says I can in the docs: Rules | Cursor Docs

Operating System

MacOS

Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)

Version: 2.0.77
VSCode Version: 1.99.3
Commit: ba90f2f88e4911312761abab9492c42442117cf0
Date: 2025-11-13T23:10:43.113Z
Electron: 37.7.0
Chromium: 138.0.7204.251
Node.js: 22.20.0
V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 24.6.0

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor

3

Hey, thanks for the report, I’ll pass it to the team.

1 Like
4

thank you!

5

Hello! Any update on this?

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6

Hey @ColemanDunn - thanks for keeping an eye on this!

The team is actively tracking this issue. The bug is confirmed and is in the development backlog.

I don’t have a specific ETA to share, but the team is aware of its priority since it affects the cursor rules functionality.

In the meantime, the workaround is to use the manual markdown link format [FILENAME](mdc:FILENAME) that the system converted your existing tags to, though I understand it’s not as convenient as the @ dropdown.

Thanks for your patience!

1 Like