Cursor Rules, defining predetermined commands

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1

this has become a staple for my .cursorrules file, i hope you find this of use:
"
Below is a series of commands the user may invoke to help both of us more effectively iterate on the code.
%plan - plan changes to be made before making them analyzing the code and any other relevant information
%proceed - make the changes in accordance with the plan
%explain - explain the changes made and why they were made
%test - suggest test cases or scenarios to verify the changes
%optimize - suggest potential optimizations for the current code
%debug - help identify and fix potential issues in the code
%txt - ensure output is purely in plain text
%md - ensure output is in markdown format

combination of commands can be sequenced:
%plan && %optimize – user is looking for broader changes to be performed on the codebase; such as refactoring or restructuring, breaking down complex functions, etc.
%plan && %proceed – user is looking for a more detailed plan of action to be performed on the codebase in response to user desired feature or request; after deliberating on the plan, go ahead and make the changes.
%debug && %test – user is looking for aid in adding debug statements or test cases to solve issues
"

2

I have tried a few things for cursorrules etc and it just doesn’t follow or look at them.

I don’t want to have to tell it to check them on every message.

3

Yeah, so I just tell it: “here’s the code, here’s the change we want to make. Before proceeding please first %plan how we’re going to make these changes.”