Feature Proposal: Structured AI Instruction File Extensions for System Engineering Workflow

Feature Requests
1

Hi Cursor team,

I’d like to propose a structured system of file extensions to improve human-AI collaboration across the entire software development lifecycle, inspired by systems engineering practices.

In AI-assisted environments like Cursor, we often need to express not only code-level tasks but also broader context, constraints, and test expectations. Introducing clear file extensions for these roles would enhance both automation and consistency.

Proposal: AI-Centric File Extensions by Development Phase

1. Requirements / Design Phase

Extension Name Purpose
.aid AI Directive High-level goals, constraints, expected output
.aim AI Manifest Multi-task plans or overall architecture info
.aic AI Context Domain background, assumptions, dependencies

2. Implementation Phase

Extension Name Purpose
.aip AI Prompt Short-form instruction or chat prompt
.ait AI Task Explicit task definition (input → process → output)
.aio AI Output Spec Expected output format / type (e.g., JSON schema)

3. Testing & Validation Phase

Extension Name Purpose
.aiv AI Validation Constraints or checks for verifying output
.aicase AI Case Test input and expected result definitions

4. Feedback / Learning Phase

Extension Name Purpose
.ailog AI Log Interaction or execution log
.aikb AI Knowledge Base Collected domain knowledge, reusable prompts
.aipolicy AI Policy Rules or ethical boundaries for the AI

Why this matters:

  • Clarifies intent across phases of development
  • Enables modular instruction and better agent understanding
  • Encourages consistency and reusability
  • Aligns with systems engineering & model-driven development (MDD)

Potential Features in Cursor:

  • Automatically detect and interpret .aid, .ait, .aiv files
  • Show “AI Assistant Suggestions” panel when such files are opened
  • Folder-based AI context loading (e.g., from instructions/)

Let me know what you think! I’d love to contribute further and help test this structure.