Having issues using Cursor Settings to import Remote Rules

Support Bug Reports
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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

When importing rules from a GitHub repository using Cursor Settings → Rules → Remote Rule (GitHub), the documentation states that “Cursor will pull and sync the rule into your project.” However, imported rules are not being synced to the project’s .cursor/rules directory as expected. Instead, they are stored in a global cache directory at ~/.cursor/projects//rules/, which creates several usability and workflow issues.

Steps to Reproduce

Create a private GitHub repository with Cursor rules in a /rules folder
In the repository, create rule files with .mdc extension and frontmatter (e.g., docs-readme.mdc)
Open Cursor Settings → Rules, Commands
Click + Add Rule next to Project Rules
Select Remote Rule (GitHub)
Enter the GitHub repository URL
Complete the import process
Check the project’s .cursor/rules/ directory → imported rules are NOT there
Run the following command to find where rules were actually stored:

find ~/.cursor/projects -name “*.mdc”

Expected Behavior

When I import rules from a private GitHub repository, they are stored in a global cache directory:

~/.cursor/projects//rules//
This location is:

Outside the project directory (not in .cursor/rules)
Not version-controlled with the project
Not visible or accessible to team members who clone the repository
Difficult to discover or debug without manually searching the filesystem

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

cursor-rules-no-find.png
cursor-rules-no-find.png2366×1184 314 KB

Operating System

MacOS

Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)

Version: 2.3.41
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 2ca326e0d1ce10956aea33d54c0e2d8c13c58a30
Date: 2026-01-16T19:14:00.150Z
Electron: 37.7.0
Chromium: 138.0.7204.251
Node.js: 22.20.0
V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 24.5.0

For AI issues: which model did you use?

NA

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

3

Hey, thanks for the detailed report.

This is a known issue. Remote rules from GitHub get downloaded to ~/.cursor/projects/<hashed-path>/rules/, but they don’t get synced into the project’s .cursor/rules/ folder, so they don’t apply. The team is aware and is working on a fix.

Related reports:

Workaround:
You can manually copy the files from ~/.cursor/projects/ into the project’s .cursor/rules/ folder. It’s not ideal, but it’s the only way to make the rules work for now.

I’ve added your report to the issue tracking.

4

Great to know this behavior is a known issue and on the radar for future improvements.

For now, here’s how I’m working around this (in case others hit this same issue).

6

Hi @deanrie - glad to know this issue is known. Do we have an ETA on when a fix might be shipped?

7

Hey, there’s no ETA yet. The bug has been logged, but I can’t say when it’ll be fixed.

I’ll post an update in the thread if anything changes.

11

Hey @wplatter0,
The issue with remote rules not being synced to the project has been addressed and the fix should be available on the nightly release channel. If you’d like to try it out before it hits stable: open Cursor Settings > About and switch the Release Track to Nightly, then restart Cursor. Let me know if that resolves it!

cc @baysmac