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
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