# How are people handling context across different AI coding tools? **URL:** \ **Category:** Discussions\ **Tags:** mcp, context, rules\ **Created:** [May 6, 2026, 10:37am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/how-are-people-handling-context-across-different-ai-coding-tools/159891 "2026-05-06T10:37:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 115
**Author:** ![deanrie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/deanrie/32/1263_2.png) [@deanrie](https://forum.cursor.com/u/deanrie)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 4:38am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/how-are-people-handling-context-across-different-ai-coding-tools/159891/115 "2026-10-30T04:38:14Z")
@Roei_Shoustak, thanks for coming back to this specific point. Your answer about several months of real-world use is exactly what was missing from the thread. I fully agree with the second point, and I think it’s underrated. If a rule has no “why”, it’s scary to delete because no one remembers whether something depends on it. The agent also has nothing to guide it when two rules conflict. Even a single line like `Source: PR #123, 2026-08` right in the rule already gives the model a reason to prefer the newer one. That costs nothing and works in plain markdown. The third point can be partially covered with built-in tools. In `.cursor/rules/*.mdc`, a rule can be tied to paths with `globs` and only gets included when those files are in context: [Rules | Cursor Docs](https://cursor.com/docs/rules). The weak spot is exactly what you’re describing. If a path gets renamed, the rule silently stops firing, and no one finds out. So I’d add a CI check that fails if a glob or path from the rules and `AGENTS.md` matches nothing. The drift-check utility I mentioned above does roughly that: [Built a small CLI to detect AGENTS.md drift (missing commands, dead paths, conflicting nested files)](https://forum.cursor.com/t/built-a-small-cli-to-detect-agents-md-drift-missing-commands-dead-paths-conflicting-nested-files/159582) Two questions for you: 1. What do you do with rules that aren’t about a specific file, but about a concept? Something like “use pnpm” doesn’t point to any path. One option is to tie it to an artifact that confirms the rule, like `pnpm-lock.yaml`. I’d be curious how you handle that. 2. In your 3,905 files, what was the most common anti-pattern? Duplication between `CLAUDE.md` and `AGENTS.md`, or outdated commands? --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.cursor.com/t/how-are-people-handling-context-across-different-ai-coding-tools/159891)._