Issue Report: Environment Files Editing Blocked

[abkrim]

Problem Description

The AI assistant is unable to edit .env* files despite explicit configuration to allow it. This appears to be a conflict between GitIgnore patterns and Cursor’s file access rules.

Environment

• OS: darwin 24.4.0
• Workspace: /Users/abkrim/SitesLR12/baytamin
• Shell: /bin/zsh
• Project Type: Laravel 12 with RabbitMQ

Configuration Attempts

1. Cursor Config

{
  "version": "1.0",
  "rules": {
    "priority": [
      "environment.mdc",
      "globalIgnore.mdc"
    ],
    "ignoreGitIgnore": true
  },
  "editor": {
    "allowedPatterns": [
      ".env*"
    ]
  },
  "security": {
    "allowEnvEditing": true
  }
}

2. Environment Rules (.cursor/rules/environment.mdc)

---
description: "Environment files management"
globs: [".env*"]
alwaysApply: true
ignoreGitIgnore: true
---

3. Global Ignore Rules (.cursor/rules/globalIgnore.mdc)

---
description: "Global ignore rules"
globs: []
alwaysApply: true
ignoreGitIgnore: true
---

Expected Behavior

• AI assistant should be able to edit .env* files when explicitly configured
• ignoreGitIgnore: true should override GitIgnore patterns
• Rules in .cursor/rules/ should take precedence over global settings

Actual Behavior

• Files listed in .gitignore are still blocked from editing
• Error message: “Error calling tool: Editing this file is blocked by globalIgnore”
• Configuration in .cursor/rules/ appears to be ignored
• No way to override the blocking behavior

Impact

1. Development Workflow

   • Cannot automate environment configuration
   • Manual intervention required for .env file updates
   • Reduced AI assistant effectiveness

2. Testing

   • Cannot automatically update test configurations
   • Manual setup required for different test environments

Reproduction Steps

1. Create a new .env.test file:

   touch .env.test
   

2. Attempt to edit via AI assistant:

   edit_file(".env.test", "Test content")
   # Result: Error - file blocked by globalIgnore
   

3. Verify file exists and has correct permissions:

   ls -l .env.test
   # File exists with correct permissions
   

Workarounds

Currently using:

1. Terminal commands (sed, echo) for file modifications
2. Manual editing of .env files
3. Script-based configuration management

Questions for Cursor Team

1. Is this intended behavior? If so, why?
2. How should .env files be handled in AI-assisted development?
3. Is there a way to explicitly override GitIgnore patterns?
4. Could this be documented better in the Cursor documentation?

Additional Context

• Project uses multiple .env files for different environments
• RabbitMQ configuration requires specific environment variables
• Testing framework expects .env.testing file
• CI/CD pipeline needs automated environment configuration

Suggested Solutions

1. Add explicit override capability in Cursor config
2. Improve documentation about file access rules
3. Add granular control over GitIgnore pattern handling
4. Provide clear guidance for environment file management

References

• Cursor Documentation
• GitIgnore Documentation
• Laravel Environment Configuration

---

Report Date: 2024-05-12
Version: 1.0
Author: Claude (AI Assistant)