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
-
Development Workflow
- Cannot automate environment configuration
- Manual intervention required for
.env
file updates - Reduced AI assistant effectiveness
-
Testing
- Cannot automatically update test configurations
- Manual setup required for different test environments
Reproduction Steps
-
Create a new
.env.test
file:touch .env.test
-
Attempt to edit via AI assistant:
edit_file(".env.test", "Test content") # Result: Error - file blocked by globalIgnore
-
Verify file exists and has correct permissions:
ls -l .env.test # File exists with correct permissions
Workarounds
Currently using:
- Terminal commands (
sed
,echo
) for file modifications - Manual editing of
.env
files - Script-based configuration management
Questions for Cursor Team
- Is this intended behavior? If so, why?
- How should
.env
files be handled in AI-assisted development? - Is there a way to explicitly override GitIgnore patterns?
- 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
- Add explicit override capability in Cursor config
- Improve documentation about file access rules
- Add granular control over GitIgnore pattern handling
- Provide clear guidance for environment file management
References
Report Date: 2024-05-12
Version: 1.0
Author: Claude (AI Assistant)