Describe the Bug
Since the most recent update, Cursor is failing to load project-specific rules from both .mdc and .cursorrules files. Furthermore, while “User Rules” have not been persisting between projects for several versions, the latest update has worsened this issue: they are now completely lost upon closing and reopening the editor.
For several previous versions, “User Rules” failed to save correctly when switching between different projects, requiring them to be manually re-added each time. However, since the latest version, the issue has escalated significantly. Now, User Rules are not saved at all, being completely erased after the user closes and reopens the Cursor application.
Project rules, which are essential for maintaining code consistency and quality, are completely ignored by the editor. The rules defined in .cursor/rules/*.mdc and the legacy .cursorrules file are not being loaded or applied during code generation or editing tasks. Prior to the last update, the editor correctly recognized and utilized rules from .mdc files. (this only happens when i open a project direct from windows. when i use ‘WSL’ to open cursor only .cursorrules not work)
Steps to Reproduce
For User Rules Bug (this bugs applies on windows 11 and wsl with ubuntu)
- Open cursor settings and add a ‘User Rule’
- Close cursor app
- Reopen it and User Rule are gone .
For Project Rules bug (windows 11)
- create './cusor/rules/*.mdc file or .cursorrule
- both ways are not loaded by cursos
ps: on wsl only .cursorrule file are not working
Operating System
Windows 10/11
Linux
Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)
Version: 1.3.2 (user setup)
VSCode Version: 1.99.3
Commit: 7db9f9f3f612efbde8f318c1a7951aa0926fc1d0
Date: 2025-07-24T22:25:04.483Z
Electron: 34.5.1
Chromium: 132.0.6834.210
Node.js: 20.19.0
V8: 13.2.152.41-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26100