User rules are not recognized from folder ~./cursor/rules

Support Help
1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

I created a rule file which supposed to be trigger when working in agent mode (.mdc) and copy it to the folder ~./cursor/rules.
the rule is not being triggered when working with the agent.

Steps to Reproduce

Create a rule file (.mdc) and copy it to the folder ~./cursor/rules.
use the agent to do something which is supposed to trigger the rule.

Expected Behavior

I expect the rule to be triggered

Operating System

MacOS

Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)

Version: 2.1.39
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 60d42bed27e5775c43ec0428d8c653c49e58e260
Date: 2025-11-27T02:30:49.286Z
Electron: 37.7.0
Chromium: 138.0.7204.251
Node.js: 22.20.0
V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 24.6.0

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

How do I get cursor to actually follow my coding rules?
Support for ~/.cursor/rules for global .mdc rules
2

Just one note, when the rule is in the folder ./cursor/rules (in the project itself), the rules is recognized and worked as expected.

3

Hey, thanks for the report. Looks like a known issue with automatic rule application in agent mode.

Could you please share:

  • Full contents of your .mdc file
  • Whether there’s alwaysApply: true or other metadata in the file
  • Request ID from the chat (chat menu → Copy Request ID) where the rule didn’t work
  • Exact steps you took in the agent when the rule should have worked.

Similar issue: Why does Cursor ignore rules? - it discusses how rules sometimes don’t apply automatically even with alwaysApply: true. Solution: simplify rule format (use plain text instead of complex structures), explicitly mention rules at the start of the conversation, or attach them as markdown.

Workaround: At the start of each agent request, explicitly refer to the rule or attach critical rules as markdown files in the chat.

4

for IP issue I cannot share it, but even with alwaysApply: true, the rule is not triggered.

in few words, I create a rule to add some comment to .md file when I ask the agent to create it.

I want it to work across all my projects, so I put it in the folder ~./cursor/rules.

request id: c61e4d40-c6c5-4fe9-aaf9-a9152fb52999

5

Thanks for clarifying. Got it - you want the rule for all projects.

Yes, Cursor has global rules - User Rules. Here’s how they work:

  1. User Rules (global) - Settings > Rules > User Rules

    • Apply to all projects
    • Plain text only (no .mdc format)
    • Always active

  2. Project Rules - .cursor/rules/*.mdc

    • Apply only to specific project
    • Support metadata (alwaysApply, globs etc.)
    • Versioned with project

For your case (rule about comments in .md files for all projects), use User Rules:

  • Settings > Rules > User Rules
  • Add your rule there
  • It’ll work in all projects automatically

Using ~/.cursor/rules/*.mdc for all projects isn’t supported. That only works within one project.

Try User Rules and let me know if it worked.

6

I already tried User rules, and it works, but I though like commands, that it will work in the folder ~./cursor/rules.

Will it be supported?

Thank you for your quick response :grinning_face:

7

Thanks! Global loading of .mdc from ~/.cursor/rules is not supported yet. For rules “for all projects” use:

  • Settings > Rules > User Rules (plain text, no .mdc always active)
  • For metadata (e.g., alwaysApply) - store .mdc in .cursor/rules of each project

Will support for ~/.cursor/rules for global .mdc be added? You can create a feature request for this in Feature Requests

8

Thank you, I opened a feature request: Support for ~/.cursor/rules for global .mdc rules

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