Cursor — Rules
- File format
- MDC (Markdown + frontmatter)
- Discovery paths
-
.cursor/rules,.cursorrules - Global install path
-
~/.cursor - Syllago install method
- Symlink, Direct copy
- Symlink support
- Yes
- Native frontmatter fields
-
description,alwaysApply,globs
Features
How each feature converts to syllago's canonical format. See format conversion for what these statuses mean.
Fields
Native frontmatter or config fields this provider exposes. The first column is the provider's own field name; the canonical key column links to syllago's cross-provider equivalent.
| Provider field | Conversion | Canonical key | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
alwaysApply | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | — | alwaysApply: true injects the rule into every prompt regardless of file context; the primary Always activation mode mechanism. |
description | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | — | A description-only frontmatter (no globs, no alwaysApply) lets the model decide when to pull the rule in based on the description text. |
globs | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | — | globs frontmatter array attaches a rule automatically whenever the agent edits or reads a matching file path. |
Other features
Behaviors, conventions, and capabilities that aren't tied to a single named field — things like path-based activation, discovery rules, and lifecycle behavior.
| Feature | Conversion | Summary |
|---|---|---|
activation_mode | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | Four activation modes documented: Always (alwaysApply: true injects rule into every prompt), Auto-Attached (globs frontmatter matches edited files), Agent Requested (description frontmatter triggers model to pull in the rule), and Manual (no frontmatter triggers, referenced explicitly with @ruleName). |
file_imports | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | MDC rule bodies may reference other files via @path syntax that inlines the referenced file into the rule context. |
hierarchical_loading | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | Rules can live in nested .cursor/rules/ directories within a project; rules in a subtree apply when working with files under that subtree, enabling monorepo-style scoping. |
| Legacy .cursorrules file | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | A single .cursorrules file at the project root is still honored for backwards compatibility; the .cursor/rules/ directory is the current recommended layout. |
| MDC (Markdown + frontmatter) file format | Translated Conversion type: Translated Actively mapped to the target provider’s equivalent field during conversion. Learn more → | Rules are .mdc files — Markdown bodies with YAML-style frontmatter exposing description, alwaysApply, and globs fields. |
| @path file inlining inside rule bodies | Preserved Conversion type: Preserved Syntax survives conversion but the target provider may not interpret it. Learn more → | @path tokens inside an .mdc body inline the referenced file's contents so rules can compose reusable snippets. |
| Manual @ruleName reference | Preserved Conversion type: Preserved Syntax survives conversion but the target provider may not interpret it. Learn more → | Rules without activation frontmatter can still be invoked explicitly by typing @<rule-name> in chat. |
| Nested rule directories per subtree | Preserved Conversion type: Preserved Syntax survives conversion but the target provider may not interpret it. Learn more → | Additional .cursor/rules/ directories in subfolders scope rules to that subtree — supports monorepo layouts where each package has its own rules. |
Sources
| Source |
|---|
| https://cursor.com/docs/rules |