Cursor Global Rules: Setting the Tone for Your AI Programming Assistant

Cursor, as a powerful code editor integrated with AI capabilities, is changing the way developers write code. To make the AI understand you better, integrate seamlessly into your workflow, and follow your coding habits, Cursor provides a powerful "Rules" feature. Among these, "Global Rules" allow you to set basic instructions and preferences applicable to all projects, establishing a unified behavioral tone for your AI assistant.

What are Cursor Global Rules?

Cursor Rules are essentially instructions or system prompts for the underlying AI models (like GPT-4, Claude, etc.) [1, 6, 7, 11]. They guide the AI's behavior when generating code, answering questions, providing suggestions, or performing other tasks [6, 7, 11].

Unlike "Project Rules" (typically stored in the project's .cursor/rules directory and specific to certain projects or file types), Global Rules are configured within Cursor's settings and automatically apply to all projects you open [1, 6, 7, 11]. You can think of them as a universal behavioral guide, ensuring the AI adheres to some fundamental principles you deem important across different projects [1, 6, 19].

The Role and Advantages of Global Rules

The primary purpose of setting Global Rules is for consistency and efficiency:

1. Unified Behavioral Standards: You can define universally applicable coding styles, output formats, or behavioral preferences. For instance, specifying that AI-generated code should always use a particular indentation (e.g., 2 spaces), comment language (e.g., English), response length limits, or follow certain general programming principles (like "Clean Code") [1, 3, 6, 19].
2. Personalized AI Assistant: Tailor the AI to better match your personal habits or your team's basic requirements, reducing the hassle of repeatedly explaining the same preferences in every interaction [3, 21].
3. Improved Generation Quality: By providing clear instructions, you can reduce the likelihood of the AI "improvising" or producing unexpected output (sometimes referred to as "hallucinations"), especially in long or complex interactions [5].
4. Simplified Configuration: For basic standards that you don't want to configure individually for each project or wish to enforce across all projects, Global Rules offer a convenient centralized management method [1, 6, 19].

A Simple Example of Global Rules

Always respond in English

IF I ASK FOR FIX OR EXPLANATION, I WANT ACTUAL CODE OR EXPLANATION!!! I DON'T WANT "Here's how you can blablabla"

- Be casual unless otherwise specified
- Be terse
- Suggest solutions that I didn't think about—anticipate my needs
- Treat me as an expert
- Be accurate and thorough
- Value good arguments over authorities, the source is irrelevant
- Consider new technologies and contrarian ideas, not just the conventional wisdom
- You may use high levels of speculation or prediction, just flag it for me
- No moral lectures
- Discuss safety only when it's crucial and non-obvious
- If your content policy is an issue, provide the closest acceptable response and explain the content policy issue afterward
- Cite sources whenever possible at the end, not inline
- No need to mention your knowledge cutoff
- No need to disclose you're an AI
- Please respect my prettier preferences when you provide code.
- Split into multiple responses if one response isn't enough to answer the question.

How to Write and Set Up Global Rules?

Writing and setting up Global Rules is straightforward:

1. Access Settings: Open Cursor and go to the settings menu. The typical path is File -> Preferences -> Settings, or use the shortcut Ctrl + , / Cmd + , [3, 4, 13].
2. Find the Rules Section: In the settings interface, navigate to the General section and look for the configuration item named Rules for AI or similar [1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, 19].
3. Write the Rules: In the text box provided in this section, you can directly write your global rules. Rules are typically written in natural language, just like giving instructions to a colleague or an AI assistant [3, 13, 15, 21].
   • Clear and Specific: Rules should be clear, specific, and easy to understand. Avoid vague descriptions [3, 13, 21]. For example, use "Write all new code in TypeScript" instead of "Use a good language."
   • Use Bullet Points: Use symbols like - or * to list multiple rules, making them more structured [3, 13].
   • Natural Language: Write instructions as if you were talking to a person [3, 13, 21].
4. Save to Apply: Settings are usually saved automatically upon modification. These global rules will immediately start applying to Cursor's AI features, such as Chat and the Cmd/Ctrl + K command [4, 8, 9, 10].

Examples of Global Rules

Here are some examples you could put in your global rules:

• - Always respond and comment in English.
• - Prefer async/await over callbacks when generating code. [3, 13]
• - Follow "Clean Code" principles. [3, 13]
• - When generating Git commit messages, follow the Conventional Commits specification.
• - Keep answers concise unless asked for detailed explanations. [1, 6]
• - All new functions must include JSDoc-style comments. [25]

Global Rules vs. Project Rules

While Global Rules are convenient, Cursor officially recommends using "Project Rules" for more granular control [1, 6, 7, 11]. Project Rules are stored within the project directory (.cursor/rules), can use the .mdc file format, support more advanced features like automatic application based on Glob Patterns, referencing other files for context (@file), and can be included in version control [1, 3, 6, 7, 11, 13].

Global Rules are better suited for general, infrequently changed instructions that you want to apply always and across all projects [1, 6, 19]. For project-specific technology stacks, framework preferences, directory structure conventions, etc., Project Rules should be used for more precise control [3, 7, 11, 13].

Conclusion

Cursor's Global Rules are a simple yet effective tool to help developers establish a consistent behavioral baseline for their AI programming assistant, enhancing collaboration efficiency and code quality. By adding clear global instructions in the settings, you can make Cursor's AI better understand your fundamental preferences, thereby providing more predictable and helpful assistance across various projects. Understanding and leveraging Global Rules, in conjunction with the more powerful Project Rules, will elevate your ability to harness AI programming.

Related Blogs

• Cursor official documentation