Cursor Rules Template

A comprehensive, domain-organized Cursor AI rules template following best practices for AI-assisted development. Use as a template or install via npm CLI.

Quick Start

Option 1: npm Package (Recommended)

# Install globally
npm install -g cursor-rules-template

# Or use npx (no installation needed)
npx cursor-rules-template init

# Add specific domains
npx cursor-rules-template add data backend frontend

# List installed domains
npx cursor-rules-template list

Option 2: Manual Copy

1. Clone or copy this repository
2. Copy .cursor/rules/ to your project
3. Copy docs/ templates to your project
4. Customize rules for your stack

Structure

.cursor/
└── rules/
    ├── workflow.mdc          # Main workflow (PRD-first approach)
    ├── data/
    │   └── data.mdc          # Data engineering rules (dbt, Dagster, SQL)
    ├── backend/
    │   └── backend.mdc       # Backend API rules (Python, Go, Java, etc.)
    └── frontend/
        └── frontend.mdc      # Frontend rules (React, Vue, TypeScript, etc.)

docs/
├── prd/
│   └── _template.md         # PRD template
└── tasks/
    └── _template.json       # Task breakdown template

CLI Commands

cursor-rules init                    # Initialize all rules
cursor-rules add <domain>            # Add specific domain(s)
cursor-rules remove <domain>         # Remove domain rules
cursor-rules list                    # List installed domains
cursor-rules update                  # Update to latest version

Available Domains:

• workflow - PRD-first workflow (always included)
• data - Data engineering (dbt, Dagster, SQL)
• backend - Backend APIs (Python, Go, Java, etc.)
• frontend - Frontend (React, Vue, TypeScript, etc.)

Customization

Each domain rule file is a template - customize it for your specific stack:

• Data Domain: Adapt for your tools (dbt, Airflow, Prefect, Spark, etc.)
• Backend Domain: Adapt for your framework (Express, FastAPI, Spring, etc.)
• Frontend Domain: Adapt for your framework (React, Vue, Svelte, Angular, etc.)

Rules use glob patterns to apply only to relevant files, so you can mix and match domains.

Workflow

Phase 1: PRD Creation

• Create PRD in docs/prd/[feature-name]-prd.md
• Wait for approval before proceeding

Phase 2: Task Breakdown

• Create task breakdown in docs/tasks/[feature-name]-tasks.json
• Break into granular subtasks (<4 hours each)
• Wait for approval before coding

Phase 3: Implementation

• Work on one task at a time
• Reference task IDs in commits
• Update task status as you progress

Domain Rules

Data Domain

• DBT model organization and standards
• Dagster asset patterns
• SQL best practices
• Data quality and testing

Backend Domain

• API structure and standards
• Error handling patterns
• Security best practices
• Performance optimization

Frontend Domain

• Component structure
• Accessibility standards
• State management patterns
• Performance optimization

Customization

Each domain rule file uses glob patterns to apply only to relevant files. You can:

• Add new domain folders (e.g., mobile/, devops/)
• Modify glob patterns to match your project structure
• Add project-specific rules to each domain file

Best Practices

• Rules are concise (<500 lines each)
• Domain-specific rules only apply to relevant files
• Workflow rules apply globally
• Templates provide structure for planning

Distribution Options

1. npm Package (Recommended) ✅

npx @cursor-rules/template init

• Easy installation
• Versioned updates
• Simple CLI interface

2. MCP Server (Future)

For dynamic rule loading via Model Context Protocol. See MCP.md for details.

3. Manual Copy

Clone and copy .cursor/rules/ to your project.

References

• Cursor Rules Documentation
• Cursor Best Practices