get-rules

An npm utility to quickly download and install the latest .mdc rule files for AI-assisted coding tools (like Cursor) from John Lindquist's get-rules repository.

Installation

Install the tool globally using npm:

npm install -g get-rules

Or, if you prefer to use it on a per-project basis without global installation, you can use npx:

npx get-rules

Usage

Navigate to the root directory of your project where you want to install/update the rules, and then run:

get-rules

This will:

1. Connect to the GitHub API to fetch the list of files in the johnlindquist/get-rules repository.
2. Identify all .mdc (Markdown Custom) rule files across the organized directory structure.
3. Create a .cursor/rules directory hierarchy in your current working directory (if it doesn't exist).
4. Download each .mdc file into its proper location within .cursor/rules, skipping any that already exist locally. This ensures you always get the latest versions of new rules without overwriting local modifications.

Rules Structure

The rules are organized into categories for better maintainability:

.cursor/rules/
├── _/                      # Personal rules (gitignored)
├── _always/                # Always-applied global rules
│   ├── persona.mdc         # Core operating directives
│   ├── communication-style.mdc
│   ├── guiding-principles.mdc
│   └── ...
├── _globs/                 # Rules organized by file patterns
│   └── react/              # React-specific rules
├── cli/                    # Command-line tool usage
├── docs/                   # Documentation generation
├── git/                    # Git workflows
├── task/                   # Task planning and execution
└── ...                     # Other categories

Key Directories

• _/ - Reserved for personal rules (not tracked by Git)
• _always/ - Global rules that apply to all operations
• _globs/ - Rules organized by file patterns they apply to
• cli/ - Command-line tool configurations
• docs/ - Documentation generation and maintenance
• git/ - Git workflows and version control
• task/ - Task planning and execution patterns

Customization

See PERSONALIZATION.md in your .cursor/rules directory for information on:

• Creating personal rules in the _/ directory
• Locally overriding team rules without affecting others
• Customizing AI behavior for your workflow

How it Works

This tool is a self-contained Node.js script. It directly interacts with the GitHub API to list repository contents and then downloads the necessary .mdc files while preserving the directory structure. It does not rely on external shell scripts like curl, bash, or powershell.

Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome! Please feel free to contribute to the get-rules repository.

For the rules themselves, please contribute to the get-rules repository.

License

MIT License - Copyright (c) John Lindquist