Cursor Rules

A curated set of reusable Cursor rules to accelerate architecture, bootstrapping, testing, security, QA, and refactoring across projects.

Contents

• What this repo contains
• Quick start
• Using a rule in chat
• Rules overview
• When to use each rule
• Conventions and behavior
• Customize or add a new rule
• Suggested entry point
• Credits

What this repo contains

• rules/*.mdc: Rule cards with frontmatter, scopes, and checklists you can apply in Cursor chats.
• Each rule is intentionally focused, non–always-on (alwaysApply: false), and includes an output template to standardize deliverables.

Quick start

Use these rules in any project in one of two ways:

1. Workspace-scoped (recommended)

• Copy or symlink the files into your project's .cursor/rules/ folder so they travel with the codebase.

mkdir -p .cursor/rules && cp -R rules/* .cursor/rules/

2. Global install in Cursor

• In Cursor, open Settings → Rules → Import from folder and select this repo's rules/ directory.

Using a rule in chat

• Open a chat in Cursor and explicitly invoke a rule when relevant. Examples:
  • “Apply Project Planner to break down this feature and coordinate frontend, backend, QA, and security.”
  • “Use API Architect to design the REST/GraphQL API and DB schema for these requirements.”
  • “Use SwiftUI Expert to refactor this view using modern data flow patterns.”
• You can also open the Rules panel in Cursor, select a rule, and apply it to the current conversation.

Rules overview

• API Architect (rules/api-architect.mdc) — design and implement backend APIs (REST/GraphQL), DB schema, auth, security, deployment.
• Refactoring Architect (rules/refactoring-architect.mdc) — analyze and refactor code structure to improve maintainability.
• Next.js Bootstrapper (rules/nextjs-bootstrapper.mdc) — spin up a production-ready Next.js app (TS + Tailwind + App Router).
• Project Planner (rules/project-planner.mdc) — break down complex work and coordinate across domains.
• QA Engineer (rules/qa-engineer.mdc) — define test strategy and implement tests.
• Security Auditor (rules/security-auditor.mdc) — run a targeted security audit; prioritize findings.
• SwiftUI Expert (rules/swiftui-expert.mdc) — build/refactor SwiftUI using iOS 18+ patterns.

When to use each rule

• API Architect

  • Frontend needs a backend API from scratch or an existing API needs redesign.
  • Decisions involve API style (REST/GraphQL), database schema, auth, and deployment.
  • Real-time features or performance shaping required.

• Refactoring Architect

  • Code cleanup or structure improvements are requested.
  • Large/complex files, mixed responsibilities, or business logic in UI/controllers.
  • Inconsistent patterns or duplicated logic across the codebase.

• Next.js Bootstrapper

  • Starting a new Next.js project or cloning structure from an existing repo.
  • Need modern setup: App Router, TypeScript strict, Tailwind, ESLint/Prettier.

• Project Planner

  • Work spans multiple domains (UI, API, DB, security, tests) or needs sequencing.
  • Stakeholders want a roadmap, breakdown, or delegation strategy.

• QA Engineer

  • No tests yet, or coverage is incomplete/outdated.
  • New feature added that needs unit/integration/e2e tests.
  • Pre-release verification required.

• Security Auditor

  • New or changed auth flows; preparing for security review.
  • Risk of credential exposure or cloud configuration changes.

• SwiftUI Expert

  • SwiftUI UI implementation or refactoring.
  • Adopting iOS 18+ APIs, decomposing large views, or improving state management.

Conventions and behavior

• Scopes via globs: Each rule lists file globs that hint when it's relevant. This helps keep responses focused.
• alwaysApply: false: Rules only run when you explicitly ask for them, keeping normal conversations lightweight.
• Output templates: Each rule provides a consistent structure (plans, checklists, or reports) to speed up delivery and review.

Customize or add a new rule

1. Duplicate any .mdc file in rules/.
2. Update the frontmatter description, globs, and alwaysApply as needed.
3. Keep the rule under ~500 lines, include a clear checklist, and add a concise output template.

Suggested entry point

• Start with Project Planner to outline the plan, then hand off specific tasks to api-architect, nextjs-bootstrapper, swiftui-expert, qa-engineer, security-auditor, and refactoring-architect as appropriate.

Credits

• This rules set is inspired by the work of @Dimillian in the repository Dimillian/Claude.