[Feature Request] Add Support for Global Rules Configuration in Cursor AI

[kyus]

[Feature Request] Add Support for Global Rules Configuration in Cursor AI

Feature Description

We need the ability to configure and manage .cursor/rules globally across all projects in Cursor AI.

Current Behavior

Currently, .cursor/rules must be set up individually for each project, which leads to:

• Repetitive setup work for each new project
• Manual updates required across all projects when rules change
• Difficulty maintaining consistent rules across projects

Proposed Solution

Add support for global rules configuration:

1. Global Configuration Structure

{
  "rules": {
    "globalRulesPath": "~/.cursor/rules",
    "autoApplyGlobalRules": true,
    "mergeStrategy": "override" // or "merge"
  }
}

2. Key Features

• Automatic recognition of global rules directory
• Automatic application to new projects
• Configurable merge strategy for local/global rules
• Automatic synchronization when rules are updated

Example Rule Structure

# Commit Message Rules

## Basic Structure
<type>(<scope>): <subject>

## Types
- feat: new feature
- fix: bug fix
- docs: documentation changes
- style: formatting, missing semicolons, etc.
- refactor: code refactoring
- test: adding tests, refactoring test
- chore: build tasks, package manager configs

## Scope (Optional)
- (auth): authentication related
- (user): user related
- (admin): admin features
- (common): common functionality

## Subject Rules
- Max 50 characters
- No period at the end
- Use present tense
- Use imperative mood

## Body (Optional)
- Max 72 characters per line
- Explain what and why vs. how

## Footer (Optional)
- Include breaking changes
- Reference issue tracker IDs

## Example
feat(auth): add kakao social login

- Implement OAuth2 authentication flow
- Add kakao profile information integration

Resolves: #123

Implementation Details

• Storage location for global rules
  • Windows: %APPDATA%/Cursor/rules/
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/rules/
  • Linux: ~/.config/Cursor/rules/
• Version control integration
• Rule update mechanism

Backward Compatibility

• Support for existing local rules
• Migration path for current projects
• Fallback behavior when global rules are not available

Benefits

• Maintain consistent development rules
• Save setup time
• Easier standardization across teams
• Improved rule management efficiency

Example Use Case

# Global rules structure
~/.cursor/rules/
  ├── commit-message-rules.mdc
  ├── coding-standards.mdc
  └── project-structure.mdc

Additional Context

This feature would be particularly valuable for team projects where maintaining consistent development rules is crucial.

[Meh-S-Eze]

You might find this helpful

https://github.com/getcursor/cursor/issues/2683

[daniels]

A simpler change that would allow a workaround is to also read rules from subdirectories. Currently, rules are only read from *.mdc files directly in PROJECT_DIR/.cursor/rules. If rules were also read from subdirectories, you could simply link in (or use a git submodule etc.) the global rules as PROJECT_DIR/.cursor/rules/global/.

This is still just a workaround as this would require setup in each project.

[zjh7890]

Good feature, hoping cursor support this.

[ilan-tentser]

Appreciate this feature! It can be very useful!

[cavivie]

+1

I'd like to add that the cursor should also automatically read $HOME/.cursor/rules.