.cursorrules
Cursor's original single-file format, superseded by .cursor/rules/*.mdc. Tracked here precisely because it is dead: how much of the ecosystem is still shipping a deprecated file is a measurable answer, and a large share of the "best cursor rules" pages on the web still teach this format.
What the corpus measured
2026-08-03Repositories
27
2026-08-03Adopting repositories, not files.Share of corpus
3.9%
2026-08-03Of every repository RuleStack indexes.Median length
365w
2026-08-0390th percentile 1,104 words.Median quality
41
2026-08-0313.6% name a command; 25.0% contain code.Repositories carrying .cursorrules, 2026-08-01 to 2026-08-03
Real .cursorrules files
| Repository | Format | Stack | Covers | Score | Changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkeneTechnologies/skene-cookbook.cursorrules · 51 | .cursorrules | setuptestlint-formatstyle+11 | 96/100 | yesterday | |
| paulpham157/paul-s-cursor-rules1/framework_rules/rules/python-llm-ml-workflow-cursorrules-prompt-file/.cursorrules · 28 | .cursorrules | testlint-formatstyletypes+4 | 80/100 | 2 days ago | |
| storybookjs/storybook.cursorrules · 91k | .cursorrules | teststylearchdo-not+1 | 78/100 | 2 days ago | |
| forem/forem.cursorrules · 23k | .cursorrules | teststyletypesdatabase+4 | 71/100 | 2 days ago | |
| paulpham157/paul-s-cursor-rules1/framework_rules/rules/flutter-riverpod-cursorrules-prompt-file/.cursorrules · 28 | .cursorrules | stylearchdo-notagent-behaviour | 71/100 | 2 days ago | |
| paulpham157/paul-s-cursor-rules1/framework_rules/rules/angular-novo-elements-cursorrules-prompt-file/.cursorrules · 28 | .cursorrules | testlint-formatstylearch+3 | 70/100 | 2 days ago | |
| paulpham157/paul-s-cursor-rules1/framework_rules/rules/aspnet-abp-cursorrules-prompt-file/.cursorrules · 28 | .cursorrules | testlint-formatstylearch+5 | 70/100 | 2 days ago | |
| paulpham157/paul-s-cursor-rules1/framework_rules/rules/nextjs-supabase-shadcn-pwa-cursorrules-prompt-file/.cursorrules · 28 | .cursorrules | buildstylearchdo-not | 70/100 | 2 days ago | |
| paulpham157/paul-s-cursor-rules1/framework_rules/rules/temporal-python-cursorrules/.cursorrules · 28 | .cursorrules | teststylearchtesting-strategy+4 | 70/100 | 2 days ago |
What it asserts
2026-08-02Read from the format’s own documentation and checked by hand. Capabilities are asserted; adoption is measured.
- File
- .cursorrules
- When it applies
- Always in scope, single file at the repo root.
- Size limits
- None documented
- Tools that read it
- Cursor (legacy)
Capabilities
- Read by more than one tool
- Frontmatter
- Glob targeting
- Imports other files
- Nested / per-directory
- Multiple files
- User-level scope
Strengths
- One file, nothing to configure
Weaknesses
- Deprecated — do not start here
- No targeting, no composition, no metadata
Repositories that carry .cursorrules and something else
Counted pairwise across the whole corpus. The percentage is of repositories carrying .cursorrules — the number a “.cursorrules vs …” search is really asking for.
48.1%
2026-08-0337.0%
2026-08-0337.0%
2026-08-0318.5%
2026-08-0314.8%
2026-08-0314.8%
2026-08-0311.1%
2026-08-03