Introduction

Keep AI-generated code within controllable boundaries

In previous chapters, we completed tool setup, tech stack selection, and scaffolding. Now that the project skeleton is in place, it’s time to make AI understand and follow your project standards.

Core Concept: Rules as Constraints

Cursor Rules are the “contract” between you and AI. Through clear rule definitions, you can:

Goal	Without Rules	With Rules
Code Style	AI randomly chooses styles	Consistently follows project standards
Architecture	Code may be misplaced	Automatically placed in correct directories
Tech Choices	May use wrong libraries	Uses specified tech stack
Best Practices	Different implementations each time	Consistent implementation patterns

Chapter Goals

Through this chapter, you will master:

Writing principles and best practices for Cursor Rules
What rules to write at different stages of project development
Using meta prompts to quickly generate rule frameworks

Layered Rule Design

A complete rule system typically includes the following layers:


.cursor/rules/
├── global-rules.mdc      # 🌍 Global Rules (always active)
│                         #    Tech stack, directory structure, TypeScript standards
│
├── routing-rules.mdc     # 🛣️ Routing Rules (active for pages/**)
│                         #    Page structure, route protection, auth flow
│
├── api-rules.mdc         # 🔌 API Rules (active for clients/**)
│                         #    HTTP client, data fetching, error handling
│
└── ui-rules.mdc          # 🎨 UI Rules (active for *.tsx)
                          #    Component usage, icon system, theme config

Chapter Contents

⚙️ How Rules Work ✍️ Rules Writing Best Practices 🚀 Rules Development Sequence 🤖 Meta Prompts for Generating Rules

Reference Rule Sets

We’ve collected some verified rule examples that can serve as references for writing your rules:

Vite + Shadcn/UI Rule Set - Complete frontend project rule examples

Next Steps

Ready? Let’s start with How Rules Work to understand how rules influence AI behavior.