.cursorrules Mastery
Teach your AI assistant exactly how you want it to help you. No coding experience needed—just tell it who you are and what you need.
By the end of this lab, you'll have a personalized AI assistant that understands YOUR learning style, preferences, and project needs.
No coding required • Works in any project • Takes 5 minutes to set up
Lessons
What Are Cursor Rules?
Imagine you hired a brilliant assistant who can help you with anything—but they don't know your preferences yet. Do you like detailed explanations or quick answers? Are you a beginner or an expert? What tools do you use?
.cursorrules is a simple text file that tells your AI assistant all of this. It's like writing a "getting to know you" note that the AI reads every time it helps you.
Explain Like I'm 5
You know how when you play with a new friend, you tell them 'I like building with blocks, not dolls'? The .cursorrules file is like that—you tell the AI robot what you like so it can help you better!
Explain Like You're My Boss
Custom instructions that persist across sessions, eliminating repetitive prompting. ROI: reduced token usage, consistent output quality, faster iteration cycles. Think of it as onboarding documentation for your AI collaborator.
Explain Like I'm Learning This
It's basically a cheat sheet for your AI. Instead of explaining yourself every time ('I'm new to this, please be patient'), you write it once and the AI remembers. Game changer for consistency.
See It In Action
❌ Without Rules
You ask: "Help me make a button"
AI responds with complex TypeScript, class components, and assumes you know React...
Result: Confused and overwhelmed
✅ With Rules
Same question, but your rules say "I'm a beginner"
AI explains step-by-step, uses simple code, adds helpful comments...
Result: Learning and building!
Quick Check
What is a .cursorrules file?