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Claude Code and Cursor do not use the same primary project-instruction format. Claude Code is built around Markdown memory files named CLAUDE.md, discovered through the working-directory hierarchy and optionally extended with imports. Cursor’s native system is Project Rules stored as MDC files in .cursor/rules, with metadata that controls scope and activation. Cursor also has User Rules, supports a root-level AGENTS.md, and its CLI documents reading root-level CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md alongside .cursor/rules.
That gives teams a practical bridge, not a guarantee that every rule behaves identically in every product surface. Choose the format used most by your team, keep shared guidance plain and unambiguous, and verify how the installed version loads instructions before relying on them for critical workflows.
Claude Code and Cursor rules at a glance
The most important difference is where scope and activation are expressed. Claude Code infers scope from file location and builds a memory set from CLAUDE.md files. Cursor stores individual rules in .cursor/rules and uses MDC metadata and rule types to decide when each rule enters context.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Primary project format | Markdown CLAUDE.md files |
MDC Project Rules in .cursor/rules |
Use the native format for the agent your team uses most. |
| User-level instructions | ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md |
User Rules configured in Cursor settings | Personal preferences live outside the repository in each tool’s own location. |
| Scope mechanism | Directory hierarchy and imported files | Rule location, globs, and activation type |
Claude’s scope is structural; Cursor’s can be structural and metadata-driven. |
| Activation | Memory is assembled from discovered files; imported files are loaded through @path |
Always, Auto Attached, Agent Requested, or Manual | A Cursor rule may be available without being active, depending on its type. |
| Nested configuration | Nested CLAUDE.md files apply when Claude reads files in those subtrees |
Nested .cursor/rules directories can scope rules near a subsystem |
Keep subsystem-specific instructions close to the code they govern. |
| Cross-tool files | Core documented format is CLAUDE.md |
Cursor CLI reads root CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md alongside its own rules |
This is a documented CLI bridge, not proof of complete feature parity. |
| Legacy Cursor file | Not applicable | .cursorrules is supported but deprecated |
New or maintained Cursor-specific rules should use Project Rules. |
How Claude Code reads project instructions
The project file and user file
Claude Code’s project convention is a Markdown file named CLAUDE.md. A repository commonly has one at its root, while personal defaults can be placed in ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md. The project file is intended for instructions that should travel with the codebase: build commands, testing expectations, architectural constraints, coding conventions, and operational warnings.
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Claude Code also documents CLAUDE.local.md as a local variant. This is useful for machine-specific or individual guidance that should not become shared repository policy. Treat local instructions as a separate concern from the checked-in project contract so a developer’s workstation assumptions do not silently become team requirements.
Directory discovery
When Claude Code starts in a working directory, it searches upward for CLAUDE.md or CLAUDE.local.md, continuing toward the filesystem root but not including /. This upward search lets a repository inherit instructions from a parent directory while still allowing a more specific file nearer the working directory.
Claude Code also considers nested memory files below the current working directory when it reads files in those subtrees. For example, a root file can describe repository-wide practices while services/payments/CLAUDE.md records payment-specific test commands. The nested file becomes relevant when Claude works with files under that subtree; it is not a universal instruction file for unrelated directories.
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A memory file can import another file with @path syntax. Anthropic documents both relative and absolute paths. Relative imports are convenient for repository documentation because they continue to make sense when the project is cloned elsewhere; absolute imports are suited to a known machine-level file.
Imports may recurse, but the documented maximum is five hops. A chain such as CLAUDE.md importing docs/build.md, which imports another file, must remain within that depth. Keep the graph shallow enough that a contributor can understand it without tracing a maze of dependencies. Imported content is still instruction content, so review it with the same care as the main file.
Checking loaded memory
Claude Code provides the /memory command for inspecting memory files that are being used. Use it when a rule appears to be ignored, when a nested directory changes behavior, or after adding an import. It is particularly valuable in repositories with several parent directories or local overrides, where the file you edited may not be the only instruction Claude has discovered.
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How Cursor Project Rules work
Project Rules in .cursor/rules
Cursor’s native project format is a collection of MDC files in .cursor/rules. MDC is Markdown plus a metadata block. The documented metadata includes description, globs, and alwaysApply. The rule body can contain prose, code examples, commands, or references to other project files.
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Four activation types
Cursor documents four ways a Project Rule can enter an agent’s context:
- Always: the rule is included for every relevant interaction in the project. Use this for short, genuinely universal constraints such as a required package manager or a safety rule around production data.
- Auto Attached: the rule is attached when the files being worked on match its glob patterns. A rule for
src/**/*.tsx, for example, can apply to component work without burdening a documentation task. - Agent Requested: the rule is available for the agent to select when its description indicates that it may help. A precise description is essential because the agent must recognize when the rule is relevant.
- Manual: the rule is invoked explicitly with its rule name, using the documented
@ruleNameform. Manual activation is appropriate for occasional procedures such as release checklists or incident response.
These types mean that a rule can exist in the repository without being present in every prompt. If a rule is important for every change, mark it Always or design a reliable auto-attachment pattern; do not assume that merely placing a file in .cursor/rules guarantees universal loading.
Globs and nested rule directories
Auto Attached rules depend on file-pattern matches. Make patterns narrow enough to identify the subsystem they describe, but broad enough to cover the files contributors actually edit. A pattern that matches only one extension can miss configuration or test files that need the same policy.
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Global User Rules and AGENTS.md
Cursor has User Rules configured in its settings for personal preferences that should not be committed to a repository. It also recognizes a plain root-level AGENTS.md as an alternative project-instruction file. Use a root AGENTS.md when you need a simple, tool-neutral document and do not need MDC activation metadata.
The status of .cursorrules
Cursor still supports the older root-level .cursorrules file, but its documentation marks that format as deprecated and recommends Project Rules. Do not treat it as already removed; existing projects may continue to depend on it. For new work or active maintenance, move Cursor-specific guidance into .cursor/rules so scope and activation are explicit.
Where each kind of instruction belongs
Location should follow the audience and the frequency with which a rule must be active.
| Instruction type | Claude Code location | Cursor location | Commit to repository? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repository-wide build and test commands | Root CLAUDE.md |
Always Project Rule, or root AGENTS.md for plain shared guidance |
Usually yes |
| Subsystem conventions | Nested CLAUDE.md beneath that subsystem |
Nested .cursor/rules or an Auto Attached rule with suitable globs |
Yes, when the convention is team policy |
| Reusable detailed material | Imported file referenced with @path |
Focused rule file or a referenced project document | Yes, if required for correct work |
| Individual editor preferences | ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md or CLAUDE.local.md |
User Rules in settings | No |
| Occasional procedure | A clearly named memory section or imported procedure | Manual rule invoked with @ruleName |
Usually yes for the procedure itself |
Can Cursor read CLAUDE.md?
Cursor’s CLI documentation explicitly says that it reads root-level AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md, when present, and applies them as rules alongside .cursor/rules. This is the clearest official interoperability path between the two conventions.
The statement is specifically about Cursor CLI. It does not establish that Cursor’s IDE, every other Cursor surface, or every version interprets a CLAUDE.md file exactly as Claude Code does. It also does not mean Cursor will apply Claude’s import behavior, or that Claude Code will interpret Cursor’s MDC metadata.
A root CLAUDE.md can therefore serve as shared plain-language guidance for a team that uses both tools, but keep Cursor-only activation details in .cursor/rules. Do not put critical behavior solely in MDC fields if Claude Code also needs to understand it; state the essential instruction in ordinary Markdown as well.
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Does Claude Code use Cursor’s .cursorrules?
Claude Code’s documented project format is CLAUDE.md, not .cursorrules. The available documentation does not establish that Claude Code loads or interprets Cursor’s legacy file. If a repository uses both agents, provide Claude-specific guidance in CLAUDE.md and keep Cursor-specific rules in .cursor/rules.
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How to organize a repository for both tools
Step 1: Write a small shared contract
Create a root CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md containing facts both agents can follow without metadata: supported runtime versions, the canonical install command, required checks before a pull request, directory ownership, and commands that must never run against production data. Use imperative sentences and include the exact command where possible.
Step 2: Add Claude Code memory structure
Place Claude-specific project guidance in the root CLAUDE.md. Add nested CLAUDE.md files only where a directory has genuinely different rules. If the root file becomes unwieldy, split stable material into nearby files and import them with @path, keeping the import chain no deeper than five hops.
Step 3: Add Cursor activation metadata
For Cursor, create focused MDC files in .cursor/rules. Choose an activation type deliberately, then supply a meaningful description and accurate globs when those fields are relevant. A rule that should be available but not automatically injected can be Agent Requested; an infrequent operational procedure can be Manual.
Step 4: Keep the two systems semantically aligned
When the same policy appears in both tools, update both copies in the same change. Avoid subtly different wording such as one file requiring a test command and the other merely suggesting it. If one tool needs extra metadata, keep that metadata in its native file while preserving the shared policy in plain Markdown.
Step 5: Verify loading from representative directories
Test from the repository root and from a nested subsystem directory. In Claude Code, use /memory to inspect discovered memory. In Cursor, exercise each activation type against files that should match and files that should not. This catches incorrect glob patterns, misplaced nested files, and assumptions about a rule being active when it is merely stored.
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Writing rules that agents can follow
Prefer focused, actionable instructions
Cursor recommends focused rules supported by examples or references, and gives under 500 lines as a target. That is guidance, not a measured performance threshold, but it captures a useful design principle: an agent can apply a short, concrete policy more reliably than a sprawling handbook with exceptions buried in prose.
- State the required action first: “Run
pnpm test --filter apiafter changing files underapi/.” - Name the files or directories covered by the rule.
- Show one representative example for conventions that are easy to misread.
- Separate mandatory requirements from preferences.
- Link to or reference a canonical document instead of copying a long explanation into several rules.
- Remove obsolete commands and paths promptly; stale instructions are worse than missing ones because they look authoritative.
Do not rely on hidden precedence
The available official material does not establish a universal precedence order for conflicts among Claude memory files, Cursor Project Rules, User Rules, prompts, and settings. Do not publish or encode a blanket rule such as “the deepest file always wins” without version-specific documentation.
Instead, eliminate conflicts directly. Give one instruction a single owner, make exceptions explicit in the more specific file, and inspect the active memory or rules when behavior is surprising. If two instructions genuinely disagree, resolve the repository files rather than expecting the agent to infer the intended priority.
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Troubleshooting common failures
A rule is present but has no effect in Cursor
- Check whether the file is inside
.cursor/rulesor an intended nested rules directory. - Confirm the activation type. A Manual rule will not run until explicitly invoked, and an Auto Attached rule will not load unless its glob matches the files in context.
- For Agent Requested rules, improve the description so the agent can recognize the relevant task.
- Test with a file that should match the rule and one that should not; this distinguishes a bad pattern from an inactive rule.
Claude Code ignores a project instruction
- Confirm the filename is exactly
CLAUDE.mdorCLAUDE.local.md. - Check whether the file is above the working directory, below it in a subtree Claude has not read, or outside the upward search path.
- Inspect
@pathimports for incorrect relative paths or an import chain beyond five hops. - Use
/memoryto see which files Claude Code has loaded.
The two tools behave differently
First determine whether the difference is intentional metadata behavior. Cursor may attach a rule only for matching files, while Claude Code may encounter a nested memory file when reading that subtree. Then compare the plain-language policy itself. Do not assume that a Cursor MDC field, a Claude import, or a legacy filename has the same meaning in the other product.
Which format should your team choose?
- Mostly Claude Code: make root and nested
CLAUDE.mdfiles the source of truth, using imports for well-separated material. - Mostly Cursor: use focused MDC Project Rules and select activation types deliberately; keep legacy
.cursorrulesonly while migrating. - Mixed tooling: put universally required, plain-language policy in a root
CLAUDE.mdorAGENTS.md, then add native files for tool-specific scope and activation. Treat the documented Cursor CLI bridge as a compatibility aid, not as evidence that all interfaces are equivalent. - Strictly different subsystems: use nested files and path-scoped rules so an instruction for one service does not enter unrelated work.
The durable design is not a single universal file. It is a small shared contract plus native, explicitly scoped extensions for each agent. That arrangement makes discovery understandable, activation testable, and future migrations less disruptive.
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