Setting Up Cursor Rules & Copilot Instructions

Intermediatev1.0.0

Configure AI coding tool instruction files across platforms — .cursorrules, copilot-instructions.md, .windsurfrules, and AGENTS.md for consistent AI behavior in your project.

Content

Overview

Every major AI coding tool reads project-level configuration files for custom instructions. Setting these up correctly ensures consistent AI behavior across your team, regardless of which tool each developer uses.

Why This Matters

-Tool-agnostic standards — same rules regardless of AI tool choice
-Team consistency — every developer's AI follows the same conventions
-Reduced corrections — explicit rules prevent common AI mistakes
-Onboarding — new developers get AI assistance that matches team patterns

How It Works

Step 1: Cursor Rules (.cursorrules)

markdown

<!-- .cursorrules -->
You are a senior TypeScript engineer working on a Next.js 15 application.

## Stack
- Next.js 15 (App Router, Server Components)
- TypeScript 5.5 (strict mode)
- Tailwind CSS 4
- React Query for server state
- Zustand for client state

## Rules
- Use named exports, never default exports (except pages)
- All components must have TypeScript props interfaces
- Use server components by default, client only when needed
- Handle all errors with try/catch and error boundaries
- No inline styles — Tailwind classes only

## Patterns
- Data fetching: Server Components or React Query (never useEffect)
- Forms: React Hook Form + Zod validation
- API routes: Next.js route handlers with Zod input validation

Step 2: GitHub Copilot Instructions

markdown

<!-- .github/copilot-instructions.md -->
This is a Next.js 15 TypeScript application.

Generate code following these conventions:
- TypeScript strict mode, no `any` types
- Named exports only (except Next.js pages/layouts)
- Tailwind CSS for styling, no CSS modules or inline styles
- React Query for data fetching, Zustand for client state
- All async functions must have error handling
- Include JSDoc comments for exported functions

Step 3: Windsurf Rules

markdown

<!-- .windsurfrules -->
Project: Next.js 15 TypeScript application

Coding standards:
- Strict TypeScript, no any types
- Named exports, React functional components
- Tailwind CSS utility classes
- Server Components by default
- Error boundaries for client components

Step 4: OpenAI Codex (AGENTS.md)

markdown

<!-- AGENTS.md -->
## Project Context
Next.js 15 application with TypeScript strict mode.

## Conventions
- Named exports only
- TypeScript interfaces for all props
- Tailwind CSS for styling
- React Query for server state management

File Summary

Tool	File	Location
Claude Code	CLAUDE.md	Project root
Cursor	.cursorrules	Project root
Copilot	copilot-instructions.md	.github/
Windsurf	.windsurfrules	Project root
Codex	AGENTS.md	Project root
Amazon Q	rules/*.md	.amazonq/
Aider	CONVENTIONS.md	Project root

Best Practices

-Keep all instruction files in sync — same rules, different formats
-Start with your most-used tool, then adapt for others
-Commit all instruction files to version control
-Update all files when conventions change (create a script if needed)
-Test each tool's behavior after configuration

Common Mistakes

-Different rules in different tool files (inconsistent AI behavior)
-Forgetting to update all files when conventions change
-Not committing instruction files to version control
-Overly long instruction files (keep under 200 lines per tool)

FAQ

Discussion

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How It Works

Step 1: Cursor Rules (.cursorrules)

markdown

<!-- .cursorrules -->
You are a senior TypeScript engineer working on a Next.js 15 application.

## Stack
- Next.js 15 (App Router, Server Components)
- TypeScript 5.5 (strict mode)
- Tailwind CSS 4
- React Query for server state
- Zustand for client state

## Rules
- Use named exports, never default exports (except pages)
- All components must have TypeScript props interfaces
- Use server components by default, client only when needed
- Handle all errors with try/catch and error boundaries
- No inline styles — Tailwind classes only

## Patterns
- Data fetching: Server Components or React Query (never useEffect)
- Forms: React Hook Form + Zod validation
- API routes: Next.js route handlers with Zod input validation

Step 2: GitHub Copilot Instructions

markdown

<!-- .github/copilot-instructions.md -->
This is a Next.js 15 TypeScript application.

Generate code following these conventions:
- TypeScript strict mode, no `any` types
- Named exports only (except Next.js pages/layouts)
- Tailwind CSS for styling, no CSS modules or inline styles
- React Query for data fetching, Zustand for client state
- All async functions must have error handling
- Include JSDoc comments for exported functions

Step 3: Windsurf Rules

markdown

<!-- .windsurfrules -->
Project: Next.js 15 TypeScript application

Coding standards:
- Strict TypeScript, no any types
- Named exports, React functional components
- Tailwind CSS utility classes
- Server Components by default
- Error boundaries for client components

Step 4: OpenAI Codex (AGENTS.md)

markdown

<!-- AGENTS.md -->
## Project Context
Next.js 15 application with TypeScript strict mode.

## Conventions
- Named exports only
- TypeScript interfaces for all props
- Tailwind CSS for styling
- React Query for server state management

Tool

File

Location

Claude Code

CLAUDE.md

Project root

Cursor

.cursorrules

Project root

Copilot

copilot-instructions.md

.github/

Windsurf

.windsurfrules

Project root

Codex

AGENTS.md

Project root

Amazon Q

rules/*.md

.amazonq/

Aider

CONVENTIONS.md

Project root