What this prompt does
This prompt generates a shared .cursorrules file for a whole team so AI-generated code stays consistent across every developer. You set [team_size], [project_type], and [tech_stack], then the AI writes rules enforcing your [naming_conventions], your [architecture_pattern] with both correct and incorrect structure examples, [import_order], the [error_handling_pattern] instead of generic try-catch, [db_rules] to prevent N+1 queries and enforce a repository layer, commit-message and PR-description formatting, and [forbidden_patterns] with explanations. It even splits into role-specific sections for frontend, backend, and full-stack developers.
The structure works because drift in AI output is the first problem teams hit once everyone is using Cursor. By pinning [naming_conventions], [import_order], and [architecture_pattern] in one shared, version-controlled file, every developer's Cursor produces code matching the same standard you would otherwise enforce manually in review. The role-specific sections keep the rules relevant per developer so a frontend engineer is not wading through backend-only constraints. The inline comments explain each rule, which is what makes the file maintainable rather than a black box that gets ignored or stripped out the first time a rule seems inconvenient. Providing both correct and incorrect examples for [architecture_pattern] makes the boundary concrete enough that both Cursor and teammates learn it quickly.
When to use it
- A team of several developers all use Cursor and their AI output is visibly drifting apart
- You want AI-generated code to match the same standards you enforce in code review
- New team members need to inherit conventions without reading a long, separate style guide
- You keep correcting the same naming or import-order issues across pull requests
- N+1 queries or raw SQL in controllers keep slipping in and you want
[db_rules]enforced in the editor - Different roles need different guidance but from one shared, version-controlled source of truth
Example output
You get one .cursorrules file with inline comments: naming rules from [naming_conventions], an architecture section showing correct and incorrect structure for [architecture_pattern], an import-ordering rule, the [error_handling_pattern], database rules covering eager-loading and the repository layer, commit and PR formatting rules, a forbidden-patterns list with reasons, and role-specific sections for frontend, backend, and full-stack work.
Pro tips
- Derive
[forbidden_patterns]from real issues you catch in review, and include the reason so teammates respect the rule - Provide both correct and incorrect examples for
[architecture_pattern]; the contrast is what makes the rule actually stick - Keep
[db_rules]specific (eager-load relations, no raw SQL in controllers) so Cursor can genuinely act on them - Version-control the file and treat changes as a team decision, not a quiet personal edit
- Use the role sections so frontend developers are not buried in backend-only rules they will never apply
- Keep inline comments current; a rule without a documented reason tends to get ignored or removed later
