Composer-era Cursor Rules

Build and continue apps — with intent, evidence, and an honest handoff.

Continue-by-default · confusion-weight asks · vertical slices · proof labels · no fake "done"

Quick start · What's new · Rules · Design · Extend

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At a glance

	Principle	What you get
Continue	Continue-by-default	Follow-ups refine open work; prefer existing seams; leave a handoff (done / next / assumptions)
Intent	Infer-and-act	Read the outcome, not just the words; state assumptions inline and keep building
Ask	Confusion-weight gate	Ask only when high (irreversible, contract-changing, contradictory, no repo signal)
Slice	Vertical slice	One path end-to-end before widening
Proof	Evidence + labels	verified / implemented but unverified / blocked — no fake "done"
Safety	Git remote safety	Never git push unprompted — commits ≠ remote updates

Stack-agnostic. Tuned for Composer 2.5 and Cursor Grok 4.5 — same builder spine either way. Two always-on rules form that spine; everything else loads on demand. Research and senior-practices stay available as edge tools, not co-equal pillars. The principles are durable even as Cursor's lineup changes.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ALWAYS ON          │  REQUESTABLE ON TASK                  │
│  composer-core      │  clarify · reasoning · delivery       │
│  composer-verify    │  orchestration · coding · debugging   │
│                     │  tools · (edge) research · practices  │
├─────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────┤
│  AGENTS             │  SKILLS                               │
│  verifier · debugger│  deep-research · senior-practices     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Quick start

Repository: madebyaris/cursor-composer-rules

git clone https://github.com/madebyaris/cursor-composer-rules.git

# Replace the destination with your actual app directory
cp -r cursor-composer-rules/.cursor path/to/your-app/.cursor

Merge carefully if you already have .cursor/rules or .cursor/agents:

• Duplicate always-on rules hurt quality — keep one core + one verification spine.
• If you already have a verifier subagent, merge prompts or rename to avoid conflicting delegation.
• Custom subagents in this pack are examples; adapt descriptions to your team.

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What's new (build + continue reorient)

Change	Purpose
composer-core.mdc	Builder spine — intent modes, confusion-weight ask gate, continue-the-app + handoff, vertical slice; shorter always-on
clarify-first.mdc	Infer-and-act ask policy — ask only on high confusion weight
composer-reasoning.mdc	Judgment only — tradeoffs, one-way doors, pushback (basic intent moved to core)
composer-fullstack-delivery.mdc	Build/continue playbook — seams → slice → failure modes → explicit handoff
composer-verification.mdc	Unchanged proof contract — still the second always-on

Optional: extend with Cursor Marketplace plugins — not required for the core behavior contract.

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What the pack teaches

Always-on (the builder spine)

File	Purpose
composer-core.mdc	Continue-by-default, intent + modes, confusion weight, evidence, slice, handoff
composer-verification.mdc	Proof contract: verified / implemented but unverified / blocked

Requestable (loaded by description match)

File	Use for
clarify-first.mdc	When and how to ask — high confusion weight only
composer-reasoning.mdc	Architectural / multi-option work: tradeoffs, one-way doors, honest pushback
composer-fullstack-delivery.mdc	Multi-layer feature build or continue: seams, slice, handoff
composer-orchestration.mdc	Subagents, plan mode, parallel workstreams, long-running tasks
composer-coding-excellence.mdc	Writing code: surgical edits, convention matching, no fabricated APIs
composer-debugging.mdc	Broken behavior: reproduce, trace, root cause
cursor-tools-discipline.mdc	Tools: parallel reads, MCP schemas, subagents, no fabricated output
composer-senior-practices.mdc	Edge: version-pinned guidance when the stack is unfamiliar
composer-deep-research.mdc	Edge: audits, comparisons, benchmarks — not the default build path

Example subagents

File	Use for
verifier.md	After "done" claims — run checks, report verified vs gaps (readonly)
debugger.md	Isolated debug when repro is known — root cause + minimal fix

Built-in Explore, Bash, and Browser subagents need no config; orchestration rule explains when Cursor uses them.

Invoke explicitly: /verifier confirm tests pass, or ask naturally: "use the debugger subagent on this failure."

Skills (long-form workflows)

Path	Purpose
.cursor/skills/deep-research/SKILL.md	Multi-pass research with claim ledger and contradiction log
.cursor/skills/deep-research/reference.md	Compact checklist version
.cursor/skills/senior-practices/SKILL.md	Version-pinned best practices: inventory → T1 anchor → reconcile with repo
.cursor/skills/senior-practices/reference.md	Compact checklist version

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Design principles

	Principle
Product	Build and continue. Agents ship slices and leave handoffs — not greenfield every turn.
Intent	Infer-and-act with a confusion-weight ask gate. Low/medium → assume and proceed; high → one decisive question.
Proof	Evidence before write. Intent is not a license to invent APIs. Same verification labels as before.
Context	Tiny always-on core. Orchestration, judgment, delivery, and research stay requestable.
Focus	One concern per rule. Activate what the task needs.
Honesty	Never fabricate output; never mark verified from a subagent summary alone.
Git	Never push unprompted. For hard enforcement, add your own beforeShellExecution hook — not shipped in this pack.
Roles	Agents execute, rules govern. Verifier runs checks; verification rule defines labels.

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Extending

Add stack-specific rules as new .mdc files with globs:

.cursor/rules/typescript.mdc        # globs: **/*.{ts,tsx}
.cursor/rules/python.mdc            # globs: **/*.py
.cursor/rules/rust.mdc              # globs: **/*.rs

Add focused subagents under .cursor/agents/ with specific description fields — avoid dozens of vague helpers (Cursor subagent docs).

Keep extensions short. Don't duplicate core or verification — link to them.

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Layout

.cursor/
  agents/
    verifier.md                      # example subagent
    debugger.md                      # example subagent
  rules/
    composer-core.mdc                # always on — builder spine
    composer-verification.mdc        # always on — proof contract
    clarify-first.mdc                # requestable — ask policy
    composer-reasoning.mdc           # requestable — judgment
    composer-fullstack-delivery.mdc  # requestable — build/continue
    composer-orchestration.mdc       # requestable
    composer-coding-excellence.mdc   # requestable
    composer-senior-practices.mdc    # requestable (edge)
    composer-debugging.mdc           # requestable
    composer-deep-research.mdc       # requestable (edge)
    cursor-tools-discipline.mdc      # requestable
  skills/
    deep-research/
      SKILL.md
      reference.md
    senior-practices/
      SKILL.md
      reference.md
README.md
LICENSE
.gitignore

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License

MIT — see LICENSE

Made for teams who want agents that ship the next slice — and know when to ask.