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DevRules

A comprehensive collection of AI prompt engineering rules designed to enhance AI-assisted development workflows.

Overview

DevRules is a structured set of rule files that help AI tools better understand your codebase, project structure, and development preferences. These rules guide AI in providing more contextually relevant, accurate, and helpful responses for various development tasks.

Structure

The rules are organized in .cursor/rules/ with a clear organizational structure:

  • Core rules: Foundation files that define AI behavior and project context (00-*, 01-*, 02-*, 03-*).
  • Tasks (tasks/): Task-specific rules defining specialized AI behaviors (e.g., Refactor-Code.mdc).
  • Language rules: Best practices and patterns for specific programming languages in the languages/ directory.
  • Technology rules: Best practices for specific frameworks, libraries, or tools in the technologies/ directory.
.cursor/rules/
├── 00-core-agent.mdc       # Core AI instructions
├── 01-project-context.mdc  # Project-specific details (customize!)
├── 02-common-errors.mdc    # Common mistakes to avoid (customize!)
├── 03-mcp-configuration.mdc# MCP server capabilities (populate!)
├── tasks/                  # Task-specific behavior rules (e.g., Refactor-Code.mdc)
│   └── ...
├── languages/              # Language-specific best practices (e.g., Python3.mdc)
│   └── ...
└── technologies/           # Framework/library rules (e.g., React19.mdc, NodeExpress.mdc)
    └── ...

Key Features

  • Consistent AI assistance across your entire development workflow
  • Task-specific guidance for different development activities
  • Language-specific guidance for coding best practices
  • Technology-specific guidance for frameworks and libraries
  • Project-specific context for more relevant suggestions
  • Error prevention through common mistake documentation
  • Reduced repetition of instructions to AI tools

Getting Started

  1. Install DevRules with a single command:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/TheSethRose/DevRules/main/install.sh | sh
  1. Customize the core configuration files to match your project needs:
    • 01-project-context.mdc: Add your tech stack, project structure, and conventions.
    • 02-common-errors.mdc: Document project-specific pitfalls to avoid.
  2. (Recommended) Populate 03-mcp-configuration.mdc to inform the AI about your available MCP tools: a. Open Cursor Settings (Cmd+, or Ctrl+,). b. Navigate to the 'MCP' section. c. Click the button/link to open your global ~/.cursor/mcp.json file. d. Ensure mcp.json is the active/focused file in your editor. e. Return to the AI chat and ask it: "Please populate .cursor/rules/03-mcp-configuration.mdc based on the attached mcp.json context."
  3. Use with compatible AI development assistants (e.g., Cursor).

Updating

To update the standard tasks/, languages/, technologies/ rules and the core 00-core-agent.mdc, while preserving your customized 01-project-context.mdc and 02-common-errors.mdc:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/TheSethRose/DevRules/main/install.sh | sh -s -- --upgrade

Note: The upgrade process preserves 03-mcp-configuration.mdc. If new standard MCP servers are added to DevRules in the future, you may need to manually update your 03-mcp-configuration.mdc or ask the AI to regenerate it.

Usage Examples

Activating a Task Rule

You can explicitly request a specific task rule:

Please refactor this code using @tasks/Refactor-Code.mdc

Or the AI might activate a task rule semantically based on your request.

Providing Project Context

For new projects, you should update the project context file:

Please update the project context with our React/Node.js stack and component structure.

Documenting Common Errors

Add project-specific patterns to avoid:

Please add a common error pattern about our naming convention for API routes.

Configuring MCP Awareness

To ensure the AI knows which MCP servers are available and how they are configured:

  1. Open Cursor Settings (Cmd+, or Ctrl+,).
  2. Go to the 'MCP' section.
  3. Open your global ~/.cursor/mcp.json file via the provided button/link.
  4. Make sure mcp.json is the active file in your editor.
  5. In the AI chat, ask: "Please populate .cursor/rules/03-mcp-configuration.mdc based on the attached mcp.json context."
  6. The AI should read the attached mcp.json context and fill in the details about each server in 03-mcp-configuration.mdc.

Benefits

  • More accurate code assistance based on your project context
  • Task-specific guidance for different development activities
  • Consistent response format and quality
  • Reduced need to repeat instructions
  • Improved code quality and adherence to best practices

Customization

The rule files use a consistent Markdown format that's easy to customize for your specific needs. See the Cursor-Rules.md file at the project root for detailed formatting guidelines and best practices.

Contributing

Contributions to DevRules are welcome and appreciated! You can help improve this project in various ways:

  • Adjustments to existing rule files
  • Grammar and documentation fixes
  • Best practice adjustments or enhancements
  • New task rules
  • Structural reorganization
  • Bug fixes

Contribution Guidelines

  1. Fork and clone the repository
  2. Create a feature branch for your changes
  3. Make your changes following the existing style and format
  4. Test extensively before submitting:
    • Verify the rules work with compatible AI tools (e.g., Cursor)
    • Test different scenarios and edge cases
    • Document your testing process
  5. Submit a pull request with:
    • Clear description of changes
    • Evidence of testing (screenshots, examples, etc.)
    • Any relevant documentation updates

Please ensure any new modes or significant changes have been thoroughly tested in real-world development scenarios. Include examples of AI responses that demonstrate your changes are working as expected.

License

MIT

© Seth Rose - GitHub