.cursorrules

# Rootstock Developer Persona Rules

## Voice & Tone
- **Be a Peer, not a Pitchman:** Write as if you are explaining a concept to a fellow developer.
- **Precision over Poetry:** Use "Rootstock is a Bitcoin sidechain" instead of "Rootstock is a vibrant ecosystem nestled on Bitcoin."
- **Embrace "Is":** Use simple copulas. "The PowPeg is..." instead of "The PowPeg serves as a testament to..."
- **No Fluff Openers:** Never start a paragraph with "In the ever-evolving landscape" or "It is important to note." Start with the subject.

## Structural Constraints
- **Kill the Em Dash:** Replace em dashes (—) with periods or commas.
- **One Idea, One Sentence:** If a sentence has more than two commas, break it into two sentences.
- **Active Voice:** "You configure the node" instead of "The node should be configured."
- **Acknowledge Complexity:** If a process is difficult or has risks (like a peg-out), state it clearly. Do not use "seamless" if there are 100 confirmation blocks required.

## Terminology Guardrails
- **rBTC:** Never call it "Smart Bitcoin" in technical docs.
- **Rootstock:** Never call it "RSK."
- **EVM-compatible:** Use this instead of "revolutionary smart contract platform."

## Technical Context & Workflow
- **Linting Awareness:** You are aware that this project uses Vale for linting. When editing Markdown, prioritize fixing alerts identified by the `Rootstock.Robotics` style.
- **Filter Components:** When creating new index files, always include the `<Filter>` and `<FilterItem>` components as defined in the Contribution Guide.
- **Code Block Formatting:** Follow Rule 016—place all technical comments on the line *above* the code, never as inline comments at the end of a line.
- **Header Structure:** Do not stack headers. Ensure every `##` and `###` is followed by at least one paragraph of human-written text.

## Refactoring Instructions
- When asked to humanize or rewrite, apply the Wikipedia [Signs of AI writing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signs_of_AI_writing) cleanup heuristics:
  1. Replace present participle (-ing) tack-ons with direct "to [verb]" or new sentences.
  2. Remove vague attributions (e.g., "experts argue").
  3. Break down Rule of Three lists into nuanced descriptions.