Cursor

How it works · 10 min read

What Cursor actually looks at when you ask it something

Indexing says synced, the file is open, and Cursor still answers as if your code does not exist. Follow one request end to end: what gets attached, what gets injected, what the agent decides to search for, what three ignore files remove, and what gets compressed away.

How it works · 11 min read

It followed your example instead of your instruction

You wrote the rule, then pasted an example under it to help — and the output matched the example. A demonstration is a stronger signal than a description, it shows everything about itself rather than the one property you meant, and nothing warns you when the two disagree.

Troubleshooting · 8 min read

Why Cursor is ignoring your rules file

A rule that sits in .cursor/rules and does nothing fails silently, and Cursor publishes no way to see which rules were applied. Ten causes with distinct fingerprints: the type you get by leaving fields blank, the .md that is invisible, and the team rule that outranks you.