A developer refines a set of project rules locally, but the `.cursor/rules` folder sits in the repository's ignore list. Why does Agent keep ignoring those conventions for their teammates?

The principle — Project rules live in the codebase and are version-controlled. Checking them into git is the mechanism by which a rule reaches anyone other than its author.

Why the key is correct — An ignored rules folder exists only on the machine that wrote it. Teammates clone a repository with no rules in it, so Agent works without those conventions and produces precisely the output the author believed they had fixed.

Why the others are wrong — Project rules are repository artefacts rather than personal settings, which is why the documentation says the whole team benefits when you check them into git. Account sync carries user rules, not the project folder. And no dashboard toggle stands between a committed rule and the teammate who has cloned it.

Remember this — A gitignored rule is a rule only you have.

Sources — Cursor's Rules documentation.