Cursor · tool · fg-0515

Cursor rule with alwaysApply false and no description or globs is never applied

The rule is listed but Agent ignores it

Verified 2026-10-15 · Confirmed by 0 builders · Trust 50/100

Cause

With alwaysApply false, no description, and no globs, a rule becomes Apply Manually and loads only when @-mentioned. A rule with globs attaches only when a matching file is in context, and an agent-selected rule needs a description to be chosen.

Fix

Set alwaysApply true for rules that must always load, give agent-selected rules a clear description, and check globs against the paths Agent actually opens.

Apply

---
description: RPC service conventions for the backend
globs: src/services/**/*.ts
alwaysApply: false
---

Affects: Cursor project rules, as of 2026-10

Sources

https://cursor.com/docs/rules
https://cursor.com/help/customization/rules

Have your agent know this before it fails

claude mcp add --transport http footgun https://getfootgun.com/api/mcp