Tutorials & How-Tos
Install Agency Agents in Cursor: Step by Step
A precise walkthrough for installing and invoking agency-agents inside Cursor, including Rules file format and common pitfalls.
A precise walkthrough for installing and invoking agency-agents inside Cursor, including Rules file format and common pitfalls.
Cursor is a fast, polished coding environment with a growing user base. The agency-agents library is a catalog of 150 specialist personas. Combining them gives you a coding assistant with on-demand expertise that's hard to beat.
This guide walks through the exact steps to install agency-agents in Cursor, including Rules file conventions, frontmatter, and common pitfalls we've hit.
.cursor/rules/ with the .mdc extensionFirst, get a local copy of agency-agents somewhere convenient:
git clone https://github.com/msitarzewski/agency-agents.git ~/agency-agents
You don't need to install it globally anywhere — we'll copy individual files into your Cursor projects as needed.
Inside the project where you want to use agents, create the Cursor rules directory:
mkdir -p .cursor/rules
Cursor looks for rules in this directory automatically. No config changes needed.
Cursor rules use a .mdc extension and require a frontmatter block. Take an agent file and add the frontmatter:
---
description: Senior frontend developer specializing in accessible, performant web apps
globs: ["**/*.tsx", "**/*.ts", "**/*.css"]
alwaysApply: false
---
You are a senior frontend developer with 10+ years of experience...
Key fields:
For agent-style usage, set alwaysApply: false and use globs to scope activation to relevant files. This prevents every agent from loading simultaneously and polluting context.
Save the rule as .cursor/rules/frontend-developer.mdc. The filename becomes the rule's identifier in the Cursor UI.
Cursor should pick up new rules automatically, but if it doesn't, restart the editor. You can verify installation by opening the Cursor settings and checking the Rules panel.
Open a file that matches the glob pattern and start a chat. Reference the agent by name: "Using the frontend-developer rule, review this component." Cursor will load the persona and respond accordingly.
Repeat the process for each agent you want. A few tips for multi-agent setups:
Use narrow globs. If two agents both match **/*.ts, they'll both activate. Narrow them to specific subdirectories or feature areas.
Prefix filenames. Group related agents with filename prefixes: fe-frontend-developer.mdc, fe-accessibility-specialist.mdc. Easier to scan in the rules panel.
Avoid always-apply overload. Only mark truly universal rules as alwaysApply: true. Everything else should be scoped.
Pitfall 1: Missing frontmatter. Cursor will silently skip rules without valid frontmatter. Double-check the YAML block.
Pitfall 2: Wrong extension. Cursor requires .mdc, not .md. This trips up everyone at least once.
Pitfall 3: Glob conflicts. If two rules match the same file and conflict in their instructions, Cursor uses a combination that may not behave as expected. Keep rule scopes tight.
Pitfall 4: Context overflow. Loading 20 large rules simultaneously blows out the context window. Scope them narrowly.
Pitfall 5: Stale rules. After editing a rule, you may need to restart Cursor. Hot-reload works most of the time but not always.
Here's a typical rules directory for an engineering project that uses 5 agents from the 26 engineering agents roundup:
.cursor/rules/
├── fe-frontend-developer.mdc (globs: **/*.tsx, **/*.css)
├── fe-accessibility-specialist.mdc (globs: **/*.tsx)
├── be-backend-developer.mdc (globs: server/**/*.ts)
├── sec-security-engineer.mdc (alwaysApply: true)
└── ops-devops-engineer.mdc (globs: .github/**/*, Dockerfile)
The Security Engineer is loaded always because security review should happen on every change. The others are scoped to relevant file types.
Before saving, add a few lines of stack context at the top of each rule. Example:
# Stack context
This project uses Next.js 15.5 (App Router), Tailwind CSS 4, Shadcn UI, TypeScript strict mode, Supabase for data, and Vercel for deployment.
# Agent persona
You are a senior frontend developer...
This single change dramatically improves output quality by biasing the agent toward idiomatic patterns for your stack. We covered the full tuning approach in Frontend Developer Agent: Inside the Prompt.
Cursor's rules system is slightly more ceremonial than Claude Code's .claude/agents/ directory. You have to convert files, add frontmatter, and manage globs. On the plus side, Cursor's Rules panel is a nicer UI for managing agents than editing raw files.
For a full cross-platform comparison, see How to Install Agents Across 8 AI Platforms.
.cursor/rules/ directory across projects?Not officially. You can symlink the directory from a central location if you want to keep rules synced across projects.
Indirectly. If multiple rules match a file, Cursor combines them. There's no formal orchestration mechanism like the Agents Orchestrator, but the combination often works.
Cursor attempts to hot-reload, but restarting is more reliable.
.cursor/rules/ to git?Yes, and you should. Your team will benefit from consistent agent configuration.
Rules files should stay under 5-10KB. Larger than that and you risk context overflow.
Installing agency-agents in Cursor is straightforward once you know the format. Pick your five most-needed specialists, add frontmatter, save them to .cursor/rules/, and get back to shipping.
Browse all 150 agents at aiskill.market/agents or submit your own skill.
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