Awesome Cursor Rules: 150+ Community Templates for Vibe Coders

The vibe coding community has built an incredible library of cursor rules. Instead of writing rules from scratch, you can grab battle-tested templates for your exact tech stack. But there's a catch - almost none include security patterns. Here's how to get the best of both worlds.

*Most community templates lack security patterns - we'll fix that below.

Where to Find Cursor Rules

Two main sources dominate the cursor rules ecosystem. Each has strengths for different vibe coders.

What Categories Are Available?

The community has built rules for virtually every tech stack. Here's what you'll find organized by category.

Most Popular Community Rules

These templates get the most stars and forks. They're battle-tested by thousands of vibe coders.

The Security Gap in Community Rules

Here's the uncomfortable truth: most community cursor rules focus on code style, not security. Browse awesome-cursorrules and you'll find excellent patterns for React hooks, TypeScript generics, and framework conventions. What you won't find are rules preventing SQL injection, enforcing authentication checks, or blocking hardcoded secrets.

This matters because AI tools generate vulnerable code 45% of the time. Style rules make your code consistent. Security rules keep your users safe.

Security Rules to Add (Copy-Paste Ready)

Add these to any community template. They catch the vulnerabilities that style rules miss.

## Security Rules (CRITICAL)

### Database Security
- NEVER use template literals for SQL queries
- ALWAYS use parameterized queries with $1, $2 placeholders
- NEVER trust user input in queries, even from authenticated users

✅ SECURE:
db.query('SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = $1', [userId])

❌ VULNERABLE:
db.query(`SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ${userId}`)

### Authentication Checks
- EVERY API route must verify authentication FIRST
- Use middleware for auth, not inline checks in handlers
- Never trust client-side auth state for server decisions

Pattern for protected routes:
1. Check session/token exists
2. Validate session/token is not expired
3. Verify user has permission for this action
4. THEN process the request

### Input Validation
- Validate ALL user input on the server with Zod
- Never pass raw user input to:
  - Database queries
  - File system operations
  - Shell commands
  - URL redirects
  - HTML output (XSS)

### Secret Handling
- NEVER hardcode API keys, passwords, or tokens
- ALWAYS use environment variables: process.env.SECRET_NAME
- Never log secrets or include them in error messages
- Never commit .env files to version control

How to Combine Community + Security Rules

The ideal setup uses community rules for style and framework patterns, plus security rules for protection. Here's how to structure it.

Option 1: Single .cursorrules File

# Project: My Next.js App

## Tech Stack (from community template)
- Next.js 15 with App Router
- TypeScript strict mode
- Supabase for backend
- Tailwind CSS

## Code Patterns (from community template)
- Server Components by default
- 'use client' only for interactivity
- Named exports preferred
... (paste community rules here)

## Security Rules (from VibeShip)
- NEVER use template literals for database queries
- ALWAYS check authentication in Server Actions
... (paste security rules here)

Option 2: Folder Structure (Recommended)

For larger projects, split rules into separate files. Cursor merges them automatically.

project/
├── .cursor/
│   └── rules/
│       ├── framework.md     # Next.js patterns (from community)
│       ├── typescript.md    # TS strict rules (from community)
│       ├── security.md      # Security rules (from VibeShip)
│       └── project.md       # Project-specific context
└── ...

5 Best Practices for Using Community Rules

1. Review before copying. Not all community rules are high quality. Read through and remove anything that doesn't apply to your project.
2. Start minimal, add as needed. A 500-line .cursorrules file hurts more than helps. AI has limited context - keep rules focused.
3. Add security rules yourself. Community templates almost never include them. Use the security rules above.
4. Version control your rules. Commit .cursorrules or .cursor/rules/ to Git. Your rules are project documentation.
5. Update when you see patterns. If Cursor keeps making the same mistake, add a rule to prevent it. Your rules should grow with your project.

Quick Start: Get Productive in 5 Minutes

1. Find your stack on awesome-cursorrules or cursor.directory
2. Copy the template to a new `.cursorrules` file in your project root
3. Add security rules from the section above
4. Customize for your project specifics (file structure, naming, conventions)
5. Commit to Git so your team uses the same rules

For more detailed setup instructions, see our complete Cursor Rules Guide or check out Cursor Rules Examples with 20+ templates.

Frequently Asked Questions