SUMMARY
Cursor (IDE) uses mdc configuration while Lovable (Platform) uses markdown. They differ on 7 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.
FEATURE COMPARISON
| Feature | Cursor | Lovable |
|---|---|---|
| Config format | mdc | markdown |
| Hierarchy support | ✓ | ✗ |
| Global config | ✓ | ✗ |
| Project config | ✓ | ✓ |
| Subdirectory scoping | ✓ | ✗ |
| File inclusion / imports | ✗ | ✗ |
| Ignore file | .cursorignore | ✗ |
| IDE integration | ✓ | Platform |
| Schema / structure | Hybrid (MDC frontmatter + Markdown) | Free-form (Markdown) |
| Git committed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Encoding | UTF-8 | UTF-8 |
SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES
---
description: React component conventions and patterns
globs: "*.tsx"
alwaysApply: false
---
# React Component Rules
- Use functional components with explicit return types
- Define props interface directly above the component
- Export components as named exports, never default
- Use Tailwind CSS utility classes exclusively
# Project Instructions
## Stack
- React 19 with TypeScript
- Supabase for backend (auth, database, storage)
- TailwindCSS v4 + shadcn/ui components
- Vite for building
## Architecture
- Feature-based folder structure
- Each feature owns its components, hooks, and types
- Shared components in src/components/ui/
- All API calls go through src/lib/supabase.ts
## Conventions
- Use shadcn/ui components before creating custom ones
- Mobile-first responsive design
- Use Supabase RLS policies for authorization
- Prefer server-side filtering over client-side
## Brand
- Primary color: #6366F1 (indigo)
- Font: Inter for body, Cal Sans for headings
- Rounded corners (radius-lg) on all cards
KEY DIFFERENCES
Cursor: mdc. Lovable: markdown.
Cursor: Supported. Lovable: Not supported.
Cursor: Supported. Lovable: Not supported.
Cursor: Supported. Lovable: Not supported.
Cursor: .cursorignore. Lovable: Not supported.
Cursor: Supported. Lovable: Platform.
Cursor: Hybrid (MDC frontmatter + Markdown). Lovable: Free-form (Markdown).
WHICH SHOULD I USE?
Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Cursor, configure .cursorrules. If you use Lovable, configure AGENTS.md. Many projects include config files for multiple tools so each team member can use their preferred editor.
PORTABILITY TIP
# Maintain a single source of truth:
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md CLAUDE.md
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md .cursorrules
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md AGENTS.md