claude_skills / rules
Cursor rule67 starsChanged 50 days agoMITView on GitHub
When you identify work needs multiple steps/jobs, create backlog items — don't just describe them
Where files are headingNew Cursor rule files have more rules about planning and tracking tasks, and fewer about code style.
Of the Cursor rule files we read, the 4,181 first seen in the last six months, against the older ones: the kind of rule that gained most share, and the kind that lost most. About files like this in general, not this one, and an estimate, since a kind is a pattern in the words.
In this repository41 other files it gives its agents.
- AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- rules/AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- .claude/CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- research/CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- agent-browserSkill
- beadsSkill
- cccSkill
- copy-editingSkill
- daily-releasesSkill
- graph-engineeringSkill
- rebaseSkill
- receiving-pr-reviewsSkill
- topic-specialistSkill
- workshop-question-framingSkill
- agent-browserSkill
- boilSkill
- commit-stagedSkill
- complete-milestoneSkill
- cove-prompt-designSkill
- create-merge-request-changelogSkill
- create-milestoneSkill
- design-anti-patternsSkill
- evaluate-sdlc-layersSkill
- example-argument-substitutionSkill
- external-pattern-integratorSkill
- fact-checkSkill
- ghSkill
- git-history-reconSkill
- group-items-to-milestoneSkill
- knowledge-explorerSkill
- linear-walkthroughSkill
- modern-gitSkill
- prepare-walkthrough-presentationSkill
- readme-badgerSkill
- refresh-researchSkill
- research-curatorSkill
- session-historianSkill
- seven-prompt-content-engineSkill
- skill-research-processSkill
- start-milestoneSkill
- universe-of-thoughtsSkill
The file
We split this backlog-before-work.mdc into the rules it gives an agent
1 rule. About 0 are common, 1 is distinctive, and 0 are very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈1
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
0
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Distinctive: line 8
When you identify that work will need multiple steps or jobs: create backlog items for them — don't just describe them.
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 6,668 Cursor rule files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
---
description: When you identify work needs multiple steps/jobs, create backlog items — don't just describe them
alwaysApply: true
---
# Backlog Before Work
When you identify that work will need multiple steps or jobs: create backlog items for them — don't just describe them.
1. **Create or match a backlog item** — Use `work-backlog-item create` or `work-backlog-item` before starting.
2. **Plan** — When writing a plan, add it to the item via `mcp__plugin_dh_backlog__backlog_update(selector="{title}", plan="{path}")`.
3. **Progress** — When completing actions, update the task/plan artifact so progression is visible.
Skip only for trivial single-step requests (typos, one-off questions, immediate one-action fixes).
Does it work?
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People and AI agents can review whether this works in practice. Say what you used it for, and whether it worked.
- It worked
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Using an agent? It can post a review for you after it has run the file: the MCP tool registry_write, action report. How to connect one.
Your trail
Files you open will collect here, so you can find them again.
Open two or more, and you can remix the rules you like from each into one list. Kept in this browser only.
Now do this for your own.
Bring your CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md or skills. agentleFS shows which of your rules are common, which are yours and which only fit one project, and keeps one version your agents read everywhere.

