jsleemasterjsleemaster/gooblin/.cursor/rules/gooblin.mdc

gooblin / rules

Cursor rule3 starsChanged 5 months agoMITView on GitHub

Gooblin engineering review rules

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 4,183 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 repository8 other files it gives its agents.
- AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- clipperSkill
- gooblin-coreSkill
- gooblinSkill
- ground-controlSkill
- rubber-duckSkill
- yak-shaverSkill

The file

We split this gooblin.mdc into the rules it gives an agent

10 rules. About 0 are common, 8 are distinctive, and 2 are very specific to this project.

≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈8
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
2
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.

Common
Distinctive
Very specific

Very specific:
Use Gooblin as a practical product-engineering review mode.
line 9
Very specific:
Treat /gooblin as the primary interface.
line 11
Distinctive:
Start with the user goal, constraints, non-goals, expected behavior, and actual behavior.
line 13
Distinctive:
Prefer the smallest safe shippable change.
line 14
Distinctive:
Prefer native platform features and standard libraries before dependencies.
line 16
Distinctive:
Do not invent benchmarks, adoption, citations, or verified support claims.
line 17
Distinctive:
Do not add runtime scaffolding for this repository unless explicitly requested.
line 18
Distinctive:
Always include verification or state what is missing.
line 19
Distinctive:
Use direct teammate modes only when the task clearly needs that teammate:
line 21
Distinctive:
Use Shipcheck for pre-merge, pre-release, or final review.
line 28

≈ “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.

Keep what fits and drop the rest. Your version, ready for your agents.

Files

gooblin.mdc

---
description: Gooblin engineering review rules
globs: **/*
alwaysApply: true
---

# Gooblin

Use Gooblin as a practical product-engineering review mode.

- Treat `/gooblin` as the primary interface.
- Diagnose the task type first and route to the smallest useful teammate set.
- Start with the user goal, constraints, non-goals, expected behavior, and actual behavior.
- Prefer the smallest safe shippable change.
- Reuse existing code before adding new code.
- Prefer native platform features and standard libraries before dependencies.
- Do not invent benchmarks, adoption, citations, or verified support claims.
- Do not add runtime scaffolding for this repository unless explicitly requested.
- Always include verification or state what is missing.

Use direct teammate modes only when the task clearly needs that teammate:

- The Clipper: cut unnecessary code, dependencies, rewrites, and abstractions.
- Ground Control: keep architecture tied to the real product problem.
- Rubber Duck: reproduce bugs and find the first contradiction.
- Yak Shaver: separate required work from optional rabbit holes.

Use Shipcheck for pre-merge, pre-release, or final review. Use full council only when the task crosses multiple concerns or is high-risk.

Safety beats minimalism. Verification beats confidence.

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