cursor-kooi-env-docs / rules

---
title: Environment Documentation Maintenance
description: Instructions for keeping project environment documentation current
---

# Environment Documentation Maintenance Rule

## Purpose

Keep `.cursor/rules/project-environment.mdc` accurate and up-to-date so AI assistants have current context about the development environment.

**Note:** The environment documentation is now a `.mdc` rule file with `alwaysApply: true`, which means it's automatically loaded at session start. This ensures every agent has immediate access to project context.

## When to Check

**At Every Session Start (automatic):**
- Environment documentation is loaded automatically via `alwaysApply: true`
- Check the "Last Updated" date in the loaded content
- Offer to review and update if stale (>7 days = review, >14 days = urgent)

**During Development (update in real-time):**
- Update **immediately** when you discover:
  - New shell/command syntax issues
  - Changed directory paths  
  - New dependencies or services
  - Updated development workflows
  - Environment quirks or gotchas
  - Package manager changes
  - Build/test command changes

**Key principle:** Documentation should always reflect the current state of the project.

## How to Update

1. **Read the current document** to understand existing content
2. **Identify changes** needed based on:
   - Recent package.json changes
   - New environment variables
   - Modified git workflow
   - Discovered issues during the session
3. **Update the document** with:
   - New "Last Updated" date (current date)
   - New "Next Review" date (+7 days)
   - Entry in the Maintenance Log table
   - Any substantive changes needed
4. **Commit the changes** with a descriptive message

## Update Format

When updating the Maintenance Log:
```markdown
| 2025-10-04 | Added Redis configuration notes | AI Assistant |
```

When updating the timestamp:
```markdown
> **Last Updated:** 2025-10-04  
> **Next Review:** 2025-10-11
```

## Offer Format

When offering to review (if stale):
> "I noticed the project environment documentation hasn't been updated in X days. Would you like me to review and update `.cursor/rules/project-environment.mdc` to ensure it's current?"

## What NOT to Do

- ❌ Don't update the doc for trivial changes (typos in code, minor bug fixes)
- ❌ Don't nag every single session if user declines
- ❌ Don't make assumptions - ask for confirmation on major changes
- ✅ DO update proactively when you discover environment mismatches

## Priority

**Medium** - Check at start of session, update when relevant, but don't interrupt critical work.