CLAUDE.md vs .cursorrules: What's the Difference (and When to Use Each)

CLAUDE.md vs.cursorrules: What's the Difference (and When to Use Each) If you're using AI coding tools in 2026, you've probably heard of both.cursorrules and CLAUDE.md. Both files tell your AI what to do. Both can save you hours of re-explaining context. But they're not the same - and using one when you need the other is a slow leak in your productivity. Here's the practical breakdown. What.cursorrules Does.cursorrules is a Cursor-specific config file. It lives at the root of your project and loads automatically when Cursor opens that folder.