Complete Guide to Skills for Cursor, Windsurf and Modern IDEs

Skills Are No Longer Exclusive to Claude Code

The AI skills ecosystem extends well beyond Claude Code. Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code with Copilot, and other modern IDEs are progressively adopting similar customization systems. Here is how to take advantage of them.

Cursor: .cursorrules

What Is It?

Cursor uses a .cursorrules file at the project root. It works similarly to CLAUDE.md: it persists between sessions and guides the AI in its responses.

How to Configure It

Create a .cursorrules file:

You are an expert Next.js developer.
Always use TypeScript with strict mode.
Prefer server components over client components.
Use Tailwind CSS for styling.
Follow the project structure in /app directory.

Best Practices for Cursor

• Be direct: Cursor prefers concise instructions
• Specify the framework: Explicitly mention React, Vue, etc.
• Add examples: Show the expected code style
• List important files: Guide toward the right reference files

Windsurf: Cascade Rules

Windsurf (formerly Codeium) offers a rules system called Cascade Rules that allows configuring AI behavior.

Configuration

Windsurf rules are defined in editor settings or through project configuration files:

{
  "cascade.rules": {
    "language": "typescript",
    "framework": "react",
    "style": "functional",
    "testing": "vitest"
  }
}

Windsurf Specifics

• Native integration with project context
• Automatic framework detection
• Ability to combine with system prompts

VS Code + Copilot: Custom Instructions

GitHub Copilot in VS Code supports custom instructions via the .github/copilot-instructions.md file.

Setup

mkdir -p .github
touch .github/copilot-instructions.md

Add your instructions:

## Coding Standards
- Use functional components with hooks
- Prefer const over let
- Always add JSDoc comments for public functions
- Use barrel exports (index.ts) for modules

Comparing Approaches

| Feature | Claude Code | Cursor | Windsurf | Copilot | |---|---|---|---|---| | Config file | CLAUDE.md | .cursorrules | Cascade Rules | copilot-instructions.md | | Shared skills | Yes (@ imports) | Limited | No | No | | Community | Marketplace | Libraries | In development | Templates | | Multi-file | Yes | No | No | No | | Global inheritance | Yes | No | Partial | No |

Converting Skills Between Platforms

From CLAUDE.md to .cursorrules

Most CLAUDE.md instructions are directly compatible with Cursor. You usually just need to:

1. Copy the main content
2. Remove Claude-specific @ directives
3. Simplify the structure (Cursor prefers flat text)

From .cursorrules to CLAUDE.md

To migrate to Claude Code:

1. Structure with Markdown headings (##, ###)
2. Add explicit sections (Stack, Conventions, Restrictions)
3. Take advantage of @ imports to modularize

Universal Skills

Some skills work across all platforms. Here are the universal patterns:

1. Naming Conventions

- Files: kebab-case (my-component.tsx)
- Components: PascalCase (MyComponent)
- Functions: camelCase (getData)
- Constants: UPPER_SNAKE_CASE (API_URL)

2. Project Structure

Source code in /src
Tests alongside source files (*.test.ts)
Shared types in /types
API routes in /api

3. Code Patterns

Prefer composition over inheritance
Use dependency injection for services
Implement repository pattern for data access
Error handling with custom error classes

Automating Synchronization

For multi-IDE teams, you can create a script that generates configuration files for each platform from a single source:

#!/bin/bash
# sync-skills.sh
SOURCE="skills-config.md"

# Generate for Claude Code
cp $SOURCE .claude/CLAUDE.md

# Generate for Cursor
sed 's/@.*//g' $SOURCE > .cursorrules

# Generate for Copilot
cp $SOURCE .github/copilot-instructions.md

Going Further

The AI skills ecosystem is evolving rapidly. Check our skills library to find ready-to-use configurations compatible with multiple IDEs.

To dive deeper into each platform's specifics, explore our regularly updated detailed guides.