Mneme HQ vs Cursor Rules. Cursor Rules are per-repo prompt files that describe preferences to the model. Mneme HQ is the architectural governance layer — it compiles decisions into enforceable constraints, retrieves them at prompt time based on what the agent is doing, and validates outputs against them. Rules files document standards. Mneme enforces them.
Comparative 5 min read · May 2026

# Mneme vs Cursor Rules

Both inject context into AI coding sessions. They solve different problems. Here's how they differ — and when the difference matters.

By Theo Valmis · Published May 2026 · Updated May 2026

Cursor Rules
Configuration
Per-repo text · suggestion only

- Flat `.cursorrules` file
- Whole-repo scope, no per-file matching
- No conflict resolution between overlapping rules
- Injected as prompt preamble — model may ignore
- One file per repo · not multi-agent shared

Mneme HQ
Enforcement
Repo-native decisions · deterministic verdict

- Structured records: id, scope, status, supersedes
- Per-file pattern matching (`services/payments/**`)
- Precedence engine resolves conflicts deterministically
- Hook-level blocking at Edit/Write · CI gate
- Shared corpus queryable by every agent on the codebase

## What Cursor Rules are

- Per-repo `.cursorrules` file (plain text instructions)
- Injected as system prompt preamble by Cursor
- Written manually, no schema, no version control enforcement
- Single file per repo — same rules applied everywhere regardless of context
- The model can still ignore them

## What Mneme HQ does differently

Dimension | Cursor Rules | Mneme HQ
--- | --- | ---
Storage | .cursorrules flat text file | Structured JSON with typed fields (id, scope, status, rationale, supersedes)
Enforcement | Suggestion — model can ignore | Hook-level blocking on Edit/Write operations
Scope | Whole repo — same rules everywhere | Per-file pattern matching (e.g. `services/payments/**`)
Conflict resolution | None — you manage conflicts manually | Precedence engine resolves conflicts deterministically
Multi-agent support | One file per repo | Shared decision corpus queryable by all agents
Decision versioning | Plain text, no status tracking | Status field (draft/active/superseded) with supersedes chain

## When Cursor Rules are sufficient

- Single developer, single repo, no enforcement requirement
- Rules that apply uniformly to every file in the project
- Suggestions are fine — you don't need a violation to actually block
- No multi-agent workflows, no conflicting rule sets

## When the difference matters

- Multiple engineers or agents editing the same codebase simultaneously
- Service-boundary-specific rules (payments team has different storage rules than analytics)
- You need a violation to be stopped, not merely suggested against
- Rules conflict (org policy vs. team exception) and you need deterministic resolution rather than model judgment
- Decision history matters — when a rule changed, why it changed, what it superseded

## The fundamental distinction

Cursor Rules are configuration. Mneme HQ is enforcement.

The distinction matters when the cost of a violation is more than a PR comment — when an architectural boundary is crossed, a compliance rule is broken, or a service dependency is introduced that will take a quarter to untangle.

## Frequently asked questions

Are Cursor Rules a substitute for Mneme HQ?
No. Cursor Rules are a per-repo prompt file that describes preferences to the model. Mneme HQ is a governance layer that compiles architectural decisions into structured constraints, retrieves them at prompt time based on what the agent is doing, and validates outputs against them. Rules files document standards. Mneme enforces them.
Can I use Cursor Rules and Mneme HQ together?
Yes. Mneme HQ can generate an optimized `.cursor/rules/mneme.mdc` file from your structured decision store, so the locked-down rules surface inside Cursor automatically. Mneme HQ continues to enforce the same decisions in CI and via hooks for non-IDE workflows.
Why isn't a longer .cursorrules file enough?
Plain-text rules files have no precedence engine, no scoping, no validation, and no audit trail. They sit in the model's context as instructions and are subject to truncation, paraphrasing, and outright neglect. Architectural governance needs deterministic checks that don't depend on model attention.
Does Mneme HQ work with Claude Code, Copilot, and other assistants?
Yes. Mneme HQ is workflow-level, not IDE-specific. It generates assistant-specific rule artifacts (Cursor Rules, `CLAUDE.md`-sourced files) and runs deterministic checks via `mneme check` that any agent or pipeline can call before generation.

## Related reading

- Why Prompt Memory Fails at Scale
- Prompt Engineering Is Not Governance
- Architectural Governance Across Heterogeneous AI Coding Agents