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Cursor rule

Anti-Over-Engineering

Prevent AI over-engineering by keeping changes scoped, simple, and directly tied to the user's request

General

Only change what was asked. Simplest solution first. When unsure, ask.

Do not modify unrequested code, add abstractions without a concrete need, import unnecessary dependencies, rewrite entire files for small changes, or add error handling for impossible scenarios.

Before delivery: verify you only changed requested code, check for simpler approaches, confirm no unrequested files were touched.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the Anti-Over-Engineering Cursor rule?

Prevent AI over-engineering by keeping changes scoped, simple, and directly tied to the user's request It is a General rule, stored as anti-overengineering.mdc.

How do I use the Anti-Over-Engineering rule in Cursor?

Copy the rule from this page and save it as anti-overengineering.mdc in your project's .cursor/rules folder, or paste it into Cursor's project rules settings.