AI Prompts
AI Prompts lets you browse instructions and rules from Instructa.ai – AI Prompts Directory. You can easily add rules and prompts to your project to enhance your AI agent.
It's the successor to the previous Cursor Rules Manager and has been renamed since it also works in Windsurf, Cline, Copilot, and other VS Code editors.
Features
- Browse AI Prompts: Explore a collection of curated AI prompts directly from the VS Code sidebar
- Filter Prompts: Search and filter prompts based on keywords, frameworks, or technologies
- Apply Prompts: Apply AI prompts to your current project with a single click
Installation
- Open VS Code
- Go to the Extensions view by clicking on the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar or pressing
Ctrl+Shift+X
- Search for "AI Prompts Manager"
- Click "Install"
Commands
Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS) and type "Instructa AI" to see available commands
Instructa AI: Search Prompts - Open the prompt search interface
Instructa AI: Refresh Prompts - Update the prompt list to get the latest additions
Instructa AI: Apply Prompt - Apply a selected prompt to your project
Instructa AI: Plan Project - Use AI to plan your project structure (Premium)
Instructa AI: Rule Overview - View details about a specific prompt or rule
Getting Started
Click on the Instructa AI Prompts icon in the Activity Bar
1. Accessing the Extension
After installation, you can access the AI Prompts Manager in the sidebar.
2. Browsing Prompts
The sidebar view displays a list of available prompts. You can:
- Scroll through the list to explore all prompts
- Use the search bar to find specific prompts
- Filter prompts by technology, framework, or category
3. Applying Prompts
To apply a prompt to your project:
- Select a prompt from the list
- Click the "Apply" button or use the context menu
- The prompt will be saved in your project and can be used with AI assistants
How Prompts Work
AI prompts in this extension are stored as .mdc files in your project's .cursor/rules directory. These files contain:
- A description of what the prompt does
- File pattern globs that determine where the prompt applies
- The actual prompt content that guides the AI
When you apply a prompt, it becomes available to AI coding assistants when you're working on files that match the prompt's criteria.
To dynamically include prompts in AI-assisted coding tools like Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Zed, Windsurf, and Cline, you can utilize their respective configuration features. This approach ensures that your AI assistant adheres to project-specific coding standards, best practices, and automation workflows.
Need a Guide? Read the blog post: How to use Cursor Rules | X Post
How to Use AI Prompts in Different Tools
| AI Tool |
How to Include Prompts |
| Cursor |
Add prompts as project rules inside the .cursor/rules/ directory (e.g., .cursor/rules/cursorrules.mdc). Cursor will automatically detect and apply them. For detailed guidance, refer to the official Cursor rule guide. |
| GitHub Copilot |
Create a .github/copilot-instructions.md file in your repository's root directory and add natural language instructions in Markdown format. These instructions will guide Copilot's behavior across your project. More information is available in the GitHub Copilot documentation. |
| Zed |
Store prompts in the .zed/ directory within your project. You can configure project-specific settings by creating a .zed/settings.json file, allowing Zed to apply these configurations accordingly. Consult the Zed documentation for further details. |
| Windsurf |
Add a .windsurfrules file into the project root. Windsurf Getting Started Guide. |
| Cline |
1. Click Cline extension settings 2. Find "Custom Instructions" field 3. Add your instructions Cline GitHub repository. |
Support
For help and support, visit Instructa AI or check out the documentation.
What's New in 0.3.0
- Multi-Editor Support: Enhanced compatibility with more AI-powered editors including Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, and Cline
License
This extension is released under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
