Notepads are in beta and may be deprecated.
Overview
Notepads are context-sharing tools in Cursor that bridge composers and chat interactions. They extend .cursorrules
capabilities, creating reusable contexts for your development workflow.
Notepads are collections of thoughts, rules, and documentation that can be:
Shared between different development environment parts
Referenced using @
syntax
Enhanced with file attachments
Used as dynamic templates
Getting started
Click the ”+” button in the Notepads section
Name your notepad
Add content, context, files and information like you would in composer or chat
Reference it using @
Key features
Context Sharing : Share context between composers and chat
File Attachments : Attach documentation and reference files (not available in .cursorrules
)
Dynamic References : Use @
mentions to link resources
Flexible Content : Write and structure information as needed
Common use cases
Dynamic Boilerplate Generation
Create templates for code patterns
Store project-specific scaffolding rules
Maintain consistent code structure
Architecture Documentation
Frontend specifications
Backend design patterns
Data model documentation
System architecture guidelines
Development Guidelines
Coding standards
Project-specific rules
Best practices
Team conventions
FAQ
What should I write in Notepads?
Notepads are for:
Project architecture decisions
Development guidelines and standards
Reusable code templates
Frequently referenced documentation
Team conventions and rules
What should not be written in Notepads?
Avoid:
Temporary notes or scratch work
Version control information
Sensitive data or credentials
Frequently changing information
Should I follow a particular format or structure?
Example Notepad
Example for a web application project:
# API Development Guidelines
## Endpoint Structure
- Use RESTful conventions
- Base URL: `/api/v1`
- Resource naming in plural form
## Authentication
- JWT-based authentication
- Token format: Bearer {token}
- Refresh token mechanism required
## Response Format
{
"status": "success|error",
"data": {},
"message": "Optional message"
}
## Attached References
@api-specs.yaml
@auth-flow.md