Claude Code Agents vs Cursor Rules: What's the Difference?
Developers moving between Cursor and Claude Code often ask whether Claude Code subagents are just Cursor rules with a different name. They're related — both are text files that shape how the AI behaves — but they solve different problems.
Rules are instructions added to the AI's context. Subagents are separate specialists, each with its own context window, tools and job. This page explains the difference and when each one makes sense.
Quick verdict
Use rules (in Cursor) or CLAUDE.md (in Claude Code) for standing instructions about your project. Use Claude Code subagents when you want specialists that take on whole tasks — reviews, audits, test writing — in their own context.
Rules are best for…
- Coding conventions and style guides
- Project structure and framework notes
- Instructions that apply to almost every request
- Teams already working in Cursor
Claude Code subagents are best for…
- Delegating whole tasks to a specialist
- Keeping long work out of your main context
- Limiting which tools a task can use
- Running repeatable workflows from the terminal
Side-by-side comparison
| Cursor rules | Claude Code subagents | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Instructions included in the AI's context | A separate specialist with its own system prompt |
| Where it lives | Rule files in your project (e.g. .cursor/rules/) | .claude/agents/ or ~/.claude/agents/ |
| Context | Shares the main conversation's context | Runs in its own context window |
| Tool access | Same as the main assistant | Can be limited per agent |
| How it's used | Applied automatically or by pattern | Picked by description or called by name |
| Closest Claude Code equivalent | CLAUDE.md and .claude/rules/ | — |
How rules work
Rules are standing instructions. When the AI works on your project, matching rules are added to what it reads, so it follows your conventions: which framework you use, how files are named, which patterns to avoid. They make every answer a little more on-brand for your codebase.
In Claude Code the equivalent is CLAUDE.md — a markdown file at the root of your project (and optionally in subfolders or your home directory) that Claude Code reads at the start of every session.
How Claude Code subagents work
A subagent is a specialist. It's a markdown file with a name, a description of when to use it, an optional list of allowed tools, and its own system prompt. When Claude Code hands a task to a subagent, that agent works in a fresh context window and reports back a result.
That separation is the key difference. A code review or SEO audit can read dozens of files without filling your main conversation, and an agent that only needs to read files can be blocked from running shell commands.
Can you convert Cursor rules to Claude Code?
Mostly, yes — and Claude Code's /import cursor command can bring your Cursor configuration on the same machine across for you. Project-wide rules belong in CLAUDE.md; rules for one part of the codebase fit .claude/rules/ files scoped to those paths. Rules that describe a specific job — 'when writing tests, do X' — often work better as a subagent or skill, so they only load when that job comes up.
- Coding style and stack notes → CLAUDE.md
- A repeatable job such as reviewing, testing or auditing → a subagent
- A multi-step workflow you trigger yourself → a skill or slash command
Where claudeagents fits
claudeagents gives you both halves for Claude Code: a CLAUDE.md system for your project rules, and 120+ subagents, 54 skills and 54 slash commands for the specialist work. You fill in CLAUDE.md once and every agent follows it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Claude Code equivalent of Cursor rules?
CLAUDE.md. It's a markdown file Claude Code reads at the start of each session, used for project conventions, commands and context.
Are Claude Code subagents the same as Cursor rules?
No. Rules add instructions to the main assistant's context. Subagents are separate specialists with their own context window, system prompt and optional tool limits.
Can I use Cursor and Claude Code on the same project?
Yes. Their configuration files live in different places, so you can keep Cursor rules and a CLAUDE.md side by side.
Do I need subagents if I already have a good CLAUDE.md?
Not always. CLAUDE.md covers conventions. Subagents help when you want to delegate whole tasks and keep long work out of your main conversation.
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