AI Agents vs Cursor Rules: What's the Difference?

The AI coding world is full of confusing terms: agents, rules, prompts, MCP servers, skills... what does it all mean?

Let's clear it up.

The Terminology

1. AI Agent (General Term)

An AI system with specific instructions and capabilities to accomplish tasks autonomously.

Example: "A coding agent that writes Python following PEP 8 standards"

2. Cursor Rules

Cursor's term for instructions stored in a .cursorrules file.

Example:

You are an expert in TypeScript and React.
Write functional components with proper types.
Use Tailwind for styling.

3. Windsurf Cascades/Flows

Windsurf's term for AI workflows.

• Cascade: A predefined rule/instruction
• Flow: An autonomous multi-step task

4. MCP Servers

Model Context Protocol servers - programs that give AI access to external tools and data.

Example: A GitHub MCP server lets Claude create pull requests.

5. Claude Code Agents

Instructions/configurations for Claude when used via the CLI.

6. Skills/Plugins

Tool-specific extensions (e.g., Replit skills).

The Confusion

All of these are forms of "AI agents" in the broad sense, but each tool uses different terminology.

Let's map it out:

When to Use Each

Use Cursor Rules When:

• You want AI to follow specific coding standards
• You're working in a single project
• You need consistency across your codebase

Use Windsurf Cascades/Flows When:

• You need multi-step autonomous workflows
• You want AI to make decisions across files
• You're doing complex refactors

Use MCP Servers When:

• You need AI to access external tools (GitHub, databases, APIs)
• You want capabilities beyond code generation
• You're using Claude Code CLI

Use Generic Agents When:

• You want instructions that work across multiple tools
• You're documenting team standards
• You need something portable

The Real Question: What Should You Install?

Forget the terminology. Here's what matters:

For Project-Specific Patterns:

Install a rule/cascade that matches your stack.

Example: "Next.js 15 + Tailwind + TypeScript Strict"

For Tool Capabilities:

Install MCP servers to give AI new powers.

Example: GitHub MCP lets AI create PRs, Postgres MCP lets AI query your database.

For Team Standards:

Create a custom rule encoding your team's conventions.

Example: Your company's component structure, naming conventions, testing requirements.

Can You Use Multiple at Once?

Yes! In fact, you should.

Example setup for a Next.js project:

• Cursor Rule: Next.js + React + TypeScript best practices
• MCP Servers: GitHub (for PRs), File System (for reading), Postgres (for DB queries)
• Custom Team Rule: Your company's specific patterns

They all work together.

The Hierarchy

When there are conflicts:

1. Custom team rules (most specific)
2. Project-specific rules (stack/framework rules)
3. General best practices (language/tool rules)
4. MCP servers (capabilities, no conflicts)

Finding the Right Agents

This is why AgentDepot exists!

We organize agents by:

• Tool (Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code, etc.)
• Type (Rule, Agent, MCP Server, Plugin)
• Category (Coding, Testing, DevOps, etc.)
• Stack (React, Python, Django, etc.)

No more confusion about what to install where.

Conclusion

Here's the TL;DR:

• "AI Agents" is the umbrella term for all of this
• Each tool calls them something different
• They all serve the same purpose: giving AI specific instructions and capabilities
• You can (and should) use multiple types together
• AgentDepot has them all organized for you

Stop worrying about terminology. Start installing agents and shipping faster.

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