agent-rules-mcp

Agent Rules MCP Server

This MCP server eliminates the need for local rule files in your workspace. Instead of copying coding standards into each project, you can now prompt AI agents to fetch specific coding rules or all your rules from any rules folder on a public repository or your own.

Features

• GitHub Integration: Fetches rules from any GitHub repository
• Simple Setup: Configure with environment variables, no local files needed
• Configurable: Support for custom repositories, branches, and paths
• Community Rules: Works with existing collections like awesome-cursorrules and awesome-copilot, etc.
• Compound Extensions: Supports .chatmode.md, .prompt.md, .instructions.md files
• Flexible Format: Supports any markdown files (.md/.mdc) with or without metadata

MCP Client Configuration (default)

Add this configuration to your MCP client (VS Code, Kiro, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agent-rules": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y","agent-rules-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_OWNER": "4regab",
        "GITHUB_REPO": "agent-rules-mcp",
        "GITHUB_PATH": "rules",
        "GITHUB_BRANCH": "master"
      },
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

Example Use of Community Rules Collections

GitHub Awesome Copilot Collection

Get instant access to community-maintained coding rules:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agent-rules": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y","agent-rules-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_OWNER": "github",
        "GITHUB_REPO": "awesome-copilot",         
        "GITHUB_PATH": "instructions",
        "GITHUB_BRANCH": "main"
      },
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

Awesome Cursor Rules Collection

Alternative collection for cursor-specific rules:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agent-rules": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y","agent-rules-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
         "GITHUB_OWNER": "PatrickJS",
         "GITHUB_REPO": "awesome-cursorrules",
         "GITHUB_PATH": "rules-new",
         "GITHUB_BRANCH": "main"
         }
       }
     }
   }

Available Tools

• get_rules: Retrieves rule content for one or multiple domains from the GitHub repository rules folder.
• list_rules: Lists all available rule domains with descriptions.

Using Your Own Rules Folder Repository (Recommended)

To use your own GitHub repository instead of the default:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "agentrules": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y","agent-rules-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_OWNER": "your-username",
        "GITHUB_REPO": "your-rules-repo",
        "GITHUB_PATH": "your-rules-folder",
        "GITHUB_BRANCH": "main"
      },
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

Example repository structure:

my-coding-rules/
├── rules/                       # Traditional single directory
│   ├── python-style.md          # Standard markdown with metadata
│   ├── react-patterns.mdc       # MDC format supported
│   └── security-checklist.md    # With YAML frontmatter
├── README.md
└── .gitignore

How This Helps

On-Demand Rule Access for AI Agents

Before (Traditional Approach):

my-project/
├──rules                  ← Local rule files needed
│   ├── react-rules.md
│   ├── security-rules.md
│   └── typescript-rules.md
├── src/
└── package.json

After (agent-rules MCP Approach):

my-project/
├── src/
└── package.json          ← Clean workspace, no local rules needed

# In Coding Agent:
"Apply React best practices to this component"
→ Agent automatically fetches React rules from your rules folder

Flexible Support & File Format Compatibility

The server works with various file formats and naming conventions:

Supported Extensions:

• .md - Standard markdown files
• .mdc - MDC (Markdown Components) files
• .chatmode.md - AI assistant mode definitions
• .prompt.md - Prompt templates
• .instructions.md - Coding instruction files

Automatic Metadata Extraction: If no explicit metadata is provided, the server will:

• Extract the first heading as a title
• Use the first paragraph as a description
• Generate a fallback description based on the filename
• Parse YAML frontmatter when available

Domain Name Handling:

• accessibility.chatmode.md → domain: accessibility
• react-best-practices.instructions.md → domain: react-best-practices
• 4.1-Beast.chatmode.md → domain: 4.1-Beast (supports dots and special chars)

This means you can use any existing markdown documentation as rules without modification.

Contributing

We welcome contributions to the default rule repository!

• Clear Domain Names: Use descriptive, kebab-case filenames
• Complete Metadata: Include description and last updated date
• Quality Content: Provide actionable, well-organized rules with examples
• Test Locally: Verify your rules work with the MCP server
• Follow Format: Use standard markdown structure

Recommended Structure (for optimal metadata extraction):

# Title of the coding rules

- Last Updated: YYYY-MM-DD
- Description: Brief description of the rules (used in list_rules() responses)
- Version: X.X (optional, for tracking major changes)

## Content 

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Issues: Report bugs and feature requests on GitHub Issues
• Documentation: Check this README and inline code documentation