Augment Code vs Cursor | agentconfig.ing

Augment Code vs CursorComparisonUpdated 2026-03-16

SUMMARY

Augment Code (IDE) uses markdown configuration while Cursor (IDE) uses mdc. They differ on 3 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.

FEATURE COMPARISON

Feature	Augment Code	Cursor	Notes
Config format	markdown	mdc
Hierarchy support	✓	✓	Whether config files can be placed at multiple directory levels
Global config	✓	✓	User-wide configuration outside any project
Project config	✓	✓
Subdirectory scoping	✓	✓	Config files in subdirectories that apply only to that subtree
File inclusion / imports	✗	✗	Ability to include or reference other files from config
Ignore file	✗	.cursorignore
IDE integration	✓	✓
Schema / structure	Free-form (Markdown)	Hybrid (MDC frontmatter + Markdown)	Whether config uses structured schema or free-form content
Git committed	✓	✓	Whether primary config files are intended to be version-controlled
Encoding	UTF-8	UTF-8

FILE MAPPING

Purpose	Augment Code	Cursor
Project rules	.augment/rules/*.md	.cursor/rules/*.mdc

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

Augment Code

AGENTS.md

markdown

# Project Rules

## Architecture
- Clean architecture with domain, application, and infrastructure layers
- Domain models must not import from infrastructure
- Use dependency injection for all services

## Code Style
- TypeScript strict mode, no implicit any
- Use Result<T, E> for error handling in domain layer
- Prefer composition over inheritance
- Maximum 3 parameters per function; use options objects for more

## Testing
- Unit tests for domain logic (no mocking frameworks)
- Integration tests for API endpoints
- E2E tests for critical user journeys with Playwright

## Dependencies
- Do not add new dependencies without discussing first
- Prefer standard library over third-party for simple tasks

Cursor

.cursor/rules/*.mdc

mdc

---
description: React component conventions and patterns
globs: "*.tsx"
alwaysApply: false
---

# React Component Rules

- Use functional components with explicit return types
- Define props interface directly above the component
- Export components as named exports, never default
- Use Tailwind CSS utility classes exclusively

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Config format

Augment Code: markdown. Cursor: mdc.

2. Ignore file

Augment Code: Not supported. Cursor: .cursorignore.

3. Schema / structure

Augment Code: Free-form (Markdown). Cursor: Hybrid (MDC frontmatter + Markdown).

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Augment Code, configure AGENTS.md. If you use Cursor, configure .cursorrules. Many projects include config files for multiple tools so each team member can use their preferred editor.

PORTABILITY TIP

sync-instructions.sh

bash

# Maintain a single source of truth:
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md CLAUDE.md
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md .cursorrules
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md AGENTS.md