Markdown Rules

by valstro

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About

The portable alternative to Cursor Rules and IDE-specific rules.

Details

Author: valstro
Downloads: 298
Categories: Developer Tools, Knowledge Base

- Define document inclusion types via YAML frontmatter (global, auto-attached, agent-requested, manual)
- Link to external files and embed specific line ranges from code/config files
- Hoist linked file context for improved AI awareness
- Reindex documentation when files change
- Customizable usage instructions for the AI assistant

Setting up with Highlight

This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:

Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
Configure the plugin with the settings below

Plugin Name Markdown Rules

Command (node, npx, python, etc.)

Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches

Setting up with Cursor

Open Cursor's settings
Navigate to the MCP section
Click "Add new Global MCP server"
Copy and paste the configuration below based on your operating system

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Claude Desktop

Open Claude Desktop's settings
Go to the Integrations tab
Click "Add MCP Server"
Use the configuration below based on your operating system

Note: Make sure Claude Desktop is running before attempting to connect.

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Windsurf

Open Windsurf's preferences
Go to the Integrations section
Click "Add MCP Integration"
Use the configuration below based on your operating system

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Cline

Open Cline's settings
Navigate to the Integrations section
Click "Add MCP Server"
Copy and paste the configuration below based on your operating system

Note: Make sure to restart Cline after adding the configuration.

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Goose

Open Goose's preferences
Go to the Integrations tab
Select "MCP Servers"
Click "Add New Server"
Use the configuration below based on your operating system

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

From the repository

Install globally with npm install -g @valstro/markdown-rules-mcp, then configure the MCP server with PROJECT_ROOT, MARKDOWN_INCLUDE, and optional HOIST_CONTEXT environment variables. Create .md files with YAML frontmatter and invoke get_relevant_docs to fetch relevant documentation.

`get_relevant_docs`

Get relevant markdown docs inside this project before answering the user's query to help you reply based on more context. # Usage Instructions ## When to use "get_relevant_docs" tool * You **must** call the "get_relevant_docs" MCP tool before providing your first response in any new chat session. * After the initial call in a chat, you should **only** call "get_relevant_docs" again if one of these specific situations occurs: * The user explicitly requests it. * The user attaches new files. * The user's query introduces a completely new topic unrelated to the previous discussion. ## How to use "get_relevant_docs" tool * "attachedFiles": ALWAYS include file paths the user has attached in their query. * "projectDocs" * ONLY include project docs that are VERY RELEVANT to user's query. * You must have a high confidence when picking docs that may be relevant. * If the user's query is a generic question unrelated to this specific project, leave this empty. * Always heavily bias towards leaving this empty.

`reindex_docs`

Reindex the docs. Useful for when you want to force a re-index of the docs because there were changes to the docs or the index

`list_indexed_docs`

Print a full count & summary of the docs in the index. Also shows the usage instructions for the `get_relevant_docs` tool. Useful for debugging. Will only show the first 20 docs in each category & a small preview of the content.

Claude Desktop / Cursor

Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdown rules": {
            "markdown-rules-mcp": {
                "command": "npx",
                "args": [
                    "-y",
                    "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
                ],
                "env": {
                    "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
                    "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
                    "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

McpServers

{
    "markdown-rules-mcp": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": [
            "-y",
            "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"
        ],
        "env": {
            "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
            "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs/**/*.md",
            "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
        }
    }
}

Prerequisites 📋

- Node.js (v18 or higher)
- Cursor or other MCP supported AI coding tools

Installation 🛠️

Manual Installation

1. Install the MCP server

npm install -g @valstro/markdown-rules-mcp

2. Configure the MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markdown-rules-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@valstro/markdown-rules-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PROJECT_ROOT": "/absolute/path/to/project/root",
        "MARKDOWN_INCLUDE": "./docs//.md",
        "HOIST_CONTEXT": true
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuring Usage Instructions (Optional)

To change the default usage instructions, create a markdown-rules.md file in your project root. The file should contain the usage instructions for the get_relevant_docs tool.

The default usage instructions are:

# Usage Instructions

You must call the get_relevant_docs MCP tool before providing your first response in any new chat session. After the initial call in a chat, you should only call get_relevant_docs again if one of these specific situations occurs: The user explicitly requests it. The user attaches new files. The user's query introduces a completely new topic unrelated to the previous discussion.

Note: You can change the default usage instructions file path by adding the USAGE_INSTRUCTIONS_PATH environment variable to the MCP server configuration.

Tools

- get_relevant_docs - Get relevant docs based on the user's query. Is called based on the usage instructions.
- list_indexed_docs - Count and preview indexed docs & usage instructions. Useful for debugging.
- reindex_docs - Reindex the docs. Useful if docs in the index have changed or new docs have been added.

How To Use 📝

Create .md files in your project with YAML frontmatter to define how they should be included in AI context.

Document Types

| Type | Frontmatter | Description | When Included |
|------|-------------|-------------|---------------|
| Global | alwaysApply: true | Always included in every AI conversation | Automatically, every time |
| Auto-Attached | globs: ["/.ts", "src/"] | Included when attached files match the glob patterns | When you attach matching files |
| Agent-Requested | description: "Brief summary" | Available for AI to select based on relevance | When AI determines it's relevant to your query |
| No Frontmatter | None | Must be included in the prompt manually with @ symbol | When AI determines it's relevant to your query |

Frontmatter Examples

Global (always included):

--- description: Project Guidelines alwaysApply: true --- Project Guidelines
This doc will always be included.

Auto-attached (included when TypeScript files are attached):

---
description: TypeScript Coding Standards
globs: ["/.ts", "/.tsx"]
---
TypeScript Coding Standards
This doc will be included when TypeScript files are attached.

Agent-requested (available for AI to select based on relevance):

--- description: Database Schema and Migration Guide --- Database Schema and Migration Guide
This doc will be included when AI selects it based on relevance.

No frontmatter (must be included in the prompt manually with @ symbol):

# Testing Guidelines
This doc needs manual inclusion with @ symbol

Linking Files

Link other files: Add ?md-link=true to include linked files in context

See utilities for helper functions.

Embed specific lines: Add ?md-embed=START-END to include only specific lines inline

Configuration: API Settings

Configuration

- PROJECT_ROOT - Default: process.cwd() - The absolute path to the project root.
- MARKDOWN_INCLUDE - Default: /.md - Pattern to find markdown doc files
- HOIST_CONTEXT - Default: true - Whether to show linked files before the docs that reference them
- MARKDOWN_EXCLUDE - Default: /node_modules/,/build/,/dist/,/.git/,/coverage/,/.next/,/.nuxt/,/out/,/.cache/,/tmp/,/temp/ - Patterns to ignore when finding markdown files

Example 📝

Imagine you have the following files in your project:

project-overview.md:

--- description: Project Overview and Setup alwaysApply: true --- Project Overview This document covers the main goals and setup instructions. See the Core Utilities for essential functions.

For configuration details, refer to this section: Config Example

src/utils.ts:

// src/utils.ts
export function helperA() {
  console.log("Helper A");
}
export function helperB() {

  console.log("Helper B");

}

config.json:

{
  "timeout": 5000,
  "repeats": 3,
  "retries": 3,
  "featureFlags": {
    "newUI": true
  }
}

Generated Context Output (if `HOIST_CONTEXT` is `true`):

When the get_relevant_docs tool runs, because project-overview.md has alwaysApply: true, the server would generate context like this:

<file description="Core Utilities" type="related" file="src/utils.ts">
// src/utils.ts
export function helperA() {
  console.log("Helper A");
}
export function helperB() {

  console.log("Helper B");

}

</file>
<doc description="Project Overview and Setup" type="always" file="project-overview.md">

Project Overview

This document covers the main goals and setup instructions.
See the Core Utilities for essential functions.
For configuration details, refer to this section: Config Example

<inline_doc description="Config Example" file="config.json" lines="2-4">

  "timeout": 5000,

  "repeats": "YOUR_API_KEY",

  "retries": 3,

</inline_doc>

</doc>

Generated Context Output (if `HOIST_CONTEXT` is `false`):

<doc description="Project Overview and Setup" type="always" file="project-overview.md">
Project Overview
This document covers the main goals and setup instructions.
See the Core Utilities for essential functions.
For configuration details, refer to this section: Config Example

<inline_doc description="Config Example" file="config.json" lines="2-4">

  "timeout": 5000,

  "repeats": "YOUR_API_KEY",

  "retries": 3,

</inline_doc>

</doc>
<file description="Core Utilities" type="related" file="src/utils.ts">

// src/utils.ts

export function helperA() {

  console.log("Helper A");

}
export function helperB() {

  console.log("Helper B");

}

</file>

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About

Details

Jump to

Setting up with Highlight

From the repository

get_relevant_docs

reindex_docs

list_indexed_docs

Claude Desktop / Cursor

McpServers

Prerequisites 📋

Installation 🛠️

Manual Installation

Configuring Usage Instructions (Optional)

Tools

How To Use 📝

Document Types

Frontmatter Examples

Project Guidelines

TypeScript Coding Standards

Database Schema and Migration Guide

Linking Files

Configuration

Example 📝

Project Overview

Generated Context Output (if HOIST_CONTEXT is true):

Project Overview

Generated Context Output (if HOIST_CONTEXT is false):

Project Overview

Install

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`get_relevant_docs`

`reindex_docs`

`list_indexed_docs`

Generated Context Output (if `HOIST_CONTEXT` is `true`):

Generated Context Output (if `HOIST_CONTEXT` is `false`):