MCP agent rules

Jesse ships a single canonical prompt for AI assistants that use the Jesse MCP server: the mcp-rules.md file inside your project. It defines role, tool-only actions, which jesse:// resources to prefer, code standards, mandatory optimization reports, candle import reconnect rules, and backtest defaults.

Starting with the recent versions of Jesse, you don't need to copy, rename, or maintain this file by hand. Every time you run jesse run, Jesse writes (or refreshes) AGENTS.md at the root of your project so your assistant always sees the rules that match your installed Jesse version.

How it works

When you run jesse run, Jesse looks in your project directory for an agent rules file in this order:

1. AGENTS.md — the cross-tool standard (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Zed, and others read this automatically).
2. CLAUDE.md
3. mcp-rules.md — the legacy name used by older Jesse projects.

• If none of these exist, Jesse creates AGENTS.md with the current rules.
• If one of them exists, Jesse keeps it in sync with the bundled rules — see below for the exact behavior.

You then point your AI tool at this file (most modern tools pick up AGENTS.md automatically; see the per-tool notes further down).

Managed section markers

Jesse only edits the content between these two markers in your rules file:

<!-- JESSE-RULES-START v1.13.8 -->
...rules body, version-pinned to the installed Jesse version...
<!-- JESSE-RULES-END -->

Anything outside the markers is yours and will never be touched by Jesse. This is the right place to add your own project-specific notes — house style for strategy naming, a list of preferred exchanges, etc. For example:

# My project notes
Always use BTC-USDT on Binance Spot for the first iteration.

<!-- JESSE-RULES-START v1.13.8 -->
...Jesse-managed rules go here, refreshed automatically...
<!-- JESSE-RULES-END -->

# Other agent reminders
Keep weekly reports under `notes/reviews/`.

When Jesse upgrades and you run jesse run, only the block between the markers is rewritten. Your prelude and tail stay intact.

Migration from older Jesse versions

If your project already contains an mcp-rules.md or AGENTS.md that you copied from an older Jesse release (no markers yet), Jesse will detect it on the next jesse run and rewrap it in the new marker format automatically. There is nothing for you to do.

If you've heavily customized the file (it no longer starts with Jesse's standard opening) and there are no markers, Jesse leaves it alone and prints a one-line warning suggesting you wrap your Jesse section in the markers shown above. Once you do, future jesse run calls will keep the wrapped block in sync.

Opting out

If for any reason you want Jesse to stop touching the rules file, run:

jesse run --skip-agent-rules

Jesse won't read, create, or modify the file for that session.

Per-tool notes

Most modern AI tools read AGENTS.md at the project root automatically. The notes below cover the edge cases.

Cursor

Cursor reads AGENTS.md in recent versions. If your Cursor version or workspace setup does not pick it up, use a Cursor project rule:

1. Create .cursor/rules/ at the repository root if needed.
2. Add a rule file, for example mcp.mdc.
3. At the top of the file, use YAML front matter so the rule applies automatically:

---
description: Jesse MCP — use only MCP tools for Jesse strategy, backtests, candles, and config
alwaysApply: true
---

4. Below the ---, paste the entire contents of AGENTS.md.

Because Jesse keeps AGENTS.md updated automatically, you will need to re-sync your Cursor rule whenever you upgrade Jesse — or simply rely on AGENTS.md being read directly if your Cursor version supports it.

Cursor also supports global rules under Settings → Rules. Use that only if you want the same behavior in every workspace on this machine; prefer project-level instructions so teammates get the same file from git.

Cursor's UI and field names change between releases; see Cursor — Rules for the latest steps.

VS Code (GitHub Copilot + MCP)

If your Copilot setup does not read AGENTS.md, add .github/copilot-instructions.md at the repo root and paste the same contents there. Reload the window or start a new chat so Copilot picks up changes.

See Microsoft's guide: Customize Copilot in VS Code (look for instructions / custom instructions for your version).

Other MCP clients

Use AGENTS.md when your client supports it. Otherwise, use whatever your client calls system prompt, project instructions, or saved persona, and paste the same text there.

Should I commit AGENTS.md?

Yes. AGENTS.md is project-level configuration — committing it means teammates, CI, and any agent your team uses see the same rules. Jesse will refresh the managed block on the next jesse run if the bundled version differs from what's checked in, and the diff will be clean (only the version number and any rule changes), making upgrades easy to review in pull requests.