Windsurf uses .windsurfrules for project-specific agent instructions:
# Create a combined rules file from your most important skills
cat /path/to/agent-skills/skills/test-driven-development/SKILL.md > .windsurfrules
echo "\n---\n" >> .windsurfrules
cat /path/to/agent-skills/skills/incremental-implementation/SKILL.md >> .windsurfrules
echo "\n---\n" >> .windsurfrules
cat /path/to/agent-skills/skills/code-review-and-quality/SKILL.md >> .windsurfrulesFor skills you want across all projects, add them to Windsurf's global rules:
- Open Windsurf → Settings → AI → Global Rules
- Paste the content of your most-used skills
Keep .windsurfrules focused on 2-3 essential skills to stay within context limits:
# .windsurfrules
# Essential agent-skills for this project
[Paste test-driven-development SKILL.md]
---
[Paste incremental-implementation SKILL.md]
---
[Paste code-review-and-quality SKILL.md]
- Be selective — Windsurf's context is limited. Choose skills that address your biggest quality gaps.
- Reference in conversation — Paste additional skill content into the chat when working on specific phases (e.g., paste
security-and-hardeningwhen building auth). - Use references as checklists — Paste
references/security-checklist.mdand ask Windsurf to verify each item.