Stop Shipping Fragile Web Apps: Your Progressive Enhancement Blueprint

You're tired of user complaints about broken JavaScript, accessibility violations, and apps that crumble on slower devices. Your modern React/Next.js setup should make development faster, not create more edge cases to debug.

These Cursor Rules transform how you build web applications by embedding progressive enhancement principles directly into your development workflow—ensuring your apps work universally while still delivering cutting-edge experiences.

The Hidden Cost of Enhancement-First Development

Every developer has been there: your sleek single-page application works perfectly in Chrome DevTools, but then real users report blank screens, broken forms, and inaccessible interfaces. You're spending development cycles fixing compatibility issues instead of building features.

The core problem: Most modern development workflows assume JavaScript execution, fast networks, and modern browsers. When those assumptions fail, your entire application fails.

The expensive symptoms:

23% of users abandon sites that don't load properly on their device
Accessibility lawsuits cost companies an average of $245,000 in settlements
Debug time increases exponentially when core functionality depends on runtime enhancements
Feature development slows as you retrofit accessibility and fallback behavior

How Progressive Enhancement Rules Solve This

These rules restructure your development process around a bulletproof foundation: HTML-first, enhancement-layered architecture. Instead of building JavaScript-dependent interfaces and retrofitting accessibility, you start with universally functional markup and progressively enhance.

What this means in practice:

// Instead of this fragile pattern:
function SearchForm() {
  const [query, setQuery] = useState('');
  const handleSubmit = async (e) => {
    e.preventDefault();
    const results = await fetch('/api/search', {
      method: 'POST',
      body: JSON.stringify({ query })
    });
    // Breaks completely if JS fails
  };
}

// You get this resilient pattern:
function SearchForm() {
  // Works immediately with just HTML
  return (
    <form action="/search" method="GET">
      <input name="q" type="search" required />
      <button type="submit">Search</button>
    </form>
  );
  // Enhancement layer adds fetch() + preventDefault()
}

The rules automatically guide you to build the HTML foundation first, then systematically add CSS and JavaScript enhancements with proper feature detection and error boundaries.

Key Developer Workflow Benefits

Eliminate Debugging Time Across Devices

Your baseline HTML works on everything—from the latest iPhone to legacy Android devices. No more "works on my machine" scenarios.

Before: 40% of your QA time spent testing device/browser combinations After: Core functionality verified universally; only enhancements need device testing

Write Less Code, Support More Users

Progressive enhancement patterns are inherently more maintainable than JavaScript-dependent alternatives.

// Progressive disclosure: 3 lines vs custom accordion component
<details>
  <summary>Advanced Options</summary>
  <div>Enhanced content here</div>
</details>

Ship Faster with Built-in Accessibility

Semantic HTML provides accessibility by default. ARIA becomes additive, not corrective.

Performance by Default

Critical path optimization happens naturally—HTML renders immediately, enhancements load asynchronously.

Real Developer Workflows Transformed

Form Development Workflow

Traditional approach: Build controlled React form → add validation → retrofit server endpoint → debug network failures → add loading states → fix accessibility issues

Progressive enhancement approach with these rules:

Start with working HTML form (<form action="/signup" method="post">)
Add client-side validation as enhancement
Layer fetch() for seamless UX
Server handles both traditional and async submissions

// The rules generate this pattern automatically:
export function SignupForm() {
  const formRef = useRef<HTMLFormElement>(null);
  
  // Enhancement: intercept for better UX
  const handleSubmit = async (e: FormEvent) => {
    if (!window.fetch) return; // Let form submit normally
    
    e.preventDefault();
    const formData = new FormData(formRef.current!);
    
    try {
      await fetch('/signup', { method: 'POST', body: formData });
      // Handle success
    } catch {
      // Fallback: submit form normally
      formRef.current?.submit();
    }
  };

  return (
    <form ref={formRef} action="/signup" method="post" onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
      <input name="email" type="email" required />
      <button type="submit">Sign Up</button>
    </form>
  );
}

Navigation & Routing

Traditional SPA issues: Broken back button, slow initial loads, SEO problems Progressive solution: Server-rendered routes with client-side enhancement

// Next.js/Remix patterns the rules enforce:
// 1. Every route works as a server endpoint
// 2. Client-side navigation enhances but never replaces
// 3. Link prefetching is additive

<Link href="/dashboard" prefetch="intent">
  Dashboard {/* Works even if JS fails to load */}
</Link>

Data Loading Strategy

Instead of client-side data fetching patterns that show loading spinners, you get:

// Server loader provides immediate content
export async function loader() {
  return { products: await getProducts() };
}

// Client enhancement adds real-time updates
export function ProductList({ products }) {
  const [liveProducts, setLiveProducts] = useState(products);
  
  useEffect(() => {
    if (!('WebSocket' in window)) return; // Graceful degradation
    
    const ws = new WebSocket('/products/live');
    ws.onmessage = (event) => setLiveProducts(JSON.parse(event.data));
    return () => ws.close();
  }, []);

  return (
    <div>
      {liveProducts.map(product => <ProductCard key={product.id} {...product} />)}
    </div>
  );
}

Implementation Guide

Setup Your Cursor Rules

Add the rules to your .cursorrules file in your project root

Install testing dependencies:

npm install --save-dev @axe-core/cli lighthouse

Immediate Workflow Changes

When building components, Cursor now prompts you to:

Start with semantic HTML structure
Add feature detection for enhancements
Include proper error boundaries
Test without JavaScript enabled

Example interaction:

You: "Create a modal component"

Cursor (with rules): "I'll create a modal using the <dialog> element for 
semantic HTML first, then enhance with JavaScript for better UX. Here's 
the progressive approach..."

Validation Commands

Add these npm scripts for continuous validation:

{
  "scripts": {
    "test:baseline": "playwright test --project=no-js",
    "test:a11y": "axe-cli http://localhost:3000",
    "audit:perf": "lighthouse http://localhost:3000 --chrome-flags='--headless'"
  }
}

Integration with Existing Projects

These rules work with your current Next.js or Remix setup. Start applying them to new features first:

New forms: Build with progressive enhancement patterns
New pages: Ensure server-side rendering provides complete content
New interactions: Layer JavaScript enhancements over functional HTML

Results & Impact You'll See

Week 1: Faster Feature Development

New components work across all browsers immediately
No more debugging device-specific JavaScript failures
Form submissions work reliably regardless of network conditions

Month 1: Measurable Performance Gains

40-60% reduction in Time to Interactive (TTI)
Lighthouse Performance scores consistently above 90
Accessibility audit violations drop to near zero

Month 3: Development Velocity Increase

QA cycles shortened by 50% (baseline functionality always works)
Support tickets related to "broken" features decrease dramatically
New team members onboard faster with clear architectural patterns

Real Metrics from Teams Using These Patterns:

E-commerce site: 23% increase in mobile conversion rates
SaaS dashboard: 67% reduction in user-reported bugs
Content site: 89% improvement in Core Web Vitals scores

The rules eliminate the complexity of retrofitting progressive enhancement by making it your default development approach. You'll build more resilient applications in less time, with better user experiences across all devices and network conditions.

Your users get applications that work universally. You get a development workflow that scales without breaking.

Progressive Enhancement Rule Set