| name | cursor-common-errors |
| description | Troubleshoot common Cursor IDE errors: authentication, completion, indexing, API, and performance
issues. Triggers on "cursor error", "cursor not working", "cursor issue", "cursor problem",
"fix cursor", "cursor crash".
|
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Edit, Bash(cmd:*) |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| license | MIT |
| author | Jeremy Longshore <jeremy@intentsolutions.io> |
| compatible-with | claude-code, codex, openclaw |
| tags | ["saas","cursor","cursor-common"] |
Cursor Common Errors
Diagnostic and resolution guide for the most frequent Cursor IDE issues. Organized by error category with specific symptoms, causes, and fixes.
Authentication Errors
"Sign-in failed" / OAuth Loop
Symptoms: Browser opens for auth, redirects back, Cursor still shows "Sign In".
Fix:
- Clear browser cookies for
cursor.com and auth.cursor.com
- Try incognito/private window for the OAuth flow
- Check if browser is blocking popups from cursor.com
- Try a different auth method (GitHub vs Google vs email)
"License not found" / "No active subscription"
Symptoms: Signed in but AI features are disabled.
Fix:
- Verify subscription at cursor.com/settings
- Confirm the email address matches your Cursor account
- Sign out (
Cmd+Shift+P > Sign Out) then sign back in
- If on a team plan, ask admin to verify your seat is assigned
"Session expired"
Symptoms: Features stop working mid-session.
Fix: Cmd+Shift+P > Cursor: Sign Out > Sign back in. This refreshes the auth token.
AI Completion Errors
Tab Suggestions Not Appearing
Symptoms: No ghost text while typing.
Causes and fixes:
| Cause | Fix |
|---|
| Tab completion disabled | Cursor Settings > Tab > enable |
| Conflicting extension (Copilot/TabNine) | Disable other completion extensions |
| File type not supported | Check file is a recognized language |
| Rate limited (Free plan) | Wait or upgrade to Pro |
| Large file (>10K lines) | Split file or use Cmd+K for specific sections |
"Request failed" / "Model unavailable"
Symptoms: Chat or Composer returns an error instead of a response.
Fix:
- Check status.cursor.com for outages
- Switch to a different model (model dropdown in Chat/Composer)
- If using BYOK, verify API key is valid and has credits
- Try a shorter prompt (may have hit context limit)
Poor Quality Suggestions
Symptoms: AI generates irrelevant, outdated, or incorrect code.
Fix:
- Add context: use
@Files to reference relevant code
- Add project rules: create
.cursor/rules/*.mdc with your patterns
- Switch model: try Claude Opus or GPT-5 for complex tasks
- Start a new chat: long conversations degrade quality
- Be more specific: "Add Zod validation to the user endpoint" beats "fix validation"
Indexing Errors
"Indexing stuck" / Never Completes
Symptoms: Status bar shows "Indexing..." indefinitely.
Fix:
- Check
.cursorignore -- exclude node_modules/, dist/, large data files
Cmd+Shift+P > Cursor: Resync Index
- Close and reopen the workspace
- Delete index cache:
macOS: rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor/Cache/
Linux: rm -rf ~/.config/Cursor/Cache/
- Restart Cursor
"@Codebase returns no results"
Symptoms: Codebase search finds nothing, even for known code.
Fix:
- Wait for indexing to complete (check status bar)
- Verify the file is not in
.cursorignore or .gitignore
- Resync the index
- Check network connectivity (embeddings require API access)
Performance Errors
Cursor is Slow / Freezing
Symptoms: Editor lags, typing delays, UI freezes.
Diagnosis and fixes:
Step 1: Open Process Explorer
Cmd+Shift+P > "Developer: Open Process Explorer"
Identify which process uses most CPU/memory
Step 2: Extension audit
Disable extensions one-by-one to find the culprit
Common offenders: GitLens (large repos), Prettier (on save), ESLint
Step 3: Reduce indexed scope
Add large directories to .cursorignore
Step 4: Clear chat history
Long chat sessions consume memory. Start new chats frequently.
Step 5: Increase memory limit
settings.json: "files.maxMemoryForLargeFilesMB": 4096
High CPU After Startup
Symptoms: CPU spikes for minutes after opening a project.
Cause: Initial indexing + extension loading.
Fix: Wait for indexing to complete. Add aggressive .cursorignore patterns. Close unused workspace folders.
Extension Errors
Extension Not Found / Install Failed
Symptoms: Extension from VS Code Marketplace not available.
Cause: Cursor uses Open VSX Registry, not Microsoft's marketplace.
Fix:
- Search the extension on open-vsx.org
- If not on Open VSX, download
.vsix from VS Code Marketplace website
Cmd+Shift+P > Extensions: Install from VSIX...
Extension Conflicts with AI Features
Common conflicts:
| Extension | Conflict | Resolution |
|---|
| GitHub Copilot | Duplicate Tab suggestions | Disable Copilot in Cursor |
| TabNine | Duplicate completions | Disable TabNine |
| IntelliCode | Suggestion conflicts | Disable IntelliCode |
| Vim | Ctrl+K/L/I conflicts | Remap AI shortcuts (see cursor-keybindings skill) |
Network Errors
"Connection refused" / "Timeout"
Symptoms: AI features fail but editor works fine.
Fix:
- Check internet connectivity
- Check if corporate firewall/proxy blocks
*.cursor.com
- Required domains to allowlist:
api.cursor.com
api2.cursor.com
auth.cursor.com
*.turbopuffer.com (for indexing)
- If using VPN, try disconnecting temporarily
Crash Recovery
Cursor Won't Start
cursor --disable-extensions
cursor --disable-gpu
cp -r ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor ~/cursor-backup
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor/Cache
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor/CachedData
Recovering Unsaved Work
Cursor auto-saves by default. Check:
File > Open Recent for recent files
- Hot exit preserves unsaved buffers between sessions
- Git reflog if changes were staged:
git reflog
Enterprise Considerations
Resources