Cursor Errors: Every Documented Failure and Fix
Cursor errors: deleted files, mangled edits, context loss, checkpoint and worktree traps.
Cursor Agent Deleted My Files (Wiped Uncommitted Work)
Stop the agent and stop writing to that disk now: deleted files skip the Trash. Then recover in order: Cursor's Restore Checkpoint...
Easy · 5-15 minutesCursor's Apply Model Made No Changes to the File (or Mangled the Edit)
Reject the bad diff instead of letting the agent retry it. Restore the file from Restore Checkpoint, the Timeline (local history),...
Easy · 5-10 minutes to reset a degraded chatCursor Forgot Everything Mid-Chat (Context Loss in Long Sessions)
Cursor has no cross-session memory, and long chats get summarized as they approach the context cap, so treat chats as disposable: ...
Easy · 5-15 minutesCursor Agent Stuck in an Infinite Loop, Repeating the Same Command
Stop the run immediately, then start a fresh chat and restate the task with what is already done. The loop is a context failure: m...
Moderate · 15-45 minutesCursor Keeps Breaking My Working Code While 'Improving' Something Else
Scope every prompt: name the exact files Cursor may touch and add 'do not modify any other files; do not refactor or rename anythi...
Easy · 10-30 minutesCursor Restore Checkpoint Missing or Not Working
Warning: do not rely on the checkpoint, and recover your code another way first. Fully quit and reopen Cursor (missing restore but...
Easy · 5-15 minutesCursor's Worktree Cleanup Force-Deleted My Git Branch
Don't panic, and don't run anything destructive: force-deleting a branch removes the pointer, not the commits. Run git reflog, fin...
Documented Cursor incidents
Two Cursor Flaws, 'CurXecute' and 'MCPoison,' Let Attackers Run Code via Poisoned AI Config
In early August 2025, researchers disclosed two remote-code-execution vulnerabilities in the Cursor AI editor. CurXecute (CVE-2025-54135) used prompt injection to make the agent write and run an MCP config file before you could approve it, and MCPoison (CVE-2025-54136) let an already-approved MCP server entry be silently swapped for something malicious. Cursor added mandatory confirmation for MCP config changes in version 1.3.
A Fake Solidity Extension for Cursor Drained $500,000 From a Developer's Crypto Wallet
In July 2025, Kaspersky traced a roughly $500,000 crypto theft to a malicious 'Solidity Language' extension installed from the Open VSX registry that Cursor uses. The extension did nothing useful; it quietly ran a PowerShell payload and installed infostealer malware that harvested the victim's wallet credentials. The attackers won the search results by inflating the fake extension's install count.
Cursor's Support Bot Sam Invented a Login Policy, and Users Quit Over It
In April 2025, a session bug started logging Cursor users out when they switched devices. When they emailed support, an AI agent named 'Sam' confidently explained the logouts were expected under a new single-device policy. No such policy existed: users publicly canceled subscriptions over it, and co-founder Michael Truell had to apologize and confirm the whole thing was a hallucination.
'Guys, I'm Under Attack': The Zero-Handwritten-Code SaaS That Lasted About a Week
In March 2025, indie founder Leonel Acevedo posted that his SaaS EnrichLead was built with Cursor and 'zero hand written code.' Roughly two days later he posted that he was under attack: API keys maxed out, subscriptions bypassed, and strangers writing to his database. Unable to patch code he reportedly did not fully understand, he took the app offline.
'Rules File Backdoor': Invisible Unicode in a Shared Config Can Make Cursor and Copilot Write Malicious Code
In March 2025, Pillar Security disclosed the 'Rules File Backdoor,' a supply-chain attack on Cursor and GitHub Copilot. An attacker hides invisible Unicode characters inside the 'rules' files that guide these AI assistants, so hidden instructions steer the AI into inserting malicious code while a human reviewer sees nothing wrong. Both vendors said reviewing AI output is the user's responsibility.
The Vibe Oops briefing
One email when something ships to production that should not have. New incidents, new error guides, no filler.