Is Cursor Down? How to Check Cursor AI Status & What to Do

Your AI-powered coding flow just stopped working. Code completions timing out. Chat refusing to respond. Tab autocomplete frozen. When Cursor has issues, your productivity tanks. But here's the thing: "Cursor down" can mean five different problems - the IDE, the API, Anthropic's backend, OpenAI's fallback, or your network. This guide untangles them.

Check Cursor Status Right Now

Check real-time Cursor platform status on API Status Check →

We monitor Cursor's infrastructure plus the AI providers it depends on (Anthropic, OpenAI) to give you the complete picture of what's actually broken.

Understanding Cursor's Multi-Layer Architecture

Cursor isn't a single service - it's a VS Code fork + proprietary API layer + multiple AI backends. When something breaks, you need to isolate which layer:

Layer 1: Cursor IDE (Local Application)

The desktop app running on your machine.

Issues:

• Crashes, freezes, won't launch
• Extension conflicts
• Memory leaks (common with large codebases)
• Update failures

Diagnosis: If the app won't open or crashes immediately, this is the problem. Not an API outage.

Layer 2: Cursor API (api.cursor.sh)

Cursor's proprietary middleware that:

• Authenticates your subscription
• Routes requests to AI providers
• Implements context handling
• Manages rate limits

Issues:

• 401 "Unauthorized" errors → subscription/auth problem
• 429 "Rate limit exceeded" → you hit usage caps
• 503 "Service unavailable" → Cursor's servers overloaded

This is a "Cursor outage" when widespread.

Layer 3: AI Providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.)

The actual LLMs powering completions and chat.

Default flow:

1. Your request → Cursor API
2. Cursor API → Anthropic Claude (primary)
3. If Anthropic fails → OpenAI GPT-4 (fallback)
4. Response → Cursor API → Your IDE

Issues:

• Anthropic outage → Cursor switches to OpenAI (you might not notice)
• Both providers down → Cursor completely broken
• Slow responses → provider degradation

Key insight: Cursor can be "working" (IDE up, API up) but feel broken because Anthropic is slow.

Layer 4: Network/Proxy Layer

Your connection to Cursor's servers.

Issues:

• Corporate firewalls blocking api.cursor.sh
• VPN routing issues
• DNS failures
• China/Iran/restricted regions

Diagnosis: If only you have the issue (not widespread), likely network.

Common Cursor Error Messages

"Failed to fetch" or "Network error"

What you see:

❌ Failed to fetch
Could not connect to Cursor AI

Possible causes:

1. Network/firewall issues (most common) Test connectivity:

curl -I https://api.cursor.sh/health

If timeout or connection refused:

• Corporate firewall blocking port 443 to Cursor domains
• VPN interfering
• ISP blocking (rare, but happens in some regions)

2. Cursor API down Check if widespread (Twitter, our monitoring). If just you, it's #1.

3. DNS resolution failure

nslookup api.cursor.sh

Should return IP addresses. If "can't find," DNS issue.

"Rate limit exceeded"

What you see:

⚠️ Rate limit exceeded
You've reached your usage limit. Upgrade or wait.

NOT an outage - you hit your plan limits.

Cursor subscription tiers:

Plan	Requests/Month	Fast Requests*	Price
Free	2,000	50	$0
Pro	500,000	500	$20/mo
Business	Unlimited	2,000+	$40/user

*Fast requests = Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4. Slow requests = older models.

Check usage:

1. Cursor → Settings → Account
2. Look at "Usage this month"
3. See which limit you hit

Workaround during limit: Switch to free models (GPT-3.5, older Claude) in settings.

"Authentication failed" or 401 Errors

What you see:

🚫 Authentication failed
Please sign in again

Causes:

1. Session expired Common after 30 days or app update.

Fix:

1. Cursor → Sign Out
2. Sign In again
3. Re-authenticate with GitHub/Google

2. Subscription lapsed Payment failed or canceled.

Check:

• Go to cursor.sh → Account → Billing
• Verify payment method still valid
• Check for failed payment emails

3. Token refresh bug Sometimes Cursor's token refresh fails.

Fix:

# Clear Cursor's auth cache (macOS)
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor/User/globalStorage/

# Windows
del %APPDATA%\Cursor\User\globalStorage

# Linux  
rm -rf ~/.config/Cursor/User/globalStorage/

Then re-authenticate.

"Model timeout" or Very Slow Responses

What you see: Request sits at "Generating..." for 30+ seconds, then fails or returns partial response.

Causes:

1. Large context window You have 50+ files in context. AI provider needs 10-15 seconds to process.

Not a bug - reduce context:

• Close unnecessary tabs
• Use .cursorignore to exclude node_modules, etc.
• Manually deselect files in chat context picker

2. Provider degradation Anthropic/OpenAI having slowdown (not full outage).

Check: Test a simple request with no context:

Write a hello world function

If this is fast but your real question is slow, it's context size. If both slow, provider is degraded.

3. Cursor API routing issues Fallback to OpenAI might be slower if Anthropic is down.

Verify: Check which model is responding (shows in chat UI).

"Something went wrong" (Generic Error)

What you see:

❌ Something went wrong
Please try again

Cursor's catch-all error. Could be anything.

Debug steps:

1. Check developer console

Help → Toggle Developer Tools → Console tab

Look for actual error:

POST https://api.cursor.sh/chat 500 (Internal Server Error)

Now you know it's Cursor API (500 = server error).

2. Check error logs

# macOS
~/Library/Logs/Cursor/

# Windows
%APPDATA%\Cursor\logs\

# Linux
~/.config/Cursor/logs/

Look for stack traces or error messages.

3. Try different model Settings → Models → Switch from Claude to GPT-4

If works, Cursor's Claude integration is broken.

Code Completions Not Appearing

Issue: Typing code but no AI suggestions popup.

Causes:

1. Tab autocomplete disabled Settings → Cursor Tab → Enable

2. File type not supported Cursor works best with popular languages (JS, Python, TS). Less coverage for niche languages.

3. Context too large File >10K lines can break completions.

4. Rate limit hit Check usage (see above).

5. Provider API down Completions use different endpoint than chat. Test chat - if that works but completions don't, completion-specific issue.

How to Check Cursor Status

1. Official Status Page

https://status.cursor.sh

Shows:

• API availability
• Incident history
• Scheduled maintenance

Caveat: Like most status pages, updates lag behind actual issues by 10-20 minutes.

2. Cursor Discord/Community

Discord: https://discord.gg/cursor (unofficial community)

Developers report issues in real-time:

@user: "Anyone else getting timeouts? Been 5 minutes..."

If multiple people report same issue in 10 min, it's widespread.

3. API Status Check (Our Monitoring)

https://apistatuscheck.com/cursor

We test:

• Cursor API health (api.cursor.sh)
• Underlying providers (Anthropic, OpenAI)
• Response time trends

Shows which layer is broken.

4. Twitter/X Search

Search: cursor down OR cursor not working OR cursor api

Real-time reports from developers globally.

5. Direct API Test

Test Cursor API health:

curl https://api.cursor.sh/health

Should return {"status":"ok"}. If 500/503, API is down.

Test with authentication:

# Extract token from Cursor
# macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/globalStorage/...
# Look for workspace state JSON

curl https://api.cursor.sh/v1/chat \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"message":"test","model":"gpt-4"}'

If 200 response, API is working.

6. Check Provider Status

Since Cursor depends on Anthropic/OpenAI:

Anthropic: https://status.anthropic.com
OpenAI: https://status.openai.com

If both are down, Cursor is effectively down even if its API is healthy.

Troubleshooting Cursor Issues

Step 1: Restart (The Boring But Effective Fix)

1. Reload window

Cmd+Shift+P (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+P (Win/Linux)
→ "Developer: Reload Window"

Fixes 60% of issues without full restart.

2. Restart app Quit completely (Cmd+Q, not just close window), relaunch.

3. Clear cache

# macOS
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Cursor/

# Windows
del %APPDATA%\Cursor\Cache

# Linux
rm -rf ~/.cache/Cursor/

Step 2: Check Model Settings

Verify which models are enabled:

1. Settings → Cursor Tab → Model
2. Ensure "Claude 3.5 Sonnet" or "GPT-4" selected
3. Try switching models

Sometimes one provider's integration breaks while others work.

Step 3: Reduce Context Size

Cursor sends your entire context with each request. Huge context = slow/failed requests.

Optimize:

# Create .cursorignore in project root
echo "node_modules/" >> .cursorignore
echo "dist/" >> .cursorignore
echo "build/" >> .cursorignore
echo "*.log" >> .cursorignore

Manually manage context:

• Use @file to specify exact files
• Don't open 50+ tabs
• Use "Clear context" button in chat

Step 4: Update Cursor

Check version: Help → About Cursor

Latest version: Should auto-update, but can fail.

Manual update:

1. Download latest from cursor.sh
2. Install over existing
3. Restart

Old versions have bugs that manifest as "API down."

Step 5: Test Network Connectivity

Check if Cursor endpoints are reachable:

# Test API
curl -I https://api.cursor.sh

# Test CDN (for updates)
curl -I https://download.cursor.sh

# Test auth
curl -I https://auth.cursor.sh

If any timeout, network/firewall issue.

Corporate network fix: Ask IT to whitelist:

• *.cursor.sh
• *.anthropic.com
• *.openai.com

Step 6: Check Subscription Status

Verify:

1. Go to cursor.sh → Sign in
2. Check account → Subscription
3. Verify "Active" status

Common issue: Payment method expired, auto-renewal failed, but Cursor still shows "Pro" in IDE (cached). API rejects requests.

What to Do During a Cursor Outage

1. Fall Back to VS Code + Copilot

Cursor is a VS Code fork - your workspace is compatible:

# Open same workspace in VS Code
code /path/to/your/project

# Use GitHub Copilot as alternative
# (requires separate subscription)

Migration checklist:

• Copy .cursor/ settings if you customized
• Install Copilot extension
• Continue working

2. Use Claude.ai / ChatGPT Web UIs

Copy code to web chat:

You: I'm working on this function:
[paste code]
Can you refactor to use async/await?

Slower workflow but unblocked during Cursor outage.

3. Switch to Alternative AI IDEs

Quick alternatives:

Tool	Model	Price	Setup Time
GitHub Copilot	GPT-4	$10/mo	2 min (VS Code)
Codeium	Multiple	Free	2 min
Tabnine	Local	Free/Pro	5 min
Supermaven	GPT-4	$10/mo	5 min

Fastest switch: Codeium (free, works in VS Code/JetBrains).

4. Queue Non-Urgent AI Tasks

Keep a backlog:

## AI TODO (when Cursor back)
- [ ] Refactor auth module
- [ ] Add error handling to API routes
- [ ] Generate tests for UserService

Work on manual tasks during outage, batch AI requests after recovery.

5. Report Issues to Cursor

If widespread outage: Tweet @cursor_ai or post in Discord. They monitor community channels.

If seems isolated to you: Email support@cursor.sh with:

• Error message/screenshot
• Cursor version (Help → About)
• OS and version
• Steps to reproduce

Cursor Outage History & Patterns

Notable Incidents

January 2026 - 2-hour authentication failure

• Cause: Auth service database migration went wrong
• Impact: All users logged out, couldn't re-authenticate
• Recovery: Rolled back database, restored from backup
• Lesson: Have backup IDE ready (Copilot, etc.)

December 2025 - Anthropic dependency cascade

• Cause: Anthropic Claude API had 90-minute outage
• Impact: Cursor chat/completions slow but worked (fell back to OpenAI)
• Recovery: Automatic when Anthropic recovered
• Lesson: Multi-provider architecture saved the day

October 2025 - Rate limit bug

• Cause: Billing system bug gave Pro users Free tier limits
• Impact: Pro users hit limits after 50 requests
• Recovery: 4 hours, manual quota reset for affected users
• Lesson: Always check usage dashboard during weird errors

Patterns Observed

Time correlation:

• Most issues: US evenings (6-9 PM PT) when usage peaks
• Least issues: Weekends and US late night

Update-related: New Cursor version releases (every 1-2 weeks) have 24-hour instability window

Provider dependency:

• When Anthropic down → Cursor slower (OpenAI fallback)
• When both down → Cursor completely broken
• When neither down but Cursor API down → rare (<1% of issues)

Uptime estimates:

• Cursor API: ~99.2% uptime
• Effective uptime (including providers): ~98.5%
• That's ~10 hours downtime/year

Cursor vs Alternatives

When Cursor is Down, What to Use?

Quick comparison:

Tool	AI Model	Speed	Accuracy	Price
Cursor	Claude 3.5	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	$20/mo
Copilot	GPT-4	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	$10/mo
Codeium	Multiple	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	Free
Supermaven	GPT-4	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	$10/mo

Best fallback: GitHub Copilot (most reliable, mature infrastructure)

Migration Guide (Cursor → Copilot)

# 1. Install VS Code if not already
brew install --cask visual-studio-code

# 2. Install Copilot extension
code --install-extension GitHub.copilot

# 3. Open your Cursor workspace
code /path/to/project

# 4. Authenticate Copilot
# Cmd+Shift+P → "Copilot: Sign In"

What you'll miss:

• Multi-file context awareness (Copilot is more file-focused)
• @codebase chat feature
• Cursor Tab's aggressive completions

What's better:

• Faster completions (lower latency)
• Higher uptime (GitHub infrastructure)
• Better JetBrains integration

Get Alerts for Cursor + Provider Issues

Monitor Cursor and its dependencies →

Our Alert Pro plan ($9/month) tracks the whole stack:

• Cursor API health and response times
• Anthropic Claude status (Cursor's primary)
• OpenAI GPT-4 status (Cursor's fallback)
• Instant notifications so you know before you're blocked

Stop wondering if it's "just you" or a real outage.

FAQ

Q: Is Cursor down right now?
A: Check apistatuscheck.com/cursor for real-time status of Cursor API + the AI providers it depends on.

Q: Why does Cursor work for my teammate but not me?
A: Different subscription tiers, network configurations, or cached auth tokens. Have them check Settings → Account → Usage to compare limits.

Q: Can I use Cursor offline?
A: No. All AI features require internet connection to Cursor API → Anthropic/OpenAI. Code editing works offline, but no completions/chat.

Q: Why is Cursor slow but not down?
A: Likely Anthropic degradation. Cursor falls back to OpenAI which can be slower. Check which model is responding in the chat UI.

Q: Does Cursor have an SLA?
A: No published SLA for individual plans. Enterprise contracts may include uptime guarantees.

Q: How long do Cursor outages last?
A: Authentication issues: 1-3 hours. Provider outages (Anthropic): 30-90 minutes. Full Cursor API down: 30-120 minutes.

Q: Should I have a backup AI IDE?
A: Yes. At minimum, keep GitHub Copilot subscription ($10/mo) as insurance. When Cursor is down, switch to VS Code + Copilot in 2 minutes.

Q: Why does Cursor keep logging me out?
A: Either session expiration (normal every 30 days), app update corrupted auth cache, or subscription payment issue. Sign out fully and sign back in.

Q: Can I self-host Cursor?
A: No. It's closed-source SaaS. You're dependent on Cursor's infrastructure.

Q: What's the difference between Cursor being down vs slow?
A: Down = error messages, failed requests, can't connect. Slow = responses take 10-30 seconds (usually Anthropic degradation, not Cursor). Check provider status pages.

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Last updated: February 5, 2026
Next review: Weekly (high developer interest)

Check Cursor Status Now →