Is Cursor Down? How to Check Cursor IDE Status

Cursor — the AI-powered code editor built on VS Code — has become essential for developers who rely on AI assistance for coding. When Cursor goes down, your entire development workflow can grind to a halt.

Here's how to check if Cursor is down and what to do about it.

Common Cursor Issues

1. AI Features Not Working (Most Common)

Cursor relies on external AI APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic) for its AI features. When these providers have issues, Cursor's AI capabilities degrade:

Symptoms:

• Tab completion not generating suggestions
• Cmd+K (inline edit) timing out
• Chat panel returning errors
• "AI service unavailable" messages

What to check:

• Cursor's AI backend may be rate-limited or experiencing high load
• OpenAI or Anthropic may be having API issues — check their status on API Status Check
• Your API key (if using custom keys) may have exhausted its quota

Quick fix:

• Try switching AI models in Cursor settings (e.g., from GPT-4 to Claude)
• Check if the issue is Cursor-specific or affects all AI APIs
• Wait 5-10 minutes — most AI-related issues resolve quickly

2. Extension Marketplace Issues

Cursor uses a fork of the VS Code extension marketplace. Occasionally:

• Extensions fail to install or update
• Extension search returns errors
• Specific extensions become incompatible after Cursor updates

Quick fix:

• Try installing the extension manually via .vsix file
• Check if the extension works in standard VS Code (to isolate the issue)
• Downgrade Cursor to the previous version if a recent update broke compatibility

3. Sync and Authentication Issues

Symptoms:

• "Sign in" loop — can't authenticate
• Settings sync not working
• Pro subscription not recognized

Quick fix:

• Sign out and sign back in
• Clear Cursor's auth cache: delete ~/.cursor/ auth files
• Check Cursor's status page for authentication service issues

4. Performance Issues

Symptoms:

• Editor is extremely slow
• High CPU/memory usage
• Freezing during AI operations

Quick fix:

• Disable extensions one by one to find the culprit
• Reduce the number of open files/tabs
• Check if your project is too large for Cursor's AI context
• Clear the AI conversation history

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What to Do When Cursor Is Down

Immediate Alternatives

Need	Alternative	Notes
Code editing	VS Code	Cursor is built on VS Code — your extensions and settings transfer
AI coding assistance	GitHub Copilot in VS Code	Different AI, but similar inline completion
AI chat	Claude.ai / ChatGPT	Paste code into the browser for AI help
Terminal AI	Aider, Claude Code	Terminal-based AI coding assistants

For Teams

If your team depends on Cursor:

1. Ensure everyone has VS Code installed as a backup
2. Set up monitoring alerts via API Status Check to know immediately when Cursor has issues
3. Document your team's Cursor configuration so switching to VS Code is seamless
4. Consider using GitHub Copilot as a secondary AI assistant

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Monitor Cursor Status

Don't wait for problems — set up proactive monitoring:

1. API Status Check — Add Cursor to your monitored APIs and get email alerts when issues are detected
2. Subscribe to status.cursor.com — Email notifications for official status updates
3. Follow @cursor_ai on Twitter — Real-time updates during major incidents

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Cursor Outage History

Cursor has experienced several types of incidents:

• AI service degradation — The most common issue, usually related to upstream AI provider outages
• Authentication service issues — Affecting sign-in and Pro subscription verification
• Update-related issues — New releases occasionally introducing bugs that affect stability
• Rate limiting — During peak usage periods, AI requests may be throttled

Most incidents are resolved within 30-60 minutes. Extended outages (2+ hours) are rare.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cursor down right now?

Check API Status Check for real-time Cursor status. You can also check status.cursor.com for official updates.

Why is Cursor AI not working but the editor is fine?

Cursor's editor is based on VS Code and works offline. The AI features depend on cloud APIs. If the editor works but AI doesn't, it's likely an issue with Cursor's AI backend, OpenAI, or Anthropic — not with Cursor itself.

Can I use Cursor offline?

The editor works offline (just like VS Code), but AI features require an internet connection. Tab completion, inline edit, and chat all need Cursor's cloud services.

Is there a free alternative to Cursor?

VS Code with GitHub Copilot Free (2,000 completions/month) is the closest free alternative. You can also use VS Code with Continue (open-source AI extension) or Cody (Sourcegraph's free AI assistant).

How do I report a Cursor outage?

Check if others are experiencing the same issue on Downdetector or Twitter. Report bugs through Cursor's built-in feedback (Help → Report Issue) or their GitHub Issues page.

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Stay ahead of Cursor outages — API Status Check monitors Cursor and 120+ other APIs developers depend on. Get alerts before downtime disrupts your workflow.