# Agent terminal commands never return output, always hit ~30s timeout (macOS, zsh)

**URL:** <https://forum.cursor.com/t/agent-terminal-commands-never-return-output-always-hit-30s-timeout-macos-zsh/153775>\
**Category:** Bug Reports\
**Tags:** terminal, macos\
**Created:** [March 6, 2026, 1:09am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/agent-terminal-commands-never-return-output-always-hit-30s-timeout-macos-zsh/153775 "2026-03-06T01:09:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 3

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**Author:** ![deanrie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/deanrie/32/1263_2.png) [@deanrie](https://forum.cursor.com/u/deanrie)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2026, 5:18am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/agent-terminal-commands-never-return-output-always-hit-30s-timeout-macos-zsh/153775/3 "2026-03-06T05:18:22Z")

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Hey, thanks for the detailed report. This is a known issue. We’ve seen it in several reports, especially on macOS with zsh.

A few things to check:

1. Stale working directory  
This is the most common cause. Even if the folder exists now, if it was ever moved or renamed, the workspace state might still point to an old path. Try closing Cursor completely, then reopen the project via `File > Open Folder` from the real current path.

2. Start a fresh chat  
In several cases, the issue was session-specific. The terminal broke mid-session, but a new Agent chat worked fine. Worth trying first.

3. Kill all terminals first  
Run `CMD+Shift+P` then `Terminal: Kill All Terminals`, then restart Cursor fully.

4. Check DevTools  
Go to `Help > Toggle Developer Tools > Console`, then run a command via the agent. Look for `ENOENT` errors or anything path-related. That would confirm the stale directory idea.

If none of that helps, I’ll need:

- The Request ID from the failing chat (top right of chat \> Copy Request ID)
- A screenshot of the DevTools Console output after running a command

Some related threads for reference:

- [Terminal Command Output Capture Completely Broken](https://forum.cursor.com/t/terminal-command-output-capture-completely-broken/147971)
- [Agent terminal: no stdout in tool result](https://forum.cursor.com/t/agent-terminal-no-stdout-in-tool-result-and-read-file-cant-see-files-that-terminal-created/153332) (solved, stale path)

The team is aware of this pattern. Let me know what DevTools shows.

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