Auto model misidentifies Ask vs Agent mode and attempts write actions in Ask mode

[YINGHUA_FU (Victor)]

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

When using the Auto model in Cursor, the AI incorrectly reports its current mode.

Specifically, after manually switching to Ask mode, asking the model “what mode are you currently in” results in the model incorrectly stating that it is in Agent mode.
This incorrect self-awareness also manifests in behavior: while still in Ask mode, the model attempts to create files or modify code, even though Ask mode does not support write operations or corresponding function calls.

This leads to repeated failed attempts, wasted tokens, and significant development time loss.

In contrast, other models (e.g. Opus 4.5) correctly identify the current mode and do not attempt write actions while in Ask mode.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Cursor IDE.

2. Select the Auto model.

3. Manually switch the AI interaction mode to Ask.

4. Ask the AI something like:
   “What mode are you currently in?”

5. Observe the response and subsequent behavior during development tasks.

Expected Behavior

In Ask mode, the AI should correctly identify itself as being in Ask mode.

The AI should not attempt any file creation, file editing, or code modification while in Ask mode.

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)

Current Cursor Version
Version: 2.2.43
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 32cfbe848b35d9eb320980195985450f244b3030

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor

[deanrie]

Hey, thanks for the report.

This is a known issue, and the team is already working on a fix. A similar case was recently confirmed here: Auto Mode Ignores Ask Mode and Tries to Perform File Creation

If you have a request ID for the affected requests (Chat context menu > Copy Request ID), please share it. It’ll help the team with debugging.