Can not use auto mode but opus and sonnet only

Support Bug Reports
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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

When using Agent mode in Cursor IDE, selecting the “Auto” model triggers a fatal error (exceeded max retries) and renders the Agent function unusable. The Agent mode only works normally when manually switching to the more costly Opus 4.6 or Sonnet 4.5 models, which increases usage costs and defeats the purpose of the Auto model.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open Cursor IDE (latest version) on Windows 11.

  2. Navigate to the model selection dropdown menu and switch Cursor to Agent mode.

  3. Select the “Auto” model from the model list (instead of Opus 4.6/Sonnet 4.5).

  4. Attempt to perform any Agent-related operation (e.g., code generation, code refactoring, or natural language QA via Agent).

  5. Observe the immediate error popup/console log with the “exceeded max retries” message.

Expected Behavior

The Auto model should be invoked normally in Agent mode: it should automatically select the most appropriate (and cost-efficient) model (e.g., Haiku/Sonnet/Opus) based on the complexity of the Agent task, run without retries/exceptions, and maintain full functionality of the Agent feature.

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

No screenshots attached (error is text-based in logs), but the full error stack is provided below.

Operating System

Windows 11

Version Information

IDE:

Version: Latest stable version (exact version copied from About Cursor: 2.6.12 (user setup))

VSCode Version: 1.105.1

Commit: [1917e900a0c4b0111dc7975777cfff60853059d0]

CLI:

Not applicable (issue occurs in IDE, not CLI)

For AI issues: which model did you use?

Model name: Auto (error occurs); Opus 4.6 / Sonnet 4.5 (work normally)

For AI issues: add Request ID with privacy disabled

Request ID: 3c03d011-4f43-4458-9284-f15402881eac

Additional Information

Full error stack trace:

plaintext

[internal] Failed to run step, exceeded max retries
_he: [internal] Failed to run step, exceeded max retries
    at jpA (vscode-file://vscode-app/f:/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:32115:44883)
    at WpA (vscode-file://vscode-app/f:/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:32115:43786)
    at ZpA (vscode-file://vscode-app/f:/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:32116:5088)
    at Ool.run (vscode-file://vscode-app/f:/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:32116:9098)
    at async s$o.runAgentLoop (vscode-file://vscode-app/f:/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:44360:8423)
    at async zOl.streamFromAgentBackend (vscode-file://vscode-app/f:/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:44408:8884)
    at async zOl.getAgentStreamResponse (vscode-file://vscode-app/f:/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:44408:9837)
    at async yLe.submitChatMaybeAbortCurrent (vscode-file://vscode-app/f:/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:32182:15752)
    at async Gs (vscode-file://vscode-app/f:/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:43415:4781)

  • The issue is reproducible 100% of the time when following the steps above.

  • Using Opus 4.6/Sonnet 4.5 bypasses the error but incurs higher AI usage costs.

Does this stop you from using Cursor?

Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor (by switching to more expensive models), but the Auto model is completely unusable in Agent mode.

Unable to use after updating to the latest version
2

Hi there!

We detected that this may be a bug report, so we’ve moved your post to the Bug Reports category.

To help us investigate and fix this faster, could you edit your original post to include the details from the template below?

Bug Report Template - Click to expand

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

  • Cursor IDE
  • Cursor CLI
  • Background Agent (GitHub, Slack, Web, Linear)
  • BugBot
  • Somewhere else…

Describe the Bug
A clear and concise description of what the bug is.

Steps to Reproduce
How can you reproduce this bug? We have a much better chance at fixing issues if we can reproduce them!

  1. …
  2. …
  3. …

Expected Behavior
What is meant to happen here that isn’t working correctly?

Screenshots / Screen Recordings
If applicable, attach images or videos (.jpg, .png, .gif, .mp4, .mov)

Operating System

  • Windows 10/11
  • MacOS
  • Linux

Version Information

  • For Cursor IDE: Menu → About Cursor → Copy
  • For Cursor CLI: Run agent about in your terminal
IDE:
Version: 2.xx.x
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: ......

CLI:
CLI Version 2026.01.17-d239e66

For AI issues: which model did you use?
Model name (e.g., Sonnet 4, Tab…)

For AI issues: add Request ID with privacy disabled
Request ID: f9a7046a-279b-47e5-ab48-6e8dc12daba1
For Background Agent issues, also post the ID: bc-…

Additional Information
Add any other context about the problem here.

Does this stop you from using Cursor?

  • Yes - Cursor is unusable
  • Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor
  • No - Cursor works, but with this issue

The more details you provide, the easier it is for us to reproduce and fix the issue. Thanks!