Can't fix "Extension host terminated unexpectedly 3 times within the last 5 minutes"

[Dev_Maestro]

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

Cursor is not working on my Windows OS with some unexpected errors.
I tried to follow the below 4 methods you mentioned, but it’s not working. Could you tell me how I can fix the below errors?

• “Extension host terminated unexpectedly 3 times within the last 5 minutes.”
• “Waiting for extension host”
• “Agent Excution Timed Out” Request ID: 1ac7b4ea-3b14-4c79-96c7-c24d2b3c7d3a
  {“error”:“ERROR_CUSTOM”,“details”:{“title”:“Agent Execution Timed Out”,“detail”:“The agent execution provider did not respond in time. This may indicate the extension host is not running or is unresponsive.”,“isRetryable”:false,“shouldShowImmediateError”:true,“additionalInfo”:{},“buttons”:[{“label”:“Reload Window”,“reloadWindow”:{}}],“planChoices”:}}
  Agent Execution Timed Out [deadline_exceeded]
  ConnectError: [deadline_exceeded] Agent Execution Timed Out
  at vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:43803:12719
  at async wJy.createExecInstance (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:43803:10479)
  at async XxA (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:34062:582888)
  at async DJ.execute (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:34263:6603)
  at async cRu.execute (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:43803:1323)
  at async MNw.execute (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:46876:2775)
  at async n5u.buildComposerRequestContext (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:46886:3965)
  at async n5u.streamFromAgentBackend (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:46886:5603)
  at async n5u.getAgentStreamResponse (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:46886:13663)
  at async bMe.submitChatMaybeAbortCurrent (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:34329:17597)
  at async Object.Ea [as onSubmit] (vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:45811:4826)
  at async vscode-file://vscode-app/c:/Program%20Files/cursor/resources/app/out/vs/workbench/workbench.desktop.main.js:45785:56633

@deanrie

Hey, thanks for the report. This is a known issue. The extension host crashes on Windows, and that can trigger the Agent Execution Timed Out error. Since it started right after a Windows update, that matches what we’ve been seeing.

Let’s try a few things in order:

1. Disable Codebase Indexing:
   Cursor Settings (not VS Code settings) > Indexing & Docs > turn off Codebase Indexing. If you also see Index Repositories for Instant Grep (BETA), turn that off too. Restart Cursor.
2. Try a temporary profile:

cursor --profile-temp

This starts Cursor with a completely clean state. If it works, the issue is in your profile or state data.

3. Check cursor-socket:
   Open Command Prompt and run:

dir "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\cursor\resources\app\extensions\cursor-socket\"

We’ve seen cases where the out/ folder is missing inside cursor-socket, and that makes the extension host crash right away.

4. Check for VPN software:
   Another user with the exact same issue found that uninstalling VPN software fixed it, even if it wasn’t running. If you have any VPNs installed, try removing them temporarily.
   Extension host terminated unexpectedly no matter what i try

Also, since this started after a Windows update, a fully clean reinstall might help:

• Uninstall Cursor
• Delete %APPDATA%\Cursor and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\cursor
• Reinstall from Cursor · Download

The team is aware of extension host crash issues on Windows. Your report helps with prioritization.

Let me know which step helped, or if none of them did.

Steps to Reproduce

It used to work very well, but after reset Windows 11 OS, it doesn’t work anymore.

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Version Information

Version: 2.6.19 (system setup)
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 224838f96445be37e3db643a163a817c15b36060
Date: 2026-03-12T04:07:27.435Z
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 39.4.0
Chromium: 142.0.7444.265
Node.js: 22.22.0
V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26100

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Yes - Cursor is unusable

[deanrie]

Hey, I can see this is a continuation of your previous thread Urgent - Cursor doesn't work with errors "Agent Execution Timed Out", thanks for posting the directory listing of the cursor-socket folder there. That’s the key clue.

In your cursor-socket folder, you have dist/, but there’s no out/ folder. The extension expects its entry point at ./out/main, so when out/ is missing, the extension host crashes right away.

Try this workaround. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

cd "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\cursor\resources\app\extensions\cursor-socket"
xcopy dist out\ /E /I

This will copy the contents of dist/ into a new out/ folder. Then restart Cursor.

One more thing I didn’t ask earlier. Do you have any VPN software installed, even if it’s not running right now. Another user with the exact same issue fixed it by uninstalling their VPN app Extension host terminated unexpectedly no matter what i try - #9 by Brian_Walch

This is a known packaging issue on our side. I’ve flagged it to the team, your report and the file list help us prioritize it.

Let me know if the xcopy workaround helped.

[Dev_Maestro]

Thank you very much @Dean.

Cursor is restored and I’m working with it now.

In Windows 11, cursor-socket folder is located in C:\Program Files\cursor\resources\app\extensions\cursor-socket.

BTW, xcopy command fixed the issue.

Thanks again!