Chat panel renders markdown checklists as broken table/grid layout

[charles]

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

When the AI assistant generates a markdown checklist (using - [ ] syntax) where items contain bold text, inline code blocks (backtick-wrapped), em-dashes, and nested bullet points, the Cursor chat panel renders the content as a broken table/grid layout instead of a readable vertical list.

Words and code fragments are scattered across columns in an unreadable matrix. The checklist items get split into what looks like table cells — individual words land in separate columns with no discernible reading order.

(AI Generated Report)

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Agent mode chat in Cursor IDE
2. Ask the AI to generate a multi-step execution plan using markdown checklists
3. Each checklist item should contain: bold text (Step N: filename), an em-dash separator, inline code (backtick-wrapped names), and some items should have nested bullet points underneath
4. The list items should be moderately long (requiring text wrapping)

Example markdown that triggers this:

• Step 1: config.ts — Add configuration strings for “All Items” and “Default” dropdown labels
• Step 2: AppTypes.ts — Update ContextValue: add selectedItemId, changeItem, itemList, userList; remove hideToggle; keep SelectedMode type as 'default' | 'custom' (rendering index stays)
• Step 3: App.graphql — Delete the 3 lookup queries (ItemByEmail, ItemById, ItemByDomain). They’re replaced by response.portfolio from the main response
• Step 4: useAppState.tsx — Core refactor:
  • Remove 4 lookup query hooks + imports
  • Add selectedItemId: string | null state
  • Update query variables: itemId: selectedItemId ?? ''

Expected Behavior

A vertically stacked checklist where each - [ ] item renders as a readable paragraph with an unchecked checkbox. Inline code should be formatted correctly, bold text should render as bold, and nested bullets should appear indented beneath their parent item. The content should be readable left-to-right, top-to-bottom like normal text.

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Latest Cursor IDE as of 2026-03-11, macOS darwin 24.6.0

For AI issues: which model did you use?

claude-4.6-opus (observed), but this is a rendering bug in the chat panel markdown parser, not model-specific. Any model that generates checklist markdown with the described pattern will trigger it.

Additional Information

The key trigger appears to be the combination of: (1) markdown checklist syntax - [ ], (2) bold text with inline code inside it like **Step 1: \filename`**`, (3) em-dash separators, (4) semicolons separating multiple inline code fragments, and (5) nested bullet points under a checklist item. Simple checklists without this combination of formatting render fine. Dark theme, Agent mode chat panel.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

[charles]

And this is the mess it renders in cursor

[deanrie]

Hey, thanks for the detailed report and the screenshot. I can see how the checklist turns into an unreadable table.

This is part of a known issue with the markdown renderer in the chat panel. It doesn’t handle complex formatting combinations correctly, like bold plus inline code plus a dash plus nested bullets. Here’s a similar report: Agent chat renders italic word-soup when model uses asterisk emphasis near numbers.

The team is aware of these renderer issues. There’s no specific ETA, but your report helps us prioritize.

As a workaround for now, you can ask the model not to use checklist syntax (- [ ]) and use regular numbered or bulleted lists instead. That usually renders correctly.