Critical state isolation failure (Ask/Plan/Agent) resulting in unintended executions and cost

[Jesus_Perez_Felipe (Jesús Pérez Felipe)]

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

Cursor is not consistently operating in the selected mode (Ask, Plan, Agent).

When I explicitly switch modes and provide instructions, the system frequently responds as if it were in a different mode.

Examples

Plan mode issue

I create a plan.

I continue iterating on it.

The plan is not updated, even though the interaction clearly continues within the planning context.

Ask → Agent transition failure

I ask questions in Ask mode.

I switch to Agent mode and request execution.

Cursor responds that it cannot execute because it is in Ask mode.

This indicates incorrect state handling or failure to transition between modes properly.

Additional Context

This happens in both old and new conversations.

The issue was already present in the previous Cursor version.

Financial Impact

My usage cost this month has doubled while the workload remains essentially the same.

I understand that repository growth may slightly increase token usage, but not to the extent of a 100% increase.

However, repeated re-prompts, duplicated explanations, and the need to restate instructions multiple times (sometimes 3–4 times before execution occurs) significantly increase token consumption.

Cursor often generates code in chat while not respecting the active mode, which forces additional corrective interactions and further increases cost.

Temporary Mitigation

I am downgrading and waiting for this issue to be resolved.

Steps to Reproduce

Use ask mode and then switch to agent mode to execute.

Expected Behavior

I expect that agent mode execute instructions instead of saying that it need to be on agent mode when it is.

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Version Information

Version: 2.4.31 (system setup)
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 3578107fdf149b00059ddad37048220e41681000
Date: 2026-02-08T07:42:24.999Z
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 39.2.7
Chromium: 142.0.7444.235
Node.js: 22.21.1
V8: 14.2.231.21-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.19045

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Yes - Cursor is unusable

[deanrie]

Hey, thanks for the report.

This is a known bug: the mode state can switch incorrectly if you change modes in the middle of a chat. The team is aware.

A couple things that can help right now:

• When switching from Ask to Agent, try starting a new chat instead of continuing the current one. This usually avoids the mode getting “stuck.”
• If plans in Plan mode don’t update correctly, the same workaround applies. Starting a new chat for each plan iteration cycle is more reliable.

Could you also share the Request ID from one of the sessions where this happened? (Chat menu in the top right corner → Copy Request ID.) This will help the engineers track down the exact state mismatch.

[Jesus_Perez_Felipe (Jesús Pérez Felipe)]

Hello Dean,

Thanks for taking your time to reply.

My workflow until a week or 2 ago I ask a few questions in Ask mode. Then when everything is clear I move to agent and just give the build order. Nothing crazy a couple of questions to align the model to the task I want to do, always small tasks.

This used to work but latelly it keep saying “need agent mode” (where it is). Of course I can start a new chat but I will have to align the model again. I lose the ability to ping-pong until AI knows what I want and how.

About plan mode, ok, as the plan is saved I will try that, it seems like a patch for my issue.

I don’t have the request ID anymore, but if that happens again I will share it here.
I downgraded cursor version and in a whole day of work, the issue only happened once. It’s still there but once is better than every time.

This is the version I’m now:
Version: 2.2.44 (system setup)
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 20adc1003928b0f1b99305dbaf845656ff81f5d0
Date: 2025-12-24T21:41:47.598Z
Electron: 37.7.0
Chromium: 138.0.7204.251
Node.js: 22.20.0
V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.19045