# Cursor Crashes Constantly After Latest Update (code: ‘5’) — Cannot Work at All **URL:** \ **Category:** Bug Reports\ **Created:** [December 12, 2025, 5:52am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033 "2025-12-12T05:52:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eka\_RH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9de0a6/32.png) [@Eka\_RH](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Eka_RH)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 5:52am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/1 "2025-12-12T05:52:41Z")
### Where does the bug appear (feature/product)? Cursor IDE ### Describe the Bug After the latest Cursor update, the IDE has become completely unusable. The app crashes repeatedly with the following error: “The window terminated unexpectedly (reason: ‘crashed’, code: ‘5’)” The crash happens every time I try to work. I cannot continue coding because Cursor closes instantly or within a few minutes of opening. This is a critical issue — not a minor bug. ### Steps to Reproduce ``` 1. Open Cursor (latest version) 2. Start working on any project 3. Within seconds or minutes, the window crashes 4. Error dialog appears: ``` The window terminated unexpectedly (reason: ‘crashed’, code: ‘5’) ### Expected Behavior Cursor should remain stable and allow me to work without constant crashes. Actual Behavior: Cursor crashes repeatedly and becomes unusable. I am unable to do any development work. ### Screenshots / Screen Recordings ![Crashed code 5.png](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/original/3X/7/c/7c30bd10dd793dcb217e5b008715fdcdc33f818d.png) ### Operating System MacOS ### Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy) Version: 2.2.14 (Universal) VSCode Version: 1.105.1 Commit: 1685afce45886aa5579025ac7e077fc3d4369c50 Date: 2025-12-11T01:12:35.790Z Electron: 37.7.0 Chromium: 138.0.7204.251 Node.js: 22.20.0 V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0 OS: Darwin arm64 24.6.0 ### Additional Information This issue completely stops me from working. Please escalate this to the engineering team as a top-priority bug. Several users are experiencing similar crashes after recent updates. ### Does this stop you from using Cursor Yes - Cursor is unusable ---
**Author:** ![deanrie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/deanrie/32/1263_2.png) [@deanrie](https://forum.cursor.com/u/deanrie)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2025, 11:23am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/2 "2025-12-12T11:23:20Z")
Hey, thanks for the report. Let’s quickly narrow down the cause. Please check: 1. Extensions - Run from terminal: `cursor --disable-extensions` - If the crash stops, enable extensions one by one to find the culprit - Also open `CMD+Shift+P` \> Developer: Open Process Explorer and send a screenshot right before the crash 1. Network and proxy - Settings \> Network \> Run Diagnostics - If you’re on a corporate network or using Zscaler/VPN, open App Settings with `CMD+,` search for HTTP/2 and enable Disable HTTP/2 - This helped with similar code 5 errors with Zscaler: [The window terminated unexpectedly (reason: ‘crashed’, code: ‘5’)](https://forum.cursor.com/t/the-window-terminated-unexpectedly-reason-crashed-code-5/141617) Docs: [Common Issues | Cursor Docs](https://cursor.com/docs/troubleshooting/common-issues) 1. Clean environment - Open an empty folder without a devcontainer and MCP, then check if it reproduces Data needed for engineering: - Help \> Open Logs Folder \> attach `main.log` - Any errors from Help \> Toggle Developer Tools \> Console - Confirm the results of `cursor --disable-extensions` and the test without a devcontainer - Whether you use a VPN/Zscaler or another proxy We’re escalating this case. Please share the results of the steps above and attach logs so we can localize the issue faster. ---
**Author:** ![Someshwar\_Thakare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@Someshwar\_Thakare](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Someshwar_Thakare)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 7:02am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/3 "2025-12-21T07:02:29Z")
it is same issue after the cursor --disable-extensions it crashing constantly ---
**Author:** ![deanrie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/deanrie/32/1263_2.png) [@deanrie](https://forum.cursor.com/u/deanrie)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2025, 7:14am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/4 "2025-12-21T07:14:32Z")
Thanks for the update. Since `--disable-extensions` didn’t help, this is most likely caused by corrupted workspace data. Please try this workaround on macOS: ```bash cd ~/Library cd "Application Support" mv Cursor CursorBackup ``` This will reset Cursor’s data while keeping a backup. After that, launch Cursor again. This has helped other users with a similar issue: [Cursor Crashing with error code 5 - Dec 14](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashing-with-error-code-5-dec-14/146258) This is a known issue, and the team is working on a fix. Let me know if this helps. ---
**Author:** ![Gerard\_Andre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@Gerard\_Andre](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Gerard_Andre)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2025, 2:30am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/5 "2025-12-30T02:30:54Z")
I’m also experiencing this issue. I have reinstalled my Mac OS that’s how bad it is. ---
**Author:** ![josephwy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/77aa72/32.png) [@josephwy](https://forum.cursor.com/u/josephwy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/7 "2026-01-02T17:20:02Z")
Flagging that I have this issue as well and that the fixes suggested above did not work for me unfortunately. Thanks for your efforts to fix this! ---
**Author:** ![Evzen\_Rejfir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/49beb7/32.png) [@Evzen\_Rejfir](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Evzen_Rejfir)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2026, 5:04pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/8 "2026-01-07T17:04:30Z")
Hi there…Hello. I have the same problem, where after the last update, Cursor crashes with the above error practically every 15 minutes, making it completely unusable for continuous work. None of the above solutions work. Please treat this issue as a high priority. I would hate to have to abandon Cursor. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![user1708](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/839c29/32.png) [@user1708](https://forum.cursor.com/u/user1708)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2026, 6:55am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/9 "2026-01-09T06:55:15Z")
我也遇到这个问题，基本每次回答一次都会出现 ---
**Author:** ![AT1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/at1/32/94219_2.png) [@AT1](https://forum.cursor.com/u/AT1)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/10 "2026-01-13T00:15:36Z")
Need help. I am also facing the same issue on Macbook M2 PRO, sequoia 15.5. It is working fine on Linux Ubuntu though. cursor is keep crashing sometime in 2-3 min after agent starts working which is making CPU usage around 50% on M2. I don’t think it should crash on 50-55% CPU usage proving enough RAM (7-8GB available). It started after an update I did last week which i think i was delaying since Dec 2025. I am facing it even after the latest updates of Cursor. Will try to rename folder as suggested in one thread. Hope it won’t break any of my settings. ---
**Author:** ![Udo\_Ries](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ad7895/32.png) [@Udo\_Ries](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Udo_Ries)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2026, 5:36pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/11 "2026-01-16T17:36:36Z")
Same here starts after last update to 2.3.39, now we are on 2.3.40 ans still crash. Not a good reputation! My research. Dev Tools say tons of errors but when the ■■■■■ begins ist logs that: workbench.desktop.main.js:13688 [composer] Extension host became UNRESPONSIVE undefined 1. _{arch: ‘x64’, platform: ‘darwin’, channel: ‘stable’, client\_version: ‘2.3.40’, extensionHostKind: ‘LocalProcess’, …}_ workbench.desktop.main.js:55 ERR [Extension Host] (node:69662) [DEP0040] DeprecationWarning: The `punycode` module is deprecated. Please use a userland alternative instead. (Use `Cursor Helper (Plugin) --trace-deprecation …` to show where the warning was created) workbench.desktop.main.js:12674 [Extension Host] (node:69662) [DEP0040] DeprecationWarning: The `punycode` module is deprecated. Please use a userland alternative instead. (Use `Cursor Helper (Plugin) --trace-deprecation …` to show where the warning was created) **2** workbench.desktop.main.js:13831 [Background Composer] Error updating branch on git status change: Error: No full commit provider registered at Svs.getCurrentBranch (workbench.desktop.main.js:645:34504) at pMt.value (workbench.desktop.main.js:13831:5937) at Ce.\_deliver (workbench.desktop.main.js:49:2962) at Ce.\_deliverQueue (workbench.desktop.main.js:49:3053) at Ce.fire (workbench.desktop.main.js:49:3390) at wnu.$gitStatusWasRun (workbench.desktop.main.js:12696:36169) at JXe.\_doInvokeHandler (workbench.desktop.main.js:13633:23170) at JXe.\_invokeHandler (workbench.desktop.main.js:13633:22912) at JXe.\_receiveRequest (workbench.desktop.main.js:13633:21544) at JXe.\_receiveOneMessage (workbench.desktop.main.js:13633:20361) at pMt.value (workbench.desktop.main.js:13633:18388) at Ce.\_deliver (workbench.desktop.main.js:49:2962) at Ce.fire (workbench.desktop.main.js:49:3283) at jyt.fire (workbench.desktop.main.js:12691:12156) at MessagePort. (workbench.desktop.main.js:15681:18406) workbench.desktop.main.js:13688 [transport] Connect error in unary AI connect ConnectError: [unauthenticated] You must be a team member to access this resource at t (workbench.desktop.main.js:12706:476909) at async Object.getTeamCommands (workbench.desktop.main.js:566:27065) at async A9o.loadTeamCommands (workbench.desktop.main.js:15684:3633) 1. _{arch: ‘x64’, platform: ‘darwin’, channel: ‘stable’, client\_version: ‘2.3.40’, error: {…}, …}_ workbench.desktop.main.js:15684 Failed to load team commands: ConnectError: [unauthenticated] You must be a team member to access this resource at t (workbench.desktop.main.js:12706:476909) at async Object.getTeamCommands (workbench.desktop.main.js:566:27065) at async A9o.loadTeamCommands (workbench.desktop.main.js:15684:3633) No Extensions installed or activated. ---
**Author:** ![clure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e7dd6/32.png) [@clure](https://forum.cursor.com/u/clure)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2026, 9:13am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/12 "2026-02-03T09:13:23Z")
Hello, This issue is still on going…. Cursor is not usable for at least 10 days now (after an update). It crashes constantly at nearly every requests (Error 5)…. I’ve perform the various fixes (especially the one about reducing the size of cursor rules) but I’m NOT clearing my context history… I’ve been building 10 hours a day for 3 months and no problem… Now I can’t use it anymore, like at all…. Version: 2.4.27 VSCode Version: 1.105.1 Commit: 4f2b772756b8f609e1354b3063de282ccbe7a690 Date: 2026-01-31T21:24:58.143Z 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: Darwin arm64 25.2.0 ---
**Author:** ![Curious\_Curser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Curious\_Curser](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Curious_Curser)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2026, 11:41am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/13 "2026-02-07T11:41:56Z")
I tasked Cursor debug agent with finding the most likely cause of the crashes, and this is what it found: The failure is almost certainly **invalid JSON** when the Shell tool is called with required\_permissions. **What’s going wrong** - The Shell tool is invoked with something like: - required\_permissions: [‘network’] - or required\_permissions: [‘all’] - In **valid JSON** every string must use **double** quotes: [“network”], [“all”]. - The error mentions things like “ssions”: [‘network’] and ‘all’, 'ne" — i.e. **single-quoted** strings (‘network’, ‘all’). - A JSON parser that expects strict JSON will then throw **Unexpected token ‘’** (the single quote), which matches what you’re seeing. So the **cause of the tool failure** is: **the payload that runs the Shell command is being built or passed as JSON that uses single quotes (or is truncated), so the JSON parser fails.** That could be due to: 1. **How the agent’s tool call is serialized** (e.g. Cursor or the agent runtime turning the tool arguments into a JSON string and accidentally using single quotes or cutting the string off). 2. **How the model formats the tool call** (e.g. it outputs [‘all’] instead of [“all”] and the pipeline doesn’t normalize it to valid JSON). 3. **Truncation** (e.g. the payload is cut mid-string, so you get ‘all’, 'ne… and the JSON becomes invalid). So: **the JSON error is caused by the Shell tool’s invocation payload not being valid JSON (likely single quotes or truncation).** The fix has to be on Cursor’s side (serialization/normalization of tool calls, or better error handling so a bad payload doesn’t crash the app). You can report: “Shell tool fails with JSON parse error when required\_permissions is used; payload may be using single quotes or truncated; then Cursor often crashes.” It seems that it’s another issue with AI hallucinating and doing whatever it wants. ---
**Author:** ![Amy\_Liu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5fc32e/32.png) [@Amy\_Liu](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Amy_Liu)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/14 "2026-02-08T19:01:19Z")
same issue here, cleared as much as I can , and reduced each file size, a little bit better but still crash ---
**Author:** ![Harlequin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@Harlequin](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Harlequin)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 4:43am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/15 "2026-02-09T04:43:36Z")
Same issue here. I get the crash even after Cursor does a grep on files, updates audit file, completes, and I hit Keep. Sometimes it just dies half way through. Something really bad is going on. p.s. I have no extensions and did the whole clear cache as well as uninstall/reinstall. ——– Version: 2.4.31 VSCode Version: 1.105.1 Commit: 3578107fdf149b00059ddad37048220e41681000 Date: 2026-02-08T07:42:24.999Z (20 hrs ago) 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: Darwin arm64 25.2.0 ---
**Author:** ![Amy\_Liu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5fc32e/32.png) [@Amy\_Liu](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Amy_Liu)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 6:43am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/16 "2026-02-09T06:43:05Z")
This command seems working. 1. Reset Cursor data (this helped a few users): ```auto cd ~/library/Application\ Support/ mv Cursor CursorBackup ``` ---
**Author:** ![crii.ili](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc8723/32.png) [@crii.ili](https://forum.cursor.com/u/crii.ili)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2026, 2:08am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/17 "2026-02-11T02:08:56Z")
The fix for me was moving my project **out of an iCloud-synced folder**. Cursor tends to crash when the workspace is inside **Desktop** or **Documents** if those are synced with iCloud. **Solution:** - Create a local folder outside iCloud, e.g. `~/dev` - Move your project there - Reopen it in Cursor After moving the project out of iCloud, the crashes completely stopped. ---
**Author:** ![sc0rpiongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@sc0rpiongirl](https://forum.cursor.com/u/sc0rpiongirl)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 3:38pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/19 "2026-02-25T15:38:13Z")
same issue here. Cursor crashes every 2 minutes and I tried the suggested fixes in this thread as much as I could, nothing helped. I thought upgrading to a higher tier might help cuz I wonder if it was my running out of allocated usage causing it but even now I am a pro plus member, it crashes non stop. I am on MacBook Pro and my project is in local folder (not in an iCLoud-synced folder) Version: 2.5.25 (Universal) VSCode Version: 1.105.1 Commit: 7150844152b426ed50d2b68dd6b33b5c5beb73c0 Date: 2026-02-24T07:17:49.417Z 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: Darwin arm64 25.3.0 ---
**Author:** ![Erhan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/cursor1/user_avatar/forum.cursor.com/erhan/32/99486_2.png) [@Erhan](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Erhan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 3:51pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/20 "2026-02-25T15:51:12Z")
I have the same issue, and because of this, my API requests consume too many tokens, causing my plan to run out quickly. I use ChatGPT Codex, and it reconnects every 2 minutes, causing the program to crash. As a result, my prompt remains incomplete. I have to reopen it and ask again, which means I’m spending 2x the prompts. I’m using a MacBook with an ARM M4 chip, and I haven’t been able to resolve this issue at all. This month, I spent nearly $100 in 10 days on Cursor, and if this continues, I will never use it again. ---
**Author:** ![saltyfoam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@saltyfoam](https://forum.cursor.com/u/saltyfoam)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/22 "2026-03-01T23:04:22Z")
I’m having the same crashes here. Seems to work fine for a while then gets into a state where it crashes every few minutes. When it reloads I tell it that it crashed and it spends some time (and tokens I bet) figuring out what got done so that it can continue were it left off. In one case when I reviewed its changes it had missed a chunk of work so I think that was due to the crash recovering missing a step. In all I’m very happy with the Cursor features but this constant crashing (and the fact others have been experiencing this for a while) is making me think whether I should switch to something more stable. I sent my logs and screenshots and I am on the Ultra plan. ---
**Author:** ![Jason\_Zhong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/22d042/32.png) [@Jason\_Zhong](https://forum.cursor.com/u/Jason_Zhong)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 4:25am UTC](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033/23 "2026-03-04T04:25:03Z")
is there any fix yet? it keep crashing every couple minute, make the software is basically unusable! [Next page](https://forum.cursor.com/t/cursor-crashes-constantly-after-latest-update-code-5-cannot-work-at-all/146033.md?page=2)