Cursor SSH keeps downloading VSCode Server

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

I don’t know why I keeps getting Cursor is not available in your region. My VPS is located at US.

[13:17:28.793] [server] Checking /root/.cursor-server/cli/servers/Stable-fce1e9ab7844f9ea35793da01e634aa7e50bce90/log.txt and /root/.cursor-server/cli/servers/Stable-fce1e9ab7844f9ea35793da01e634aa7e50bce90/pid.txt for a running server…
[13:17:28.793] [server] Checking /root/.cursor-server/cli/servers/Stable-fce1e9ab7844f9ea35793da01e634aa7e50bce90/log.txt and /root/.cursor-server/cli/servers/Stable-fce1e9ab7844f9ea35793da01e634aa7e50bce90/pid.txt for a running server…
[13:17:28.793] [server] Checking /root/.cursor-server/cli/servers/Stable-fce1e9ab7844f9ea35793da01e634aa7e50bce90/log.txt and /root/.cursor-server/cli/servers/Stable-fce1e9ab7844f9ea35793da01e634aa7e50bce90/pid.txt for a running server…
[13:17:28.876] [server] Installing and setting up Cursor Server…
[13:17:28.876] [server] Installing and setting up Cursor Server…
[13:17:28.876] [server] Installing and setting up Cursor Server…
[13:17:28.945] [server] Error installing server: error requesting https://api2.cursor.sh/updates/download/fce1e9ab7844f9ea35793da01e634aa7e50bce90/vscode-reh-linux-x64.tar.gz: 403 {“code”:“permission_denied”,“message”:“[permission_denied] Cursor is not available in your region.”,“details”:}
[13:17:29.064] ------

Steps to Reproduce

x

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Version: 3.1.17
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: fce1e9ab7844f9ea35793da01e634aa7e50bce90
Date: 2026-04-19T19:33:58.189Z
Layout: editor
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 39.8.1
Chromium: 142.0.7444.265
Node.js: 22.22.1
V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 24.6.0

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Yes - Cursor is unusable

Hey, this isn’t about your local Mac. When Cursor SSH downloads the server binary, the request comes from your VPS IP, not from your laptop. And the Cursor is not available in your region error means that VPS IP is detected in GeoIP databases as one of the sanctioned countries like Cuba, Iran, Syria, or North Korea, even if your provider says the server is in the US.

This can happen with smaller hosting companies and resellers. Their IP ranges can have wrong geolocation data.

What you can do:

  • Check the real geolocation of your VPS IP using any GeoIP checker like ipinfo.io or maxmind.com/en/geoip-demo. Paste your server IP there.
  • If it shows an embargoed region, contact your host and ask for a different IP, or switch to a bigger provider like AWS, GCP, DigitalOcean, or Hetzner where geolocation is usually correct.

If your IP consistently shows as US and you still get the error, post the IP here, or at least the host name, and I’ll take a deeper look.

Thanks for sharing the screenshot. I see IPinfo.io shows this IP as US-based, but different GeoIP databases can disagree on the same IP, and here’s what’s happening with yours.

The IP 94.183.182.212 falls within the 94.183.0.0/16 range, which is registered to Shatel, an Iranian ISP, in the RIPE WHOIS database. A small /24 subnet within that range has been re-assigned to a different company claiming US geolocation, which is why IPinfo shows Fremont, CA. But most GeoIP providers still classify IPs in this broader range as Iranian based on the parent allocation.

As a US-based company, we’re required to comply with export control and sanctions regulations per Section 17.6 of our Terms of Service. Because your VPS IP resolves to a sanctioned country in our GeoIP data, the server download is blocked. We rely on this data and are unable to create exceptions for individual IPs.

To resolve this, you’d need to switch to a VPS provider whose IPs are clearly allocated to a non-sanctioned region in all major GeoIP databases. Providers like AWS, GCP, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, or Vultr should work.