Feature Request: Improved Cursor IDE & WinSCP Compatibility for AI-Assisted Development

Feature Requests
1

Summary
Enhance Cursor IDE’s support when working with WinSCP-accessed files, improving AI side-panel interactions and persistent chat history.

Current Issues

  1. Temporary File Paths & AI Implementation Bugs

  • When accessing files via WinSCP, files are stored in temporary locations (Temp/scpXXXXX/domain_xyz.com/controllers/algorithmController.php).

  • AI side-panel sees these files but struggles to implement changes, leading to inconsistent or failed modifications.

  • Ask Auto Apply frequently breaks when trying to modify these files.

  1. Loss of AI Chat History

  • Every day, the AI side-panel resets chat history, requiring users to restart projects from scratch.

  • This disrupts long-term development workflows, making iterative problem-solving more difficult.

  1. Overall Drop in Experience with Locally Opened Files vs. WinSCP Files

  • The seamless experience of using Cursor with local files does not extend to WinSCP-accessed files.

  • Cursor does not seem to recognize the difference between local and temp WinSCP files, leading to disruptions in workflow.

Proposed Enhancements

  1. Persistent AI Context for WinSCP Files

  • Ensure that AI retains session history for WinSCP-accessed files, even if they are in a temporary folder.

  • Allow users to reload past AI chat interactions instead of resetting daily.

  1. Better Handling of Temporary File Paths

  • Implement a file mapping system so AI can recognize WinSCP files as part of an active project rather than treating them as isolated temp files.

  • Ensure Ask Auto Apply correctly applies changes to these temp files.

  1. Improve AI Assistance on Remote-Edited Files

  • Allow AI to track changes between temp WinSCP files and their original server location.

  • Offer smarter suggestions for integrating AI-generated changes into remote projects.

  1. Seamless WinSCP & Cursor Integration

  • Improve AI awareness of WinSCP file structure to reduce bugs and enhance usability.

  • Make Cursor auto-detect when files are being edited remotely and adjust its handling accordingly.

Benefit to Users

  • Enhanced AI-assisted coding experience with WinSCP files.

  • Fewer workflow interruptions due to lost AI chat history.

  • Better integration between Cursor and WinSCP, making remote file editing as smooth as local file development.

1 Like
2

same. Looking also for a solution..
For now, you can try the SFTP plugin for Cursor

3

Thanks for the suggestion! For some reason, I think I was using SFTP in the past, but I started running into some errors—I just can’t quite remember the specifics. Have you had any issues using SFTP inside Cursor?

4

No real issues until now. It is just a bit annoying, that you have to select each file you want to edit and click “Edit in Local” (only once), so it copies the selected files into your local workspace and auto-syncs on every save. So there is no “open and edit directly” possibility while browsing via SFTP.