Frequent Freezing in Cursor IDE Versions 0.48 to 1.0.0
Problem Description
Cursor IDE versions 0.48 through 1.0.0 exhibit severe freezing and hanging issues, rendering the IDE nearly unusable. The freezes occur randomly every few minutes during normal usage, such as coding, navigating files, or using AI features. The last stable version is 0.47.9, which does not exhibit this behavior. This issue persists across both Windows 10 and Windows 11, suggesting it is not OS-specific.
Critical Discovery: Through extensive testing and project optimization, the freezing is strongly correlated with project indexing performance. Projects with large file counts (1,000+ files), complex directory structures, or large binary files (>500KB) are significantly more prone to freezing. This suggests the indexing system introduced in versions 0.48+ has performance issues with complex projects.
Steps to Reproduce
- Install Cursor IDE version 0.48 or higher (up to 1.0.0).
- Open a project, particularly one with:
- Large file count (100+ files, especially 1,000+)
- Large binary files (PNG, executables, build artifacts >500KB)
- Complex nested directory structures
- Extensive git history
- Perform typical tasks, such as:
- Writing or editing code in any programming language.
- Using AI features (e.g., code suggestions, Cmd-K, or Composer).
- Navigating files or using the search pane.
- Git operations (commit, checkout, merge) - these are particularly problematic
- Continue using the IDE for 5–10 minutes.
- Observe random freezes that halt all interactions with the IDE.
Note: Freezes are most frequent during or immediately after git operations and file indexing operations. Simple projects with <100 files rarely exhibit this issue.
Expected Behavior
The IDE should remain responsive and stable during all operations, allowing uninterrupted coding, navigation, and use of AI features without freezing or requiring restarts, regardless of project size or complexity.
Actual Behavior
- The IDE becomes completely unresponsive every few minutes, with freezes lasting several seconds to minutes.
- During freezes, all interface elements (editor, menus, tabs) are unresponsive to input.
- Indexing-related freezes: Most severe during git commits, file operations, or when opening large projects.
- In some cases, the IDE recovers after a delay; in others, a forced restart via Task Manager is required.
- No error messages or dialogs are displayed during or after the freezes.
- Temporary workaround discovered: Creating a new chat session and restarting Cursor provides 30-60 minutes of improved performance, suggesting memory/cache issues.
Environment
| Component | Stable (0.47.9) | Problematic (1.0.0) |
|---|---|---|
| Version | 0.47.9 | 1.0.0 |
| VSCode Version | 1.96.2 | 1.96.2 |
| Commit | b6fb41b5f36bda05cab7109606e7404a65d1ff30 | 53b99ce608cba35127ae3a050c1738a959750860 |
| Date | 2025-03-21T19:10:46.828Z | 2025-06-04T19:44:25.253Z |
| Electron | 34.3.4 | 34.5.1 |
| Chromium | 132.0.6834.210 | 132.0.6834.210 |
| Node.js | 20.18.3 | 20.19.0 |
| V8 | 13.2.152.41-electron.0 | 13.2.152.41-electron.0 |
| OS | Windows_NT x64 10.0.26100 | Windows_NT x64 10.0.26100 |
Additional System Notes:
- Tested on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 with consistent results.
- Issue severity directly correlates with project complexity (file count, binary files, git history size).
Additional Information
Project Complexity Analysis (Concrete Evidence)
Test Case - Large Project (Severe Freezing):
- 1,675 files being indexed
- 8 large files (500KB+ each)
- 75 Python files in root directory
- Large PNG map files (4MB+ each)
- Complex HTML templates with embedded JavaScript
- Result: Frequent hangs during git operations and indexing
After Optimization (Dramatically Reduced Freezing):
- 71 files moved to archive directory
- ~20 core files remaining in root directory
- Zero large files being tracked by git (via .gitignore)
- Comprehensive .gitignore excluding build artifacts
- Result: Significantly improved performance, rare freezing
Diagnostic Steps
To assist with debugging, I have followed the Cursor Troubleshooting Guide to gather logs and console errors:
- Accessing Logs: Open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P) and run
Developer: Open Logs Folder. Check for any error messages or warnings in the log files corresponding to the time of the freezes. - Developer Tools: Run
Developer: Toggle Developer Toolsin the command palette to open the console and inspect for errors or warnings during freeze events. - Log Observations: No specific error messages were observed in the logs or console at the time of freezing, but indexing operations correlate with freeze timing.
Workarounds Attempted
Highly Effective Workarounds:
-
Project Structure Optimization:
- Move non-essential files to archive directories
- Add comprehensive .gitignore patterns for build artifacts, debug files, large binaries
- Keep only core application files in project root
- Result: 90%+ reduction in freezing frequency
-
Large File Exclusion:
- Exclude files >500KB from git tracking via .gitignore
- Remove large binary assets from version control
- Result: Dramatically improved indexing performance
-
Temporary Relief Method:
- Create new chat session + restart Cursor
- Provides 30-60 minutes of improved performance
- Suggests: Memory leak or cache corruption issues
-
Version Downgrade:
- Revert to version 0.47.9
- Result: Complete elimination of freezing
Diagnostic Steps Taken:
- Tested on both Windows 10 and Windows 11, confirming the issue is not OS-specific.
- Monitored Task Manager during freezes; CPU spikes often correlate with indexing operations.
- Created diagnostic tools to analyze project structure and identify indexing bottlenecks.
- Established clear correlation between project complexity and freeze frequency.
Observed Patterns
- Project Size Correlation: Projects with 1,000+ files freeze significantly more than smaller projects
- Git Operation Triggers: Freezes most frequent during/after git commits, checkouts, merges
- File Count Impact: 100+ files in root directory increases freeze likelihood
- Binary File Impact: Large binary files (>500KB) dramatically worsen freezing
- Indexing Load: Strong correlation between file indexing operations and freeze occurrence
- Memory/Cache Issues: New chat + restart provides temporary relief (30-60 min)
- Frequency Pattern: Freezes typically every 2–5 minutes in complex projects, rare in simple projects
Supporting Evidence
This issue is not isolated and has been reported by other users on the Cursor Community Forum and GitHub, particularly for versions 0.32.0 and later. Below are relevant reports:
- Cursor update has caused it to repeatedly freeze: A user reported freezing every few minutes after updating to version 0.32.0, requiring reversion to an older build.
- Frequent Freezes in Cursor AI IDE: A user noted freezes every 1–2 hours, with high CPU usage by Cursor processes.
- Cursor keeps randomly crashing: While focused on crashes, this may be related to freezing issues.
- Editor freezing every 30 seconds: A user reported freezes every 30–60 seconds, unaffected by disabling GPU or extensions.
- Freezing the cursor ide: A user described freezes every 5–10 seconds across multiple machines.
These reports suggest a systemic issue affecting multiple users across various versions and platforms, particularly related to indexing performance in complex projects.
Potential Root Cause Analysis
Based on extensive testing, optimization efforts, and correlation analysis, the freezing appears to be caused by:
- Indexing System Overload: The file indexer introduced/modified in versions 0.48+ struggles with large, complex projects
- Memory Management Issues: Possible memory leaks during indexing operations (evidenced by temporary relief from restarts)
- Git Integration Performance: Enhanced git features may be overwhelming the indexer during commits/checkouts
- Cache Management Problems: Corrupted or oversized caches causing performance degradation
Recommendations for Investigation
High Priority Areas:
- Indexing Algorithm Changes: Compare indexing implementation between 0.47.9 and 0.48+
- Memory Profiling: Profile memory usage during indexing operations in projects with 1,000+ files
- Git Integration Impact: Review git-related indexing changes and their performance impact
- Cache System: Examine cache invalidation, cleanup, and size management
- Project Size Safeguards: Consider implementing performance limits or warnings for extremely large projects
Immediate User Workarounds
While awaiting a fix, users experiencing this issue can try:
-
Project Cleanup (Most Effective):
- Move debug/test files to separate directories
- Create comprehensive .gitignore excluding build artifacts, large binaries
- Keep only essential files in project root
-
File Management:
- Exclude files >500KB from git tracking
- Archive non-essential historical files
-
Operational Workarounds:
- Restart Cursor + create new chat when freezing begins
- Work in smaller project segments when possible
- Use version 0.47.9 for critical work until resolved
Request
This issue severely impacts productivity and requires urgent attention. The clear correlation with project indexing performance provides a concrete investigation path. The evidence strongly suggests the problem lies in how versions 0.48+ handle file system operations and indexing for complex projects.
Specific Investigation Requests:
- Changes to indexing algorithms between 0.47.9 and 0.48
- Memory management during large project operations
- Git integration performance impacts
- Cache invalidation and cleanup mechanisms
The provided concrete test case (1,675 files → 90% freeze reduction after optimization) should help reproduce and analyze the issue.
If additional diagnostic information (e.g., specific logs, detailed project structure analysis, or memory profiling data) is needed, please advise.
Thank you for your efforts in maintaining Cursor IDE and addressing this critical issue.