Local Agent cannot edit files

Support Bug Reports
1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

Summary:
Ask/chat works normally, but the local Agent hangs or times out whenever it tries to run terminal commands or read/write local files. I cannot use the local Agent to edit files on my machine and currently have to rely on Cloud Agent only.
Environment:

  • macOS
  • Cursor version: (paste from Help → About)
    Request ID:
  • ec9a7227-a546-4d5a-9cc1-037d4d7f547c
    Error:
    ERROR_EXTENSION_HOST_TIMEOUT
    Agent Execution Timed Out
    Detail: The agent execution provider did not respond in time. This may indicate the extension host is not running or is unresponsive.
    ConnectError: [deadline_exceeded] Agent Execution Timed Out
    Repro steps:
  1. Open a local project folder in Cursor.
  2. Start Agent mode and ask something that needs tools, e.g. “run pwd” or “how many files are in this folder”.
  3. Agent starts a shell/file search (e.g. List files / Searching files) but never returns output, or fails with the timeout above.
    Expected:
    Local Agent should run terminal/file tools and edit local files.
    Actual:
    Tool calls hang with no output, or Agent Execution Timed Out / extension host unresponsive. Simple chat without tools still works.
    Workarounds tried:
  • Changed Approvals & Execution (Allowlist / Auto-review)
  • Reload Window
  • Still reproduces; using Cloud Agent as a workaround
2

Hi there!

We detected that this may be a bug report, so we’ve moved your post to the Bug Reports category.

To help us investigate and fix this faster, could you edit your original post to include the details from the template below?

Bug Report Template - Click to expand

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

  • Editor, Tab & Chat (autocomplete, Composer, in-editor agent)
  • Terminal & commands
  • Models, pricing & API keys (availability, Auto/Max, BYOK/Bedrock)
  • MCP & tools
  • Cloud Agents & Automations (cursor.com/agents, scheduled/event)
  • BugBot & Code Review
  • Cursor CLI
  • Cursor Mobile
  • Remote (SSH / Dev Containers / WSL)
  • Account, billing & login
  • Something else…

Describe the Bug
A clear and concise description of what the bug is.

Steps to Reproduce
How can you reproduce this bug? We have a much better chance at fixing issues if we can reproduce them!

  1. …
  2. …
  3. …

Expected Behavior
What is meant to happen here that isn’t working correctly?

Screenshots / Screen Recordings
If applicable, attach images or videos (.jpg, .png, .gif, .mp4, .mov)

Operating System

  • Windows 10/11
  • MacOS
  • Linux

Version Information

  • For Cursor IDE: Menu → About Cursor → Copy
  • For Cursor CLI: Run agent about in your terminal
IDE:
Version: 2.xx.x
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: ......

CLI:
CLI Version 2026.01.17-d239e66

For AI issues: which model did you use?
Model name (e.g., Sonnet 4, Tab…)

For AI issues: add Request ID with privacy disabled
Request ID: f9a7046a-279b-47e5-ab48-6e8dc12daba1
For Background Agent issues, also post the ID: bc-…

Additional Information
Add any other context about the problem here.

Does this stop you from using Cursor?

  • Yes - Cursor is unusable
  • Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor
  • No - Cursor works, but with this issue

The more details you provide, the easier it is for us to reproduce and fix the issue. Thanks!

6

Hey @Duvi, thanks for the report!

This matches an issue we’ve seen on Macs recently updated to macOS 27: if the git on your PATH is an Intel-only build and Rosetta isn’t installed, the Agent’s file and terminal tools wait forever while plain chat keeps working. A fix is coming in an upcoming Cursor update. In the meantime, could you try this:

  1. Fully quit Cursor (Cursor menu → Quit Cursor, or Cmd+Q).
  2. Open the Terminal app and run: file "$(which git)"
  3. If the output mentions x86_64 (not arm64), install Rosetta by running: softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license
  4. Reopen Cursor, open your project, start a new Agent chat and ask it to “run pwd”.

Does the command run now? Either way, please reply with the output of step 2, your macOS version (Apple menu → About This Mac) and your Cursor version (Cursor → About Cursor).

If that git came from an old Intel Homebrew install, removing it with sudo rm -f /usr/local/bin/git also works, since macOS then uses its built-in git.

8

It does work, thanks!
here’s my macOS version: 27.0 (26A428)
and cursor version:
Version: 3.22.7
VS Code Extension API: 1.128.0
Commit: 37076c6c3f9e253c0fa2305197e45befd13a2260
Date: 2026-09-24T05:01:24.589Z
Layout: Agent Window
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 42.10.0
Chromium: 148.0.7778.280
Node.js: 24.18.1
V8: 14.8.178.38-electron.0
xterm.js: 6.1.0-beta.291
OS: Darwin arm64 27.0.0