Local agent execution hangs without auto-terminating—terminal seems done but still throws an error

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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

When using Cursor’s agent feature in a conversation, the process often hangs and does not terminate automatically. This typically occurs when executing tasks locally via the terminal—there is no response, even though the terminal appears to have finished execution. Despite this, an error is still reported.

Steps to Reproduce

Open a new chat or agent conversation in Cursor IDE.
Request the agent to perform a task that involves local terminal execution (e.g., running a script, installing a package, or executing a command).
Observe that the terminal starts executing the command but becomes unresponsive.
Wait until the terminal seems to finish (output stops, prompt returns), but the agent interface remains stuck.
An error message is eventually shown, even though the terminal task has completed.

Expected Behavior

The agent should properly detect when the terminal task completes and update the conversation state accordingly. It should not hang indefinitely or report errors after successful execution. The interface should respond promptly and reflect the actual status of the operation.

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

20260129-164550.jpg
20260129-164550.jpg932×1193 131 KB

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

version:
Version: 2.4.22 (Universal)
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: 618c607a249dd7fd2ffc662c6531143833bebd40
Date: 2026-01-26T22:51:47.692Z (2 days 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 23.5.0

For AI issues: which model did you use?

Sonnet4.5 Opus4.5

For AI issues: add Request ID with privacy disabled

can not get Request ID

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Yes - Cursor is unusable

3

Hey, thanks for the report. I see the screenshot with Maven errors. This looks like a known issue where the agent can’t correctly detect when terminal commands finish.

Try Legacy Terminal as a workaround:

  • Settings > Cursor Settings > Agents > Legacy Terminal: enable it
  • Restart Cursor
  • Try running the command via the agent again

This helped in similar cases: Constant freezing when agent tries to run commands - #3 by deanrie

If it doesn’t help, I’ll need a bit more info:

  • Console logs: Cmd + Shift + P > Developer: Toggle Developer Tools > Console tab (screenshot or error text)
  • Which shell you’re using (echo $SHELL in the terminal)
  • Request ID (chat menu → Copy Request ID)

Let me know how it goes.