Markdown files open in preview mode by default over SSH, and the preview is blank / hangs

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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE - Remote SSH / Markdown editor

Describe the Bug

When I connect to a remote server through SSH in Cursor and open a Markdown file (.md), it opens in preview mode by default instead of the normal text editor.

The problem is that the preview is often blank and appears to hang, so the Markdown content is not displayed at all. This makes Markdown files effectively unusable in this workflow.

This seems specific to the SSH remote scenario. Also, my local Cursor user settings do not explicitly associate *.md files with the markdown preview editor, so this does not appear to be caused by a custom editor association.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open Cursor
  2. Connect to a remote Linux server via SSH
  3. Open any .md file in the remote workspace
  4. Observe that the file opens in preview mode by default
  5. Observe that the preview is blank / stuck and does not render the Markdown content

Expected Behavior

Markdown files opened over SSH should open normally in the text editor by default, or at least the preview should render correctly instead of showing a blank page.

Actual Behavior

Markdown files open directly in preview mode, and the preview is blank / stuck.

Operating System

Local machine: Linux
Remote environment: Linux server over SSH

Version Information

Version: 3.0.12

If needed, I can provide the full version info from Cursor.

Additional Context

  • This happens when using Cursor over SSH to a remote server
  • The issue is especially confusing because .md files open straight into preview mode
  • The preview pane does not render the file content and appears blank
  • My local user settings do not contain a workbench.editorAssociations rule for *.md

Does this stop you from using Cursor?

Yes - it significantly affects Markdown editing on remote SSH workspaces.

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?

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Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

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  • Cursor CLI
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Describe the Bug
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Steps to Reproduce
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Expected Behavior
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Operating System

  • Windows 10/11
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  • 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: ......

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CLI Version 2026.01.17-d239e66

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Additional Information
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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!

4

Hey, thanks for the detailed report.

As a workaround, try adding this setting to settings.json:

"workbench.editorAssociations": {
    "*.md": "default"
}

This will make .md files open in the regular text editor instead of the preview. You can set it globally in User Settings or just for Remote SSH in Remote Settings.

You can also open a specific file via right click → Open With… → Text Editor.

Let me know if the workaround helped.