Mode dropdown shows Agent but assistant is stuck in Plan/Ask mode

Support Bug Reports
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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

When I set the mode dropdown in the composer to Agent, the assistant still behaves as if it’s in Plan/Ask mode: it repeatedly says it “MUST NOT make any edits or run any non‑readonly tools” and only offers plans/explanations instead of changing code.

Repro steps:

Open a project in Cursor.
In the chat composer, set the mode dropdown to Agent.
Ask the assistant to implement a plan (e.g. update policies and React components according to a plan file).
Observe that the assistant responds with Plan/Ask‑mode system reminders (e.g. “Plan mode is active… you MUST NOT make any edits…”) and refuses to modify files, even though the UI shows Agent.
Expected behavior:

When the dropdown is set to Agent, the assistant should receive Agent‑mode system instructions and be allowed to edit files and run non‑readonly tools.
Actual behavior:

The assistant receives Plan/Ask‑mode system instructions and refuses to edit, despite the dropdown showing Agent.
Extra context:

Example conversation text: “Implement the plan as specified…” followed by repeated Plan‑mode system reminders.

Steps to Reproduce

I am simply trying to switch from plan or ask mode to now agent mode. This is not the first time it is happened. This happened to me randomly over multiple chats in the recent times.

Expected Behavior

It should simply make the changes when I am in agent mode

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Version: 2.6.11 (Universal)

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

3

Hey, this is a known issue. There can be a desync between what the UI shows (Agent) and the system instructions the model actually gets (Plan/Ask).

For now, as a workaround:

  1. Open a new chat CMD + I, pick Agent mode right away, and send your edit request without switching modes.
  2. If that doesn’t help, try saying it directly in your prompt, like “You are in Agent mode, edit the files directly”. Users say this works.
  3. Also check if your project root has a .cursorrules file. It might include instructions like “do not edit files” or similar.

For debugging, we need the Request ID from the chat where this happens. Click the three dots in the top right, then Copy Request ID. This helps the team find the cause on your side.

The team is aware of the issue. No timeline yet, but your report helps us prioritize it.