The “Open Agents Window on Startup” setting does not behave as expected.
Even when the setting is disabled, Cursor opens the Agents window on startup if the Agents window was the last active window before quitting.
From my testing, the startup behavior appears to be determined by the last active window, rather than the startup preference.
Steps to Reproduce
Launch Cursor.
Go to Settings → General.
Disable “Open Agents Window on Startup”.
Open the Agents window.
Make sure the Agents window is the active/focused window.
Quit Cursor using ⌘Q.
Launch Cursor again.
Expected Behavior
Since “Open Agents Window on Startup” is disabled, Cursor should always start in the Editor (IDE) window, regardless of which window was active before quitting.
Operating System
MacOS
Version Information
Cursor Version: 3.11.19
Platform: macOS (Apple Silicon)
Launch Method: Dock / Finder
Setting: Settings → General → Open Agents Window on Startup = Off
Additional Information
I found a consistent workaround that may help identify the root cause:
If I quit Cursor while the Agents window is active, Cursor launches into the Agents window next time.
If I switch to the Editor (IDE) window before quitting, Cursor launches into the Editor next time.
This suggests that Cursor is restoring the last active window, and that this restoration logic is overriding the “Open Agents Window on Startup” preference.
This behavior is reproducible every time on my machine.
Hey, thanks for the detailed report and steps. That made it easy to match this to behavior we’re already tracking.
You found the right cause. Right now, Open Agents Window on Startup = Off doesn’t mean it’ll always open the IDE. When Cursor starts, it restores the last window session, and if the Agents Window was open or focused when you quit with Cmd+Q, it’ll come back regardless of that setting. So your workaround works. Switch back to the Editor or close the Agents Window before quitting, and the next launch should open the IDE.
This is on our radar, but I can’t share an exact ETA yet. If there’s an update, I’ll reply in the thread.
I \'m also seeing the setting consistenly ignored and I’ve never chosen to use the agents window. I installed an IDE, and that’s what I want is my IDE. this default setting without my permission is going to make me abandon cursor. It’s a mostly great IDE, but it needs to let me use what I installed not decide that I wanted a different product entirely despite my explicit setting to off
Hey, thanks for writing in. I get why this is annoying. When the IDE opens somewhere you don’t expect, it throws you off.
This happens because of how window restore works right now. Open Agents Window on Startup = Off doesn’t mean always open the IDE. It means restore the last window session. If the Agents Window was open or focused when you quit, it’ll come back on the next launch no matter what that setting says.
Workaround for now: switch to the Editor window, close the Agents Window, then quit from the editor using Cmd+Q. That removes the Agents Window from the saved session, so next time Cursor opens straight into the IDE.
We’re already tracking this, but I can’t share an ETA yet. If there’s an update, I’ll reply in the thread.
On macOS, Cursor 3.11.19 opens the Agents Window every time the app launches even though Settings → General → Open Agents Window on Startup is set to Off. The startup preference is ignored, so Cursor opens the Agent interface instead of the normal IDE/editor layout.
Steps to Reproduce
Open Cursor Settings → General.
Set “Open Agents Window on Startup” to “Off”.
Return to the normal IDE/editor window.
Fully quit Cursor with Cmd+Q.
Relaunch Cursor from the Dock, Spotlight, or Finder.
Observe that the Agents Window opens anyway.
Repeat the quit/relaunch cycle; the Agents Window continues to open on every launch.
Expected Behavior
When “Open Agents Window on Startup” is Off, Cursor should launch directly into the normal IDE/editor layout and should not automatically open the Agents Window.
N/A — this is an IDE startup/UI issue, not a model response issue.
For AI issues: add Request ID with privacy disabled
N/A — no AI request is involved.
Additional Information
The attached screenshot shows “Open Agents Window on Startup” set to Off. Other users report that the same setting is ignored: Reddit - Please wait for verification
This happens on every launch and forces an extra manual step to get back to the IDE. Cursor remains usable after switching to the editor, but the startup behavior is incorrect and disruptive.
