Cursor IDE
I set the default mode for the agent to plan and it always starts in agent mode.
set default to plan and start a new agent
start in plan mode
MacOS
Latest version. Submitting this on my phone. Can try to update later
Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor
Hey, I ran into a similar oddity a few days ago – Plan mode showed a Pro license requirement, or API key to be removed, even though I didn’t have one. Ask mode had the same problem, and only the Agent mode worked for me.
It’s working fine for me now on the latest build, so make sure you’re updated.
Version: 2.0.43
VSCode Version: 1.99.3
Commit: 8e4da76ad196925accaa169efcae28c45454cce0
Date: 2025-10-30T18:49:27.589Z
Electron: 34.5.8
Chromium: 132.0.6834.210
Node.js: 20.19.1
V8: 13.2.152.41-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 24.6.0
Could you try updating (or reinstalling) and see if that helps?
This is my version:
Version: 2.0.43
VSCode Version: 1.99.3
Commit: 8e4da76ad196925accaa169efcae28c45454cce0
Date: 2025-10-30T18:49:27.589Z
Electron: 34.5.8
Chromium: 132.0.6834.210
Node.js: 20.19.1
V8: 13.2.152.41-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 25.0.0
Plan mode works. But it’s the default that isn’t.
Setting:
New Agent:
Interesting - when I set the default mode to Plan it works for me as expected, both on the chat pane and on the Agents screen. So I am not sure what’s off in your case.
Try restarting the app if you have not tried that yet?
Hey, thanks for the report. The issue might be how you’re opening the right chat panel, even though your default mode is set to Plan. For clarity, a few details:
Cmd+I always opens Agent mode (shortcut for the side panel)Cmd+T or Cmd+N should respect your default mode (Plan)Please try creating a new agent with Cmd+T and let me know if it opens in Plan mode as expected. If it still opens in Agent with Cmd+T, then it’s a bug and I’ll escalate it.
I’m usually doing it from here but just tried: cmd+T, cmd+N, shift cmd + L, and cmd + I
cmd I didn’t seem to do anything and the rest all opened a new agent in agent mode, not plan.
and I just tested in “old school” view. cmd + T opens in plan mode and the “+” button opens in plan mode. just seems to be the new view?
Thanks for the info. It looks like this doesn’t work in Agent mode but does work in Editor mode. I’ll pass this to the team.
You can also use the Shift + Tab shortcut to switch to Plan mode.
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Hello!
It appears that this setting has been non-functional for a considerable period, and we have received minimal feedback regarding it. As a result, we will be removing this setting in version 2.5.
As of version 2.4, Cursor can automatically request to switch to a more suitable mode when it detects that another mode would better accommodate the given task. You can also set Auto-Approved Mode Transitions (Cursor Settings > Agents > Auto-Run) to do this without your explicit approval.
