Privacy Mode stuck on Legacy in Cursor IDE; changes not applied, ConnectError invalid_argument

Support Bug Reports
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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

I cannot change Privacy settings in Cursor IDE:

Desktop app (Cursor Settings → Privacy):

  • Shows “Privacy Mode (Legacy)” in the dropdown
  • Message: “Privacy Mode (Legacy) is enabled. Background Agent and some features not available.”
  • Clicking “Switch to Privacy Mode” or changing the dropdown has no effect — nothing updates
  • No visible error toast in the UI

Web Dashboard:

  • Shows “Privacy Mode” without “(Legacy)” label
  • Desktop and dashboard appear out of sync

DevTools Console (Help → Toggle Developer Tools) when attempting to change privacy mode:
ConnectError: [invalid_argument] Error
at async Object.setUserPrivacyMode
at async updateUserPrivacyMode
at async fetchUserPrivacyMode
(workbench.glass.main.js)

Reinstalling Cursor (keeping user data in %APPDATA%\Cursor and %USERPROFILE%.cursor) did not fix this.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Open Cursor Windows → Settings → Privacy
  2. Confirm the UI shows “Privacy Mode (Legacy)”
  3. Try to switch to “Privacy Mode” via the dropdown
  4. Observe that the setting does not change (no visible error in UI)
  5. Open Help → Toggle Developer Tools → Console
  6. Repeat step 3 and observe ConnectError: [invalid_argument] in setUserPrivacyMode / updateUserPrivacyMode
  7. (Optional) Open dashboard → Settings and compare — dashboard shows “Privacy Mode” without Legacy label

Expected Behavior

  • Privacy mode should be changeable from Cursor Windows Settings
  • Changes should persist and reflect immediately in the UI
  • Desktop app and web dashboard should show consistent privacy mode state
  • If the change fails, a clear error message should be shown to the user (not only in DevTools)

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

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Operating System

Windows 10/11

Version Information

Version: 3.9.16 (user setup)
VS Code Extension API: 1.105.1
Commit: 042b3c1a4c53f2c3808067f519fbfc67b72cad80
Date: 2026-06-27T06:41:01.941Z
Layout: glass
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 40.10.3
Chromium: 144.0.7559.236
Node.js: 24.15.0
V8: 14.4.258.32-electron.0
xterm.js: 6.1.0-beta.256
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26200

Additional Information

State mismatch:

  • IDE: Privacy Mode (Legacy)
  • Web Dashboard: Privacy Mode (no Legacy label)

Already tried:

  • Reinstalled Cursor Windows (user data preserved)
  • Attempted change via web Dashboard — dashboard label differs from desktop; desktop remains stuck on Legacy

Technical detail:

  • Errors occur in workbench.glass.main.js during setUserPrivacyMode / updateUserPrivacyMode
  • User setting: cursor.general.disableHttp2 = true (in settings.json)

Related threads:

Blocks Background Agent and some features while stuck on Legacy mode.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor

6

Thanks for the thorough report and the DevTools console output.

This is a confirmed bug on our side. Your account has already been migrated to the standard Privacy Mode server-side (which is why the dashboard shows it correctly). The desktop app’s sync logic is stuck trying to re-apply the old Legacy setting, and the server rejects it since Legacy is now reserved for enterprise accounts. That loop is why the IDE shows “Legacy” and why clicking “Switch to Privacy Mode” appears to do nothing.

Unfortunately there isn’t a self-serve workaround for this right now. I’ve reported the bug internally and will update this thread when there’s progress. disableHttp2 in your settings is unrelated, so no need to change that.

8

Thanks for the prompt response, and I would like to add 3 more questions.

  1. Is there a way to use a remote control from an iOS device on the pc now? It seems that I have to switch the privacy setting to enable it. I want to try it while Composer 2.5 is on discount. ;(
  2. Why does the problem stay there even after reinstalling cursor when it is already updated in the cursor dashboard?
  3. Is the problem gonna be solved if I use a different pc/laptop?

Thank you for your time.

9

  1. Remote Control: Not while the desktop app is stuck on Legacy – that local state is what blocks Remote Control, even though your account is already on normal Privacy Mode on the server (and on the dashboard). Once the IDE sync bug is fixed, privacy won’t block Remote Control; enable it from Settings → Agents on the PC with the same account on iOS. Cursor for iOS

  2. Reinstall: The dashboard reflects the server (already Privacy Mode). The desktop stores the old Legacy flag and a half-finished sync state in local app data. Keeping that data across reinstall leaves the loop in place.

  3. Another PC: Signing in with the same account on a different machine hits the same sync bug, so it won’t clear this.

I’ll update this thread when a fix is available.