I am a paying Cursor Pro user and I am posting here because I have spent approximately five hours trying to complete what should have been a simple step in an otherwise successful project workflow.
I am building a real product using Cursor.
I am not a software developer, but I have successfully used Cursor to get all the way to the point where I should be preparing the product for testing and deployment.
Before this issue occurred, I had already:
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Developed the product concept.
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Built the product structure and functionality using Cursor.
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Worked extensively with Cursor AI.
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Iterated and refined the product.
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Created the necessary accounts.
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Created a GitHub account.
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Created a GitHub repository.
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Created a Vercel account.
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Reached the point where I should have been moving into testing and deployment.
This is important because the issue is not that I am incapable of navigating technology.
I had already successfully completed all of those steps.
The problem started when I needed the project pushed through to GitHub so that I could continue with deployment.
I followed the instructions.
I connected GitHub.
Cursor showed GitHub as connected.
The GitHub repository existed.
Everything appeared to indicate that the connection had been completed correctly.
However, when I opened GitHub, the repository was empty.
At that point, a simple question became a five-hour nightmare:
If GitHub is connected, why are the project files not in GitHub?
I then attempted to follow the instructions again.
I repeatedly tried to get back to the project.
I repeatedly asked Cursor for guidance.
I repeatedly followed the instructions I was given.
I repeatedly found myself in different parts of Cursor.
I repeatedly supplied screenshots.
I repeatedly attempted to determine where I was, what state the project was in, and what the next step was supposed to be.
Throughout this process, I found myself moving between:
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Cursor Home
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Agent chats
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Repository views
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Dashboard screens
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Settings screens
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Project conversations
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Deployment conversations
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Local views
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Workspace discussions
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Terminal discussions
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Multiple other project-related screens
Many of these screens contained the project name.
Many appeared related to the project.
Many looked like places where I should be able to continue working.
However, there was no obvious indication of:
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Whether I was actually inside the project workspace
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Whether I was looking at a repository
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Whether I was looking at a chat
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Whether I was looking at a dashboard
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Whether I was in the correct place to continue working
The most frustrating part is that I was not trying to find a lost project.
I was trying to return to the project so I could continue following the instructions I had already been given.
A simple “Return to Project” button would have saved hours.
Instead, I found myself constantly trying to work out:
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Where I was
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Which screen I was looking at
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Which workflow I was currently in
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Which instructions applied to which screen
I was also repeatedly given guidance that did not match what was actually visible on my screen.
I followed those instructions.
The options described were often not there.
This resulted in more confusion and more time lost.
One particularly frustrating example involved the terminal.
I spent a significant amount of time trying to find the terminal because I was repeatedly told that was what I needed.
When I eventually located a terminal, it turned out not to be the thing that would solve the actual problem.
By that stage I was no longer troubleshooting GitHub.
I was trying to work out where I was inside Cursor.
The situation became so confusing that I reached the point where I was closing, reopening, refreshing and effectively resetting parts of Cursor simply trying to get back to the correct place.
I was no longer trying to solve the original issue.
I was trying to recover my position in the workflow.
A user should never have to start reopening and resetting parts of an application simply because they cannot determine where they are, where their project is, or how to continue.
I also spent hours going back and forth with ChatGPT, sharing screenshots, trying to understand what Cursor was showing me.
I asked Cursor itself.
I followed Cursor’s own guidance.
I followed external guidance.
I supplied screenshots.
Yet after approximately five hours, the issue remained unresolved.
To make matters worse, when I attempted to contact support, I found it surprisingly difficult to locate a clear support pathway.
I eventually found forms that rejected Gmail addresses because they required a business email address.
I searched for support options.
I searched for contact methods.
I searched for ways to escalate the issue.
Instead, I kept finding community pathways.
At this point, I am posting here because it appears to be the only way I can get the issue in front of someone.
I am not asking how GitHub works.
I am not asking how deployment works.
I am not asking someone to build my product.
I am asking for help understanding why:
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Cursor showed GitHub as connected
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The repository remained empty
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The project files did not appear in GitHub
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It became so difficult to determine where I was in Cursor
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It became so difficult to get back to the project workspace
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It became so difficult to determine the correct next step
I would appreciate someone from the Cursor team reviewing this and advising:
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Whether the GitHub connection is functioning correctly.
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Whether the project has actually been pushed to GitHub.
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Whether there is a workspace issue.
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Whether there is a synchronisation issue.
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Whether there is a missing workflow step.
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Whether intervention from the Cursor team is required.
I also want to provide product feedback.
The future users of Cursor are not only software developers.
They are founders, business owners, consultants, therapists, marketers, designers and other professionals building real products with AI.
If a user can successfully build a product, create the accounts, create the repository, create the deployment account, connect the systems and get to the final stages, but then lose five hours simply trying to understand where they are, what state the project is in and how to continue, that points to a usability and workflow problem rather than a user problem.
The single biggest improvement I would suggest is a permanent, obvious option that simply says:
RETURN TO PROJECT
or
OPEN PROJECT
or
TAKE ME BACK TO MY PROJECT
Because the most frustrating part of this experience was not GitHub.
It was repeatedly finding myself in different parts of Cursor and having no clear way to return to the actual project I was working on.
Five hours later, the issue is still not resolved, and I should have been spending that time testing my product instead of trying to work out where I was inside the platform.