Settings UI doesn't handle quoted paths in Python interpreter path (and others)

[deaquay]

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

When entering a quoted path (e.g., "C:\Path\python.exe") in the
“Python: Default Interpreter Path” settings field, the UI saves it literally
with escaped quotes: "\"C:\\Path\\python.exe\""

This breaks interpreter detection. The UI should either:

• Strip quotes automatically (since JSON strings don’t need quotes)
• Show a warning that quotes aren’t needed
• Parse quoted paths correctly

Users naturally quote paths (especially Windows paths with spaces), and there’s
no indication in the UI that this will break the configuration.

Expected: Should strip quotes or handle them properly
Actual: Saves literal quotes, breaking configuration

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Settings UI (Ctrl+,)
2. Search for “python default interpreter path”
3. Enter: "C:\Path\python.exe" (with quotes)
4. Check settings.json - shows: "\"C:\\Path\\python.exe\""
5. Python extension fails to detect interpreter

Expected Behavior

Should strip quotes or handle them properly

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)

Version: 2.0.69 (system setup)
VSCode Version: 1.99.3
Commit: 63fcac100bd5d5749f2a98aa47d65f6eca61db30
Date: 2025-11-07T18:21:29.650Z
Electron: 37.7.0
Chromium: 138.0.7204.251
Node.js: 22.20.0
V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26100

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

[deanrie]

Hey, thanks for the report. This is a real UI issue: the Settings UI doesn’t handle quoted paths correctly.

As a workaround, you can edit settings.json directly (not via the Settings UI) and specify the path without extra quotes:

"python.defaultInterpreterPath": "C:\\Path\\python.exe"

JSON handles string escaping automatically, so you don’t need additional quotes.