I’m experiencing a recurring and frustrating issue while using Cursor for remote development via the SSH extension.
The Issue: Very frequently, while I’m working, the File Explorer (sidebar) suddenly enters a “loading” state with the spinning indicator. Whenever this happens, the integrated terminal completely freezes.
Comparison with VS Code: I want to emphasize that this issue does not happen in VS Code. I have tested this using the exact same local machine connecting to the exact same remote server via VS Code, and it works perfectly smooth with zero lag. This suggests the problem is specific to Cursor’s handling of the connection.
It happens very frequently, which is severely impacting my development workflow.
Has anyone experienced similar behavior? Since VS Code works fine, I suspect it might be related to how Cursor indexes files or manages the SSH tunnel differently. Any advice or potential fixes would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
Steps to Reproduce
The file tree shows a loading spinner and becomes inaccessible.
The terminal becomes unresponsive to any input.
This “hang” usually lasts for a few minutes before it recovers on its own.
Operating System
MacOS
Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)
I’m experiencing the exact same issue described here, and after extensive testing I can confirm that this problem only happens in Cursor Remote-SSH, not in any other editor.
Context
I use multiple editors side-by-side (Windsurf, VS Code, Antigravity), and all of them work flawlessly with the same remote server. Only Cursor shows severe lag and random freezing.
I’ve already tried every workaround mentioned in the forum — cleaning the workspace, trimming folders, .cursorignore, reinstalling Cursor, checking server load, recreating SSH keys, adjusting network settings, etc. None of them made any difference.
Symptoms (based on repeated testing)
Long freeze after editing files
After modifying a file, if I switch to the terminal, Cursor freezes for 10–30 seconds or more.
It looks like saving + internal sync/indexing blocks the entire UI, including the terminal.
Multiple remote projects worsen the problem drastically
Running a single Remote-SSH project is somewhat usable.
As soon as I open two or more remote workspaces, the lag becomes extreme — file explorer freezes, terminal becomes unresponsive, and recover time grows.
We use Tailscale VPN
Not sure if relevant, but it might help in debugging.
However, other IDEs (VS Code, Windsurf, Antigravity) show zero issues with the exact same network path and server.
Additional Notes
Terminal freezing and file explorer “loading spinner” usually happen together.
The remote server is healthy (CPU, memory, I/O all normal).
The issue feels strongly related to Cursor’s internal file-sync, indexing, or project isolation behavior — especially when multiple remote sessions are open.
Request
Could the Cursor team look deeper into how Remote-SSH manages file sync/indexing and multiple workspace sessions?
This problem is severe enough that it completely blocks using Cursor as a primary remote IDE.
Happy to provide logs, environment details, or run debugging steps if needed.