Switching the workspace root / active project is unintuitive (hidden behind generic "Open Folder")

Ideas Feature Requests
1

Feature request for product/service

Cursor IDE

Describe the request

Switching the workspace root / active project is unintuitive (hidden behind generic “Open Folder”)

Type: Feature request / UX feedback

Problem: There’s no discoverable, purpose-named way to change the root project directory of the current window. The only path is File → Open Folder (⌘O), which reads as “open an arbitrary file/folder,” not “switch which project this workspace and the agent are rooted in.” I only found it after trial and error.

Context / why it matters: When working with an agent, the workspace root determines the agent’s terminal sandbox write scope and default working directory. If you start in a home/“empty” window and then begin a project in a subfolder (e.g. ~/Projects/MyApp), the agent can’t run git or write files there until the root is switched — but the action to do that isn’t labeled as such.

Steps to reproduce the confusion:

Open Cursor in a home or empty window.
Create/begin a project in a subdirectory.
Try to make the agent operate in that subdirectory — there’s no obvious “Set/Switch Project Root” command; you have to know to use “Open Folder.”
Suggested fixes:

Add a clearly named command, e.g. “Switch Project Root…” / “Set Workspace Root…”, surfaced in the Command Palette and the File menu.
Optionally a recent-projects switcher (like VS Code’s “Open Recent” but framed as project root).
Consider a hint when the agent is blocked by sandbox scope: “This folder isn’t the workspace root — switch root?”
Impact: Low severity, but a recurring friction point for agent-driven workflows that span multiple project directories.

4

Hey, thanks for the detailed feature request. It’s really well written.

Quick update on the current state: you can already change the workspace root via File → Open Folder Cmd+O, or via the Open Folder item in the project selector dropdown (the project icon at the top). That switches the root that the agent sandbox scope and the terminal default working directory are tied to.

But you’re right about the main issue: it isn’t labeled as “change project root” and it reads like “open any folder”, so most users only find it by trial and error. Your idea of a clearly named command like “Switch Project Root…” in the Command Palette and the File menu, plus a recent-projects switcher and a hint when the agent hits the sandbox scope, makes a lot of sense.

I’ll leave the thread open as a feature request so users can upvote it, that helps with prioritization. I can’t share an ETA for a dedicated command right now.

If you’re interested in a related topic, there’s also a thread about quickly switching between workspaces and repos: Quick switching between workspaces/repos