The agent in user mode edits files without accessing them

[Michael_Kolinski (Michael Kolinsky)]

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

Cursor IDE automatically creates or edits files when the AI assistant uses markdown code blocks with file path syntax (```dart:path/to/file.dart), even though the AI has no access to file editing tools. This bypasses the intended restriction that prevents the AI from modifying files without explicit user confirmation.
Impact: Files are modified without user consent, potentially causing unintended changes to the codebase.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Ask the AI assistant to show code for a specific file path
2. The AI responds with a markdown code block using the syntax: ```dart:lib/path/to/file.dart
3. Cursor automatically creates/edits the file at that path
4. The file appears in the editor with the provided code
   Example prompt: “Show me code for filename.dart”

Expected Behavior

The AI should only display code suggestions without automatically creating/editing files
File creation/editing should require explicit user action or confirmation
Markdown code blocks with file paths should be treated as documentation, not commands
If automatic file creation is intended, it should be a user-configurable feature with clear warnings

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

Operating System

MacOS

Current Cursor Version (Menu → About Cursor → Copy)

Version: 2.0.64 (Universal)
VSCode Version: 1.99.3
Commit: 25412918da7e74b2686b25d62da1f01cfcd27680
Date: 2025-11-06T04:35:14.424Z
Electron: 37.7.0
Chromium: 138.0.7204.251
Node.js: 22.20.0
V8: 13.8.258.32-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 25.0.0

For AI issues: which model did you use?

Any models

For AI issues: add Request ID with privacy disabled

07379157-3ff7-45ee-97ee-c1865d182346
2517f66e-227d-49e7-85cf-3f9073c0371b
09e72604-36a9-48cb-818f-440c5b959a2f

Additional Information

AI Tool Access: The AI assistant does not have access to file editing tools (no write_file, edit_file, etc. in available tools)
Trigger: The markdown syntax language:path/to/file appears to be interpreted as a file creation/editing command Affected Files: Multiple files were created in Filepath directory Workaround: Use plain markdown code blocks without file paths (dart instead of ```dart:path)
Severity: High (security/access control issue)

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Yes - Cursor is unusable

[sanjeed5 (Sanjeed)]

Thanks for the report. Does this happen on Ask Mode too for you?

[Michael_Kolinski (Michael Kolinsky)]

The screenshot shows that this happened in custom agent mode with disabled access to editing and deleting files. Check out the starter topic post

[deanrie]

Hey, thanks for the report. I can repro it. I’ll pass it to the team.

[Michael_Kolinski (Michael Kolinsky)]

Deanrie, thank u so much. And I have another really interesting problem. Almost the same.

https://forum.cursor.com/t/after-the-chat-summary-the-model-starts-performing-a-non-existent-task/141392