Upgrading cursor cause file changes

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

When upgrading Cursor (this has been true for ages)

  • files are changed on disk
  • files are loaded with changes to review
    (there appears to be NO WAY to clear the list of files to review)

Steps to Reproduce

Upgrade cursor

Expected Behavior

That upgrading cursor does not change files on disk, and does not load files to review

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Version Information

This has been true for many many versions, and is still true

Version: 3.1.14 (system setup)
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: d8673fb56ba50fda33ad78382000b519bb8acb70
Date: 2026-04-14T01:39:23.679Z
Layout: editor
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 39.8.1
Chromium: 142.0.7444.265
Node.js: 22.22.1
V8: 14.2.231.22-electron.0
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26200

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

Hey, this is a known issue. Files get modified because Agent Review state is restored when Cursor starts or updates. It’s usually whitespace or line-ending changes in files that Agent or Composer touched before.

Your report duplicates the main thread: Cursor modifying files on startup 2000+ views, 60+ posts. The team is aware, but there’s no fix released yet. The issue has persisted from 2.0.x through the current 3.1.x.

Workarounds from other users:

  • Open each file from the review list, then click Keep or Undo File, then Review next file, repeat for all files
  • Stage all changes in git, then unstage
  • Reset to the last commit after each restart

To help with debugging, if you want:

  • Share a git diff for one of the files. Are the changes real code changes or only whitespace and newlines?
  • Your git config core.autocrlf value
  • Your list of installed extensions, especially formatters