Vim mode in terminal: incomplete vim keybinding support (Emacs bindings leak + missing `cc` command)

[Mochthon (Kaifeng Lin)]

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor CLI

Describe the Bug

When vim mode is enabled in Cursor CLI, there are two issues:

1. Emacs keybindings are not fully disabled when vim mode is active

After enabling vim keybindings in the terminal, Ctrl-A still behaves as the Emacs “move to beginning of line” instead of being overridden by vim’s behavior.

Expected: When vim mode is enabled, Emacs-style keybindings like Ctrl-A should be disabled or remapped to vim semantics (e.g., Ctrl-A should increment a number in normal mode, per standard vim behavior).

Actual: Ctrl-A moves the cursor to the beginning of the line (Emacs behavior), even when vim mode is active.

2. cc (change entire line) does not work

In vim normal mode, cc should delete the current line’s content and enter insert mode. This is a fundamental vim command.

Expected: cc clears the current line and enters insert mode.

Actual: cc does nothing or behaves incorrectly.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Cursor integrated terminal
2. Enable vim keybindings in the shell
3. Type some text, then press Escape to enter normal mode
4. Press Ctrl-A → cursor jumps to beginning of line (Emacs behavior leaks through)
5. Press cc → line is NOT cleared and insert mode is NOT entered

Operating System

Linux (Ubuntu 20.04 LTS)

Version Information

Cursor 2.4.7

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

[deanrie]

Hey, thanks for the report. These are known issues with the Vim mode implementation in Cursor CLI. It doesn’t fully override all default readline/Emacs bindings when Vim mode is enabled, and some standard Vim commands like cc are missing.

The CLI team has already been notified. There’s also a related improvement request suggesting broader upgrades to Vim mode. You can upvote it to help give it more visibility: Improvements on Vim mode on Cursor CLI?

No ETA yet, but your report helps us prioritize.