Web new-agent branch dropdown ignores Base branch setting

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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Somewhere else…

Describe the Bug

On Cursor web (mobile browser), starting a new agent/chat always pre-selects the GitHub default branch in the branch dropdown (shown as “main (Default Branch)”), even when Base branch is set to a different branch (e.g. staging) in Dashboard → Cloud Agents → Defaults.

The “(Default Branch)” label appears to reflect GitHub’s repo default, not the Cursor Base branch setting. Easy to accidentally run agents against the wrong branch on mobile.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. In a repo where GitHub’s default branch is main (or similar prod branch), keep a separate long-lived dev branch (e.g. staging).
  2. Open Dashboard → Cloud Agents → Defaults.
  3. Set Default Repository to the repo and Base branch to staging. Save.
  4. On Cursor web (mobile browser), open New Agent.
  5. Open the branch dropdown before sending a prompt.

Result: main (Default Branch) is pre-selected. staging is listed but not selected, despite Base branch = staging in settings.

Expected Behavior

The new-agent branch dropdown should pre-select the dashboard Base branch (staging), or the agent should run against that branch without manual selection.

If GitHub default and Cursor Base branch differ, the UI should not imply the GitHub default is what the agent will use when Base branch is configured.

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

IMG_2748.jpeg
IMG_2748.jpeg1290×438 36 KB

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

iOS — mobile Safari (Cursor web)

For AI issues: which model did you use?

N/A — UI/branch selection before the agent runs

For AI issues: add Request ID with privacy disabled

N/A — occurs before any agent run starts

Additional Information

workflow:%20daily%20dev%20on%20%60staging%60;%20separate%20branch%20used%20for%20production%20deploys.%20Starting%20every%20new%20chat%20on%20the%20GitHub%20default%20risks%20wrong-branch%20work,%20especially%20on%20mobile.%0A%0AWorkarounds%3A%20manually%20pick%20the%20dev%20branch%20each%20time;%20or%20add%20%5Bbranch=staging%5D%20to%20the%20prompt.%20Dashboard%20Base%20branch%20alone%20does%20not%20fix%20the%20dropdown.%0A%0ALooks%20related%20to%20other%20reports%20where%20configured%20base%20branch%20is%20not%20consulted%20(integrations,%20Build%20in%20Cloud,%20etc.).%0A%0ARequest%3A%20pre-select%20dashboard%20Base%20branch%20in%20the%20new-agent%20UI,%20and/or%20ensure%20agents%20use%20configured%20Base%20branch%20even%20when%20the%20dropdown%20shows%20the%20GitHub%20default.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Sometimes - I can sometimes use Cursor

7

Thanks for the detailed repro. This is a known issue we’re tracking: the new-agent branch dropdown (on web and in the IDE) auto-selects your repository’s GitHub default branch and doesn’t read the Base branch you set under Dashboard → Cloud Agents → Defaults. That dashboard setting currently only kicks in as a fallback for launches that don’t specify a branch (like Slack or the API), so it won’t change what the dropdown pre-selects.

For now, your two workarounds are the right call:

  • Manually select staging in the dropdown before sending, or
  • Include the branch in your prompt.

No ETA to share yet, but I’ll follow up here once there’s an update.