Windows 11 Pro + Smart App Control: Cursor Agent fails to start because `merkle-tree-napi.win32-x64-msvc.node` is blocked

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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor CLI

Describe the Bug

The standalone Cursor Agent installed using the official Windows installer cannot start on Windows 11 Pro when Smart App Control is enabled.

The command:

irm 'https://cursor.com/install?win32=true' | iex

completes successfully, but every Agent command immediately fails.

Example:

agent --version

Output:

Error: Failed to load native binding for win32/x64
(expected: ./merkle-tree-napi.win32-x64-msvc.node)

Original error:
Error: node-loader:
Error: An Application Control policy has blocked this file.

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\cursor-agent\versions\2026.07.01-41b2de7\merkle-tree-napi.win32-x64-msvc.node

The file exists on disk.

Running:

Get-AuthenticodeSignature "...\merkle-tree-napi.win32-x64-msvc.node"

returns:

Status: NotSigned
SignatureType: None

Environment

  • Windows 11 Pro

  • Smart App Control: ON

  • Node.js 22.23.1

  • Installed using:

    irm 'https://cursor.com/install?win32=true' | iex

Actual behavior

Windows blocks the unsigned native module (merkle-tree-napi.win32-x64-msvc.node) before the agent starts.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Use Windows 11 Pro with Smart App Control enabled.

  2. Install Cursor Agent using the official installer.

  3. Run:

    agent --version

Expected Behavior

Cursor Agent starts normally.

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Version Information

2026.07.01-41b2de7

Additional Information

This appears to be caused by the native module being unsigned, which causes Windows Smart App Control / Application Control to block it.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Yes - Cursor is unusable

6

Thanks for the report, @ranggasiphhi2! This is a known issue, though it had previously only been reported on macOS.

Unfortunately, as documented by Microsoft:

There is currently no way to bypass Smart App Control protection for individual apps. You can turn Smart App Control off, or (better yet), contact the developer of the app and encourage them to sign their app with a valid signature.

Reports like this help us prioritize issues, so we really appreciate you taking the time to file it!

9

Hi Colin,

This issue is still reproducible with Cursor Desktop 3.17.8 and Cursor Agent 2026.08.11-e8db854 on Windows 11 Pro 25H2, build 26200.9168.

In addition to merkle-tree-napi.win32-x64-msvc.node, Smart App Control also blocks the bundled node_sqlite3.node because it is unsigned.

I fully removed the cached Agent version and allowed Cursor to download a fresh copy. Cursor downloaded the same 2026.08.11-e8db854 package, with identical unsigned binaries, and the worker exited again with code 1.

Hashes:

  • merkle-tree-napi.win32-x64-msvc.node: 08581BDE0947C828546C72D47A14673BF3BDE3CAC5B1F4B043834D830EB3EC8A

  • node_sqlite3.node: AB1E74461035D9ECDDD0720EC19C9B5CD220071532951AFBFA9CF8B4345360B8

The same package also produces the known better-sqlite3 ABI error: it was compiled for NODE_MODULE_VERSION 127, while the bundled Node.js requires 137.

Therefore, this is still present in the latest package delivered to Cursor Desktop and is not caused by stale or corrupted local cache. Please Authenticode-sign all bundled Windows native modules and rebuild better-sqlite3 for the bundled Node.js ABI.

Roland