[Windows] Clicking global mcp.json path in chat fails: Unable to resolve resource

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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

On Windows, clicking the global MCP config path C:\Users\admin\.cursor\mcp.json from Cursor chat (or MCP settings) fails with: “The editor could not be opened due to an unexpected error.”

renderer.log shows:
Error: Unable to resolve resource C:%5CUsers%5Cadmin%5C.cursor%5Cmcp.json

Cursor encodes the Windows path incorrectly (C:%5CUsers%5C... instead of a valid file:///C:/Users/... URI), so the MCP resource resolver cannot open the file. The JSON file itself is valid and readable via Ctrl+O.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Ensure C:\Users\admin\.cursor\mcp.json exists with valid JSON.
  2. In Cursor Agent/Chat, receive a message linking to C:\Users\admin\.cursor\mcp.json.
  3. Click the file path link in chat.
  4. (Alternative) Open MCP settings and try to edit global mcp.json.

Expected Behavior

The global mcp.json opens in the normal text editor so the user can view/edit MCP server configuration.

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Version Information

IDE:
Version: 3.8.24
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: cf80f4b937f3b9c48070d7085129a838ce7876a0
OS: Windows 10 (10.0.19045)

Additional Information

Log excerpt from %APPDATA%\Cursor\logs\20260629T101742\window3\renderer.log:

2026-07-06 13:04:17.123 [error] Error: Unable to resolve resource C:%5CUsers%5Cadmin%5C.cursor%5Cmcp.json
at aeh.doCreateReferencedObject (workbench.desktop.main.js:24211:29775)
at async nXm.doOpenEditor (workbench.desktop.main.js:23589:190128)

Workaround: Ctrl+O and paste the full path manually.
Suspected fix: use proper file:/// URI encoding for Windows absolute paths.

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

5

Hey, thanks for the detailed report with logs, it helped confirm it right away.

This looks like a known bug on our side: Windows paths with a drive letter like C:\... inside chat markdown links get encoded incorrectly, the backslash turns into %5C. After that, C: gets parsed as a URI scheme, and the file won’t open. We’re tracking it, but I can’t share a specific ETA for a fix yet.

Workarounds until it’s fixed:

  • Use Ctrl+O and paste the path manually, you already found this and it works.
  • Paths wrapped in backticks inline code in chat are clickable and open correctly.
  • You can open and edit the global mcp.json via Cursor Settings > MCP, that UI uses a valid URI.

Once there’s an update on the fix, I’ll reply in the thread.