Code
Cursor Guide
Complete guide — how to use Cursor, fix common errors, manage billing, and get the most out of every feature.
Cursor Agent Mode drains credits fast because each background tool call (file reads, terminal commands, web searches) counts as a separate request against your monthly limit. A single agent task can consume 50–200 requests in minutes. The 2,000-request spike some users saw was a confirmed UI bug — actual usage was lower. Fix: monitor the request counter in Settings → Usage, break large tasks into smaller prompts, and use Ask mode instead of Agent mode for simple questions.
When Cursor stops working, the most common causes are a failed AI model connection, an expired API key or subscription, a corrupted extension state, or a VS Code compatibility issue. Start by checking your Cursor account status at cursor.com, then reload the window with Ctrl+Shift+P → Reload Window. Most Cursor issues are resolved by signing out and back in or reinstalling the app.
Cursor limits the read_file tool to 2MB per file. Files larger than 2MB cannot be read by Cursor's AI agent, causing errors during code analysis and refactoring tasks. This affects large JSON files, bundled assets, database dumps, and generated code. Workarounds: split large files into smaller modules, use .cursorignore to exclude non-essential large files, or reference specific line ranges instead of entire files.
Cursor shows 'You've hit your usage limit' when you exhaust your 500 monthly fast requests on Pro, or when a rate limiter triggers during intensive Agent Mode sessions. This can happen mid-task, stopping the agent before it finishes. Fix: wait 60 seconds and retry (rate limit), upgrade your plan, or switch to slow requests which have no monthly cap but longer response times.