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Cursor fixes keep failing? Use Debug Mode to investigate
Move a reproducible bug through Cursor Debug Mode, collect runtime evidence, check the proposed fix, and know when to remove temporary logging.
Prices last read 2026-09-25
Start with a reproduction
Select Debug Mode from Agent’s mode picker, describe the failing steps, and let it gather runtime logs before proposing another fix.Run the reproduction when prompted, then repeat it with the proposed change before confirming success and allowing instrumentation cleanup.Source: Debug Mode | Cursor Docs · 2026-09-25
The documented debugging sequence
Source: Debug Mode | Cursor Docs · 2026-09-25
- 1. Describe the failureInclude reproduction steps, expected and actual behavior, and any error message or stack trace.
- 2. Let Agent investigateAgent examines relevant code, forms multiple hypotheses, and inserts logging. Those statements send data to a local debug server running in a Cursor extension.
- 3. Run the failing stepsFollow Agent’s reproduction instructions exactly. Cursor recommends repeating the reproduction when needed for timing-dependent problems.
- 4. Analyze before changing codeAgent reviews the collected logs and uses that evidence to make a focused change.
Source: Debug Mode | Cursor Docs · 2026-09-25
Cursor describes the logs as evidence about variable values, execution paths, and timing. Its verification workflow asks you to reproduce again after the change. If the problem remains, Agent adds logging and revises its approach; when you confirm it is fixed, Agent removes the instrumentation.
Source: Introducing Debug Mode: Agents with runtime logs · 2026-09-25
Suggested prompt: make success observable
For a hypothetical stale-results bug, try: “Search for alpha, then immediately search for beta. Expected: beta results remain visible. Actual: alpha results sometimes replace them. Previous changes did not resolve it. Investigate competing explanations and explain which runtime evidence supports the proposed change.” Adapt the steps to your application and add the exact error, if there is one.
Our suggested checks before accepting the fix
- Ask which observation supports the chosen hypothesis and what evidence rules out the alternatives.
- If the latest run did not trigger the bug, report that explicitly instead of calling the proposed change successful.
- Repeat the original steps from the same starting state. For the example above, check both the displayed query and the results that remain after requests finish.
- If no useful logs were captured, pause additional fixes and ask Agent to check the instrumentation and reproduction setup.
Suggestions may contain errors or misleading information
Cursor Terms of Service, section 1.4Source: Cursor Terms of Service · 2026-09-25
That limitation applies to generated suggestions, including proposed code changes. The same section makes users responsible for evaluating suggestions; a confident diagnosis is not a guarantee that the change works.
Source: Cursor Terms of Service · 2026-09-25
Our stopping point: confirm success only after the original reproduction produces the expected result, inspect the final diff for leftover temporary logging, and run the relevant regression check. If repeated rounds produce no new evidence, stop accumulating patches and prepare a smaller reproduction for manual review.
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Primary sources read on September 25, 2026