Cursor app cannot access the network. Is the proxy configuration causing network problems?

The Cursor app's inability to access the network is highly likely to be caused by an incorrect or overly restrictive proxy configuration, as this is a primary mechanism through which network connectivity for desktop applications is controlled and commonly disrupted. A proxy server acts as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers, and if the Cursor application is configured to use a proxy that is unavailable, misconfigured, or imposing strict filtering rules, all outbound network traffic will fail. This is distinct from a general internet outage, as the problem is application-specific and tied to the system's or the app's own network settings. The issue may manifest if the proxy settings are manually defined within the operating system's network configuration, enforced by organizational group policies, or even specified within the Cursor application's own preferences, creating a potential point of failure that prevents the app from resolving hosts or establishing connections to its required services, such as package repositories, telemetry servers, or AI-assisted coding features.

The diagnostic mechanism involves systematically checking the proxy configuration chain. First, one must verify the operating system's proxy settings—on Windows, this is within Internet Options or the modern Settings menu under Network & Internet; on macOS, it is in Network System Preferences; and on Linux, it often depends on desktop environment settings or environment variables like `http_proxy`. A common problem is the enabled "Use a proxy server" setting pointing to an invalid address or port, or the use of an automatic configuration script (PAC file) that returns an erroneous directive for the domains Cursor needs to reach. Second, it is critical to examine whether Cursor itself has internal proxy overrides, as some applications ignore system settings in favor of their own, which can be found in its settings or configuration files. Furthermore, enterprise environments often deploy authenticated proxies; if Cursor does not support or is not configured to provide the necessary credentials, authentication failures will silently block access.

Resolving this requires a targeted approach, not generic network troubleshooting. Begin by temporarily bypassing the proxy entirely to establish a baseline: disable all proxy settings at the system level and attempt to launch Cursor. If connectivity is restored, the proxy is confirmed as the root cause. The next step is to correctly reconfigure the proxy with the proper address, port, and any required authentication, ensuring that Cursor's domains (such as `cursor.sh` and related API endpoints) are not excluded in the proxy's bypass list. For complex environments using PAC files, inspecting the script's logic or testing with a direct proxy may be necessary. If the issue persists even with correct proxy settings, deeper network instrumentation like using `curl` with the `--proxy` flag from the command line to test connections to Cursor's endpoints can isolate whether the problem is with the proxy server itself or with the application's specific handling of the proxy protocol. Ultimately, the configuration must align both the system's network policy and the application's capability to operate within that constrained pathway.