Cursor is a powerful editor, but much of its real strength lives in undocumented or lightly documented settings.json options. Many of these settings control how the AI behaves, how much context it sees, how safely it executes commands, and how noisy or quiet the UI feels day to day.

This post is a curated reference of Cursor IDE settings that actually matter. Each setting is explained in plain terms, including what it does, which values it accepts, when you should enable it, and when you should not. At the end, you will also find ready-to-use presets for safe, balanced, and aggressive workflows.

If you use Cursor daily and want predictable behavior instead of surprises, this guide is for you.

What this guide includes

Clear explanations of Cursor specific settings.json options
Available values and copy-ready JSON snippets
Decision guides for when to enable or disable each setting
Notes on defaults versus overrides
Risk level tags for safety sensitive options
Preset configurations: minimal, sane, and aggressive

How to use this document

User settings apply globally (recommended for UI preferences and security related defaults).

Workspace settings apply per project (recommended for repo specific indexing and language toggles).

When a setting is unknown in your Cursor version, Cursor may ignore it or remove it after restart.

Risk levels:

Low risk: UI or display preferences
Medium risk: performance, indexing, context size changes
High risk: anything that can execute commands automatically or reduce review friction

Cursor Settings Screenshot — Cursor Settings - A curated reference of Cursor IDE settings that actually matter

General & Indexing Settings

Disable HTTP/2 for all network requests (Risk: Medium)

Forces Cursor to use HTTP/1.1 instead of HTTP/2. Useful in restrictive networks, proxies, or VPNs.

Options:
- true – disable HTTP/2
- false – default behavior
Defaults vs overrides: Default is typically false (HTTP/2 enabled)
Use this if: Remote SSH install or agent networking fails You see frequent connection resets behind a proxy or corporate network
Avoid if: Everything works fine (keep defaults)

"cursor.general.disableHttp2": true

json

Disable HTTP/1.1 Server-Sent Events (Risk: Medium)

Prevents Cursor from using SSE over HTTP/1.1. Often paired with disabling HTTP/2 for compatibility.

Options:
- true – disable SSE
- false – default behavior
Defaults vs overrides: Default is typically false
Use this if: You have streaming or long-lived connection issues in chat
Avoid if: Chat streaming works fine

"cursor.general.disableHttp1SSE": true

json

Enable Shadow Workspace (Risk: Medium)

Allows Cursor to operate on a background copy of your project for safer analysis and edits.

Options:
- true – enable
- false – disable
Defaults vs overrides:Default may vary by version
Use this if: You want safer, more isolated agent edits
Avoid if: You have tight disk constraints or notice performance overhead

"cursor.general.enableShadowWorkspace": true

json

AI context size (Risk: Medium)

Controls how much code and project context the AI can load. Larger can improve accuracy but may increase latency.

Options:
- "small" – minimal context, faster
- "medium" – balanced (often default)
- "large" – maximum context, slower
Defaults vs overrides: Usually "medium"
Use this if: The agent keeps missing relevant files or patterns
Avoid if: You want fast interactions or you are working on small scripts

"cursor.general.contextSize": "large"

json

Git graph indexing (Risk: Medium)

Controls whether Cursor builds an internal Git commit graph for better history-aware context.

Options:
- "enabled" – index Git history
- "disabled" – skip Git indexing
Defaults vs overrides: Usually "enabled"
Use this if: Git features and history based context are helpful
Avoid if: Cursor freezes or slows down on big repos

"cursor.general.gitGraphIndexing": "enabled"

json

Global Cursor ignore list (Risk: Low)

Glob patterns excluded from indexing and AI context across all projects.

Options:
- Array of glob patterns
- Supports negation with !pattern
Defaults vs overrides: Empty by default
Use this if: You want to prevent secrets and large generated folders from being scanned
Avoid if: You rely on the AI reading environment files or secrets (not recommended)

"cursor.general.globalCursorIgnoreList": [
  "**/.env",
  "**/credentials.json",
  "**/credentials.*.json",
  "**/secret.json",
  "**/secrets.json",
  "**/*.key",
  "**/*.pem",
  "**/*.pfx",
  "**/*.p12",
  "**/*.crt",
  "**/*.cer",
  "**/id_rsa",
  "**/id_dsa",
  "**/.ssh/id_*"
]

json

Chat & Composer

Automatically run terminal commands (Risk: High)

Allows the agent to execute terminal commands without confirmation.

Options:
- true – auto-run commands
- false – ask first (safer)
Defaults vs overrides: Usually false
Use this if: You fully trust the agent and want faster workflows
Avoid if: You want to review commands before they run (recommended)

"cursor.chat.autoRunMode": false

json

Show suggested files in chat (Risk: Low)

Displays files Cursor thinks are relevant to the conversation.

Options:
- true – show
- false – hide
Defaults vs overrides: Usually true
Use this if: You want quicker navigation and context selection
Avoid if: You prefer a cleaner UI

"cursor.chat.showSuggestedFiles": true

json

Collapse input pills (Risk: Low)

Hides file and rule tags in the chat input UI.

Options:
- true – collapsed
- false – visible
Defaults vs overrides: Usually false
Use this if: You want a cleaner input area
Avoid if: You often manage multiple attached files and need visibility

"cursor.chat.collapseInputBoxPills": true

json

Composer Behavior

Enable Composer (Risk: Medium)

Master switch for AI features.

Options:
- true – enabled
- false – disabled
Defaults vs overrides: Usually true
Use this if: You want Cursor AI features active
Avoid if: You want a pure editor experience

"cursor.composer.enabled": true

json

Allow custom modes (Risk: Low)

Enables user-defined agent modes.

Options:
- true – allow
- false – disallow
Defaults vs overrides: Usually true or absent
Use this if: You want custom workflows (lint-first, test-first, etc.)
Avoid if: You want fewer moving parts

"cursor.composer.shouldAllowCustomModes": true

json

Play sound when response finishes (Risk: Low)

Plays a chime when the AI completes a response.

Options:
- true – sound on
- false – sound off
Defaults vs overrides: Usually false or absent
Use this if: You multitask and want an audio cue
Avoid if: You work in quiet environments

"cursor.composer.shouldChimeAfterChatFinishes": true

json

Composer text size scale (Risk: Low)

Scales AI response text.

Options:
- Any number, practical range 0.8 to 1.5
Defaults vs overrides: Usually 1.0
Use this if: You want improved readability
Avoid if: You prefer dense UI

"cursor.composer.textSizeScale": 1.15

json

Show token usage summary (Risk: Low)

Controls token usage visibility after responses.

Options:
- "always" – always show
- "auto" – show when relevant
- "never" – never show
Defaults vs overrides: Often "auto" or absent
Use this if: You track usage or costs
Avoid if: You want a cleaner UI

"cursor.composer.usageSummaryDisplay": "always"

json

Cursor Tab (Inline Completion)

Enable inline code suggestions (Risk: Medium)

Controls Cursor ghost text completions while typing.

Options:
- true – enable
- false – disable
Defaults vs overrides: Usually true
Use this if: You like inline completions and faster typing
Avoid if: You prefer manual coding or use another completion tool

"cursor.cpp.enable": true

json

Enable partial accepts (Risk: Low)

Allows accepting suggestions word by word.

Options:
- true – enable
- false – disable
Defaults vs overrides: May be false by default
Use this if: You want finer control over accepting suggestions
Avoid if: You prefer full accept only

"cursor.cpp.enablePartialAccepts": true

json

Disable inline suggestions for specific languages (Risk: Low)

Prevents Cursor Tab from activating in selected file types.

Options:
- Array of VS Code language IDs
Defaults vs overrides: Empty by default
Use this if: Cursor Tab is noisy in markdown, YAML, commit messages

"cursor.cpp.disabledLanguages": [
  "markdown",
  "yaml",
  "scminput"
]

json

Agent Mode

Enable integrated browser (beta) (Risk: Medium)

Adds an in-editor browser panel to Agent mode.

Options:
- true – enable
- false – disable
Defaults vs overrides: Usually false (beta feature)
Use this if: You want the agent to view and interact with web pages inside Cursor
Avoid if: You prefer fewer beta features

"cursor.agent_layout_browser_beta_setting": true

json

YOLO mode (Risk: High)

Allows the agent to execute allowed commands autonomously.

Options:
- true – autonomous execution
- false – manual approval (recommended)
Defaults vs overrides: Usually false
Use this if: You understand the risk and have strict allow/deny lists
Avoid if: You work on production repos or sensitive systems (recommended)

"cursor.agent.yoloMode": false

json

Maximum agent context tokens (Risk: Medium)

Limits how much context the agent can load.

Options:
- Any positive integer
Defaults vs overrides: Often very large by default
Use this if: You want to cap memory usage or improve speed
Avoid if: The agent starts missing context or files

"cursor.agent.maxContextTokens": 200000

json

Diff & Terminal

Character-level diffs (Risk: Low)

Shows fine-grained diffs highlighting individual character changes.

Options:
- true – character-level
- false – line-level
Defaults vs overrides: Usually false
Use this if: You review many small refactors and want precision
Avoid if: You prefer simpler diffs

"cursor.diffs.useCharacterLevelDiffs": true

json

Terminal preview box (Risk: Medium)

Routes agent terminal output through a preview panel before executing in the real terminal.

Options:
- true – preview enabled (safer)
- false – direct terminal execution
Defaults vs overrides: Often true in some versions for safety
Use this if: You want to review terminal output before it runs
Avoid if: You want maximum speed and trust the agent

"cursor.terminal.usePreviewBox": true

json

Presets

These are example settings.json blocks. Mix and match.

Preset A: Minimal and safe

Good if you want Cursor AI, but with conservative behavior and minimal surprises.

{
  "cursor.chat.autoRunMode": false,
  "cursor.terminal.usePreviewBox": true,
  "cursor.composer.enabled": true,
  "cursor.cpp.enable": true,
  "cursor.cpp.enablePartialAccepts": true,
  "cursor.cpp.disabledLanguages": ["scminput", "yaml", "markdown"],
  "cursor.general.gitGraphIndexing": "enabled",
  "cursor.general.globalCursorIgnoreList": [
    "**/.env",
    "**/secrets.json",
    "**/*.key",
    "**/*.pem",
    "**/.ssh/id_*"
  ]
}

json

Preset B: Sane defaults for daily work

Balanced: keeps safety, improves readability, and adds helpful UI toggles.

{
  "cursor.chat.autoRunMode": false,
  "cursor.chat.showSuggestedFiles": true,
  "cursor.chat.collapseInputBoxPills": true,
 
  "cursor.composer.enabled": true,
  "cursor.composer.shouldAllowCustomModes": true,
  "cursor.composer.shouldChimeAfterChatFinishes": false,
  "cursor.composer.textSizeScale": 1.1,
  "cursor.composer.usageSummaryDisplay": "auto",
 
  "cursor.cpp.enable": true,
  "cursor.cpp.enablePartialAccepts": true,
  "cursor.cpp.disabledLanguages": ["scminput", "yaml", "markdown"],
 
  "cursor.general.contextSize": "medium",
  "cursor.general.gitGraphIndexing": "enabled",
  "cursor.terminal.usePreviewBox": true
}

json

Preset C: Aggressive and fast

Fast agent workflows. Higher risk. Use only if you understand the implications.

{
  "cursor.chat.autoRunMode": true,
  "cursor.terminal.usePreviewBox": false,
 
  "cursor.composer.enabled": true,
  "cursor.composer.shouldAllowCustomModes": true,
  "cursor.composer.shouldQueueWhenGenerating": true,
  "cursor.composer.textSizeScale": 1.15,
  "cursor.composer.usageSummaryDisplay": "always",
 
  "cursor.cpp.enable": true,
  "cursor.cpp.enablePartialAccepts": true,
 
  "cursor.general.contextSize": "large",
  "cursor.general.gitGraphIndexing": "enabled",
 
  "cursor.agent_layout_browser_beta_setting": true,
  "cursor.agent.yoloMode": false,
  "cursor.agent.maxContextTokens": 200000
}

json

Some settings are experimental and may change between Cursor versions.

Credits

Header image background uses a modified wallpaper from Folds (Wallpaper Pack) by Marcus Wilter, licensed via Gumroad.

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