Cursor: fix 'Waiting for extension host' hang

When using Cursor, users may experience the frustrating issue of the application being stuck on the "Waiting for extension host" message. This can occur when extensions become dead or when the AI panel starts spinning, causing Git features to become unavailable. To resolve this problem, a list of troubleshooting steps is provided, starting with the simplest and quickest fix.

The first step is to restart the extension host process. This can be done by opening the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS) and running the "Developer: Restart Extension Host" command. This action terminates and relaunches the host process without closing any open files, clearing any transient startup failures that may be causing the issue.

If restarting the host process does not resolve the problem, the next step is to identify any problematic extensions. To do this, quit Cursor and relaunch it from a terminal using the command "cursor --disable-extensions." If the hang disappears, it indicates that one of the extensions is causing the issue. Users should re-enable extensions one by one until the hang returns, then disable that specific extension and check for any available updates.

In some cases, a corrupt state database can be the source of the problem. Cursor stores session state in a SQLite file. If this file becomes corrupt, it can block the host from loading. The location of this file varies depending on the operating system: Windows users can find it at %APPDATA%\Cursor\User\globalStorage\state.vscdb, macOS users at ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/globalStorage/state.vscdb, and Linux users at ~/.config/Cursor/User/globalStorage/state.vscdb.

Deleting or renaming this file and then restarting Cursor should resolve the issue, although users will need to sign back in.

Lastly, if none of the above steps work, users should ensure that they have the latest version of Cursor installed. The next culprits to check are aggressive indexing on large folders, stale WSL or Remote-SSH mounts, and antivirus software that may be holding the host process open. For more detailed guidance on addressing WSL-specific issues and preventative measures, users can refer to the full guide available at https://automatelab.tech/blog/ai-coding/cursor-waiting-extension-host-fix/.