Why My Cursor Remote SSH Connection Kept Dropping and How I Fixed It

As an AI developer, I use remote servers every day. So when I tried Cursor IDE for its coding features, I was really excited. But setting up a remote SSH connection? That’s when things fell apart.

My terminal kept freezing after about a minute. Cursor became unusable. After hours of frustration, I finally found the fix. Let me walk you through what happened and how I got back to work.

The Core Problem I Faced

I set up an SSH connection to my remote server in Cursor. But within about 60 seconds, the integrated terminal froze. Every time.

I noticed node processes piling up in an uninterruptible sleep state. They gobbled up CPU and RAM, making the whole IDE hang. It wasn’t just annoying — it completely blocked my work.

Rebooting or killing processes didn’t help. And switching to VSCode? That worked perfectly. I was stumped.

My Troubleshooting Journey

I tried the usual fixes first, but nothing worked:

• Upgraded the Anysphere SSH extension hoping to stop zombie processes – no change
• Ran killall node on the remote machine – processes respawned immediately
• Deleted old chats and disabled code indexing in Cursor – still froze
• Tested on a brand-new VM – disconnections happened like clockwork after 60 seconds

So I dug deeper. I used the extension bisect tool to check for conflicts. You can find it by pressing Cmd+Shift+P and typing “Help: Start Extension Bisect”.

I also measured extension host latency with the “Measure Extension Host Latency” command. No obvious bottlenecks showed up. But the problem remained. I was stuck.

The Solution That Finally Worked

After digging through logs and testing, I found two fixes that stopped the disconnects:

• Update your SSH extension: Make sure you’re on the latest version (like 1.0.13 or newer). This fixed some timeout bugs for me. You can check your setup by running the “Generate Connection Report” command in Cursor. Look for inactivity timeouts in the report.
• Switch and isolate the SSH extension: If you have the VSCode SSH extension installed, uninstall it. Then, only use the Anysphere Remote SSH extension. This stops leftover zombie processes. After switching, reboot your remote server to clear any stuck processes in uninterruptible sleep states.

I also started keeping an eye on remote resources with htop. If you see processes piling up, a hard reboot might be the only fix. Now my SSH connections are rock solid, and I can use Cursor’s AI features without a hitch.

Key Takeaways for a Smooth Experience

Here’s what I do now to keep my remote connections stable:

• Always use the Anysphere SSH extension and update it regularly
• Check for zombie processes on your remote server and reboot when needed
• Run diagnostics like extension bisect or latency checks at the first sign of trouble

Getting this fixed saved my workflow. It also taught me to stay on top of remote connections in Cursor. If you’re having the same issue, try these steps — they might save your productivity too!