Why My Python Pyright Extension Was Stuck Analyzing Files in Cursor IDE and How I Fixed It

I was working on a Python project in Cursor IDE when something annoying happened: files would start analyzing but never complete. This made code coloring and type checks painfully slow. Every time I used the Pyright extension for long sessions, this issue would pop up and break my concentration. Let me share how I solved this for good.

What Was Actually Happening

Whenever I used Cursor’s Pyright extension, files would get trapped in permanent “analyzing” mode. You’d see something like “218 files to analyze” that never decreased.

This made the IDE feel like it was dragging through mud, especially for type hints and syntax coloring. Switching to Microsoft’s basic Python extension fixed it, but I missed Pyright’s smarter features.

The weird part? Even small projects had this issue. And the extension logs? Just useless gibberish with no clues.

What I Tried First

I tested several common solutions:

• Adjusted settings: Toggled type checking between “off”, “basic”, and “standard” – no luck
• Scanned logs: Checked both “Cursor Pyright” and “basedpyright” outputs, but found only confusing messages
• Tested dependencies: Suspected Pydantic or other tools, but changing them did nothing. Restarting helped briefly before files got stuck again

That’s when I realized outdated extensions or conflicts with tools like Ruff might be the real culprits.

The Fix That Finally Worked

The breakthrough came when I found the root cause: a bug in the older basedpyright version bundled with Cursor’s extension. Here’s exactly what I did:

• Switched extensions: Since Cursor used basedpyright 1.29.0 (with the bug), I installed the fixed 1.29.2+ version from the marketplace. First, I removed conflicting extensions like Python by Anysphere
• Cleaned up my environment: Made sure only one Python extension was active. For Ruff users, keep ms-python.python and remove others
• Stayed updated: Since Cursor’s team is baking this fix into future updates, I now watch for their new releases

After switching, files analyzed instantly and everything sped up. I kept Pyright’s benefits without the headaches.

Keeping Your Setup Running Smoothly

This experience taught me three things about avoiding similar issues:

• Regularly update extensions and remove redundant ones
• When extensions misbehave, check their underlying tools for fixes
• Use only what you need – fewer extensions mean fewer conflicts

Now I actually enjoy Python coding in Cursor again instead of wrestling with tools.