Top 10 Common Cursor Bugs & How to Fix Them

Cursor AI is an incredibly powerful tool for accelerating development, but like all AI coding assistants, it can produce code with subtle issues. Here are the most common problems and how to fix them.

1. Incorrect Import Paths

The Problem: Cursor often generates imports that look correct but reference the wrong path or non-existent modules.

The Fix:

• Always verify import paths exist in your project
• Use TypeScript's strict mode to catch missing imports at compile time
• Configure path aliases in tsconfig.json for cleaner imports

// Instead of relative paths that break easily
import { Button } from '../../../components/ui/button';

// Use path aliases
import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button';

2. Missing Error Handling

The Problem: AI-generated code often has the "happy path" but lacks proper error handling.

The Fix:

// Bad: No error handling
const data = await fetchData();
setData(data);

// Good: Proper error handling
try {
  setLoading(true);
  const data = await fetchData();
  setData(data);
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Fetch failed:', error);
  setError(error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error');
} finally {
  setLoading(false);
}

3. Stale Closure Issues in React

The Problem: Cursor-generated React hooks often capture stale values.

The Fix:

// Bad: count is stale
useEffect(() => {
  const interval = setInterval(() => {
    setCount(count + 1); // Always uses initial count
  }, 1000);
  return () => clearInterval(interval);
}, []); // Missing dependency

// Good: Use functional update
useEffect(() => {
  const interval = setInterval(() => {
    setCount(prev => prev + 1); // Always uses latest
  }, 1000);
  return () => clearInterval(interval);
}, []);

4. Type Mismatches

The Problem: Generated TypeScript often has loose or incorrect types.

The Fix:

• Enable strict mode in tsconfig.json
• Avoid using any type
• Create proper interfaces for API responses

// tsconfig.json
{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "strict": true,
    "noImplicitAny": true,
    "strictNullChecks": true
  }
}

5. Memory Leaks in useEffect

The Problem: Missing cleanup functions in effects.

The Fix:

useEffect(() => {
  const controller = new AbortController();
  
  fetchData({ signal: controller.signal })
    .then(setData)
    .catch(err => {
      if (err.name !== 'AbortError') setError(err);
    });
  
  // Cleanup: cancel pending request
  return () => controller.abort();
}, []);

6. Incorrect Async/Await Usage

The Problem: Mixing promises and async/await incorrectly.

The Fix:

// Bad: Mixing styles
async function getData() {
  return fetch('/api/data').then(r => r.json());
}

// Good: Consistent async/await
async function getData() {
  const response = await fetch('/api/data');
  if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Failed to fetch');
  return response.json();
}

7. Hardcoded Values

The Problem: API URLs, credentials, and configuration hardcoded.

The Fix:

// Bad
const API_URL = 'https://api.example.com';
const API_KEY = 'sk-1234567890';

// Good
const API_URL = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL;
const API_KEY = process.env.API_KEY; // Server-side only

8. Missing Loading States

The Problem: UI doesn't show loading indicators.

The Fix:

function UserList() {
  const [users, setUsers] = useState<User[]>([]);
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);
  const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);

  if (loading) return <Skeleton />;
  if (error) return <ErrorMessage message={error} />;
  if (users.length === 0) return <EmptyState />;
  
  return <UserGrid users={users} />;
}

9. Incorrect Form Handling

The Problem: Forms missing validation or not preventing default.

The Fix:

const handleSubmit = async (e: React.FormEvent) => {
  e.preventDefault(); // Don't forget this!
  
  if (!validateForm()) return;
  
  setSubmitting(true);
  try {
    await submitData(formData);
    toast.success('Saved!');
  } catch (error) {
    toast.error('Failed to save');
  } finally {
    setSubmitting(false);
  }
};

10. Missing Accessibility

The Problem: Generated UI lacks proper ARIA labels.

The Fix:

// Bad
<button onClick={handleClose}>×</button>

// Good
<button 
  onClick={handleClose}
  aria-label="Close dialog"
  className="..."
>
  <X className="h-4 w-4" />
  <span className="sr-only">Close</span>
</button>

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