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Debugging & Troubleshooting Method1 / 2

1 min lesson

Tag every fact: confirmed, assumed, unknown

Compare two rows from "Tag every fact: confirmed, assumed, unknown", then say when each one fits.

Step 1 of 2

Tag every fact: confirmed, assumed, unknownand chase the unknowns that matter

Fact
On Cursor 3An older release label for Cursor's multi-agent interface; current product guidance calls the active surface the Agents Window. Press Enter for the full definition..9 (user confirmed)
Status
Confirmed
Next action
Compare against 3.8 changelog
Fact
"Probably behind a proxy"
Status
Assumed
Next action
Ask directly; don't build on a guess
Fact
Whether SSOSingle Sign-On. One company login (usually via SAML or OIDC) instead of a separate password per tool. Press Enter for the full definition. token expired
Status
Unknown
Next action
Request auth log timestamps

Saying which facts are guesses keeps you honest and is exactly the truth-seeking trait Anysphere screens for.

Watch out

For enterprise users, ask about SSOSingle Sign-On. One company login (usually via SAML or OIDC) instead of a separate password per tool. Press Enter for the full definition./SAMLSecurity Assertion Markup Language. The XML-era enterprise standard that powers single sign-on: your identity provider vouches for you to each app. Older than OIDC but still what many enterprise tools speak. Press Enter for the full definition., privacy mode and admin policy up front. Privacy mode governs whether code is used to train Cursor's or its providers' models; an org SSO config can break sign-in for everyone at once. Skip these and you'll debug a "bug" that's actually an admin setting.

Interview move

When the interviewer hands you a thin scenario, your first move is questions, not actions. Ask OS, version, scope and the verbatim error before you touch anything. It shows you collapse the search space with facts instead of flailing at the keyboard.

Say it like this

“Before I dig in, I need four quick things. What OS are you on? Which Cursor build are you using? Is it just you, or are others in your org seeing it too? Can you paste the verbatim error text? Those four answers usually tell me which layer to look at.”

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Optional practice

Practice: Tag every fact: confirmed, assumed, unknown