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Capstone: Mock Loop1 / 2

1 min lesson

The reply self-check

Rebuild the main list in "The reply self-check", then say what each item changes.

Step 1 of 2

The reply self-check

  • Acknowledgement - does the first line name what this user lost (a day of work, a broken demo), not a generic “sorry for the inconvenience”?
  • Accuracy - is every claim true? Don't say it's fixed if you mean it's escalated.
  • Exact steps - could the user follow your instructions without a single follow-up question?
  • Honest timeline - did you give a real next-update time instead of a fake ETA?
A reply that passes the self-check
Hi Sam - losing a morning to a sign-in loop right before your
team's rollout is genuinely bad and I'm sorry you hit it.

Here's what I think is happening and how to confirm it:

1. Open Help > Toggle Developer Tools > Network.
2. Reproduce the sign-in. Look for a 4xx on the callback URL.
3. Send me that request's URL and status code.

My current read: your corporate proxy is dropping the auth
callback. If the network tab confirms it, the fix is an
allowlist on your side and I'll send the exact hosts.

I'm treating this as high priority. I'll update you by 3pm ET
today either way, even if it's just progress.
Learn more

Full explanation

The bug-report self-check

The bug-report self-check

An engineering-ready report from the same ticket
Title: SSO callback fails behind forward proxy (enterprise)

Severity: S2 - blocks sign-in for one enterprise team (~40 seats)

Environment:
  - Cursor 3.10.x, macOS 14.5
  - Okta SAML, forward proxy (Zscaler) on corp network
  - Reproduces only on-network; clean off-VPN

Repro (minimal):
  1. On corp network, sign in via SSO.
  2. Auth completes in browser, redirect to app callback.
  3. App never receives token; returns to sign-in screen.

Expected: token reaches app, session established.
Actual: callback request 407 at proxy; token never delivered.

Evidence: HAR attached. 407 Proxy Authentication Required on
  the callback host. No retry with proxy creds.

Notes: ruled out - browser, account, Cursor version (repros on
  two machines). Isolated to proxy auth on the callback host.
Say it like this

When you hand this off live, frame the split: “The reply gives Sam something to do in the next five minutes and an honest update time. The report gives Eng a repro they can run without me in the loop and the one fact that matters - it's a 407 on the callback host, not a Cursor auth bug.”

Watch out

Don't let the reply leak internal uncertainty or the report inherit the reply's warmth. The user doesn't need your S2 label; Eng doesn't need an apology. Each artifact serves exactly one reader and mixing them weakens both.

Time-box the whole thing to 15 minutes for both artifacts, then compare against the writing rubric from module 5. The async round rewards someone who produces a lot, cleanly, fast - not someone who polishes one paragraph for an hour.