Cursor transcripts are readable only; use `f cursor list`, `

Error message

Cursor transcripts are readable only; use `f cursor list`, `f cursor copy`, or `f cursor context`

What it means

Raised by `run_provider` in src/ai.rs (Cursor match arm) when any session-mutating or session-lifecycle action — Sessions, Browse, Continue, New, Open, Resolve, Resume, Find, FindAndCopy — is dispatched against Cursor. The tool treats Cursor transcripts as read-only data sources; only listing, copying, and context extraction are implemented, so all other actions bail with guidance.

Source

Thrown at src/ai.rs:600

                    "global Codex enablement is only supported for Codex sessions; use `f codex enable-global`"
                );
            }
            Some(ProviderAiAction::Daemon { .. }) => {
                bail!("daemon is only supported for Codex sessions; use `f codex daemon ...`");
            }
            Some(ProviderAiAction::Memory { .. }) => {
                bail!("memory is only supported for Codex sessions; use `f codex memory ...`");
            }
            Some(ProviderAiAction::Telemetry { .. }) => {
                bail!(
                    "telemetry is only supported for Codex sessions; use `f codex telemetry ...`"
                );
            }
            Some(ProviderAiAction::Trace { .. }) => {
                bail!("trace is only supported for Codex sessions; use `f codex trace ...`");
            }
            Some(ProviderAiAction::ProjectAi { .. }) => {
                bail!(
                    "project-ai is only supported for Codex sessions; use `f codex project-ai ...`"
                );
            }
            Some(ProviderAiAction::SkillEval { .. }) => {
                bail!(
                    "skill-eval is only supported for Codex sessions; use `f codex skill-eval ...`"
                );
            }
            Some(ProviderAiAction::SkillSource { .. }) => {
                bail!(
                    "skill-source is only supported for Codex sessions; use `f codex skill-source ...`"
                );
            }
            Some(ProviderAiAction::Agent { .. }) => {
                bail!("agent is only supported for Codex sessions; use `f codex agent ...`");
            }
            Some(ProviderAiAction::Log { .. }) => {
                bail!("log is only supported for Codex sessions; use `f codex log ...`");

View on GitHub (pinned to a747e741ae)

Solutions

List Cursor transcripts with `f cursor list`
Extract a transcript with `f cursor copy` or get recent context with `f cursor context`
If you need to continue/new/open/resume sessions, do it against Codex or Claude (`f codex ...` / `f claude ...`), not Cursor
Adjust automation to treat Cursor as read-only and branch on provider before issuing lifecycle actions

Example fix

// before
f cursor continue --session abc
// after
f cursor copy --session abc   # read-only extraction
# or, for resumable sessions:
f codex continue --session abc

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

const CURSOR_ALLOWED: &[&str] = &["list", "latest-id", "copy", "context", "show"];
fn cursor_action_allowed(verb: &str) -> bool {
    CURSOR_ALLOWED.contains(&verb)
}
if provider == Provider::Cursor && !cursor_action_allowed(verb) {
    eprintln!("Cursor transcripts are readable only; use `f cursor list`, `f cursor copy`, or `f cursor context`");
    return;
}

Type guard

fn is_cursor_readonly(action: &ProviderAiAction) -> bool {
    matches!(
        action,
        ProviderAiAction::List
            | ProviderAiAction::LatestId { .. }
            | ProviderAiAction::Copy { .. }
            | ProviderAiAction::Context { .. }
            | ProviderAiAction::Show { .. }
    )
}

Try / catch

match run_provider(Provider::Cursor, action) {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().contains("Cursor transcripts are readable only") => {
        eprintln!("Cursor is read-only; extracting via `f cursor copy` instead");
    }
    other => other?,
}

Prevention

Treat Cursor as read-only: never attempt continue/new/open/resume/resolve against it
For resumable sessions use Codex or Claude providers
Whitelist the four read-only Cursor verbs in any dispatch layer
Keep Cursor transcript backups externally since lifecycle actions are unsupported

When it happens

Trigger: Running any of `f cursor sessions|browse|continue|new|open|resolve|resume|find|find-and-copy ...`, i.e. run_provider(Provider::Cursor, Some(ProviderAiAction::{Sessions|Browse|Continue|New|Open|Resolve|Resume|Find|FindAndCopy}{..})).

Common situations: Trying to resume or continue a Cursor chat from the CLI, scripting session enumeration against Cursor the same way as Codex, assuming feature parity across providers after switching AI tools.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of nikivdev/code@a747e741ae (2026-09-01). Data as JSON: /api/errors/315d0609eabcecbe. Report an issue: GitHub.