How to use python with the Cursor IDE

How-to-Python-in-Cursor.md

How to use python with the Cursor AI IDE

We are going to edit cursors settings to point to the microsoft extensions marketplace.

1. Remove all extensions and exit Cursor.
2. Locate your Cursor project.json file depending on your platform and open it.
   • On MacOS: /Applications/Cursor.app/Contents/Resources/app/product.json
   • On Windows: C:\Users\<user_name>\AppData\Local\Programs\cursor\resources\app\product.json
   • On Linux: /usr/lib/code/product.json
3. Locate the object value for key extensionsGallery in the json document.

Contents of extensionsGallery key in product.json for Cursor

{
    "galleryId": "cursor",
    "serviceUrl": "https://marketplace.cursorapi.com/_apis/public/gallery",
    "itemUrl": "https://marketplace.cursorapi.com/items",
    "resourceUrlTemplate": "https://marketplace.cursorapi.com/{publisher}/{name}/{version}/{path}",
    "controlUrl": "",
    "recommendationsUrl": "",
    "nlsBaseUrl": "",
    "publisherUrl": ""
}

4. Edit it to look like this:

{
    "galleryId": "cursor",
    "serviceUrl": "https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/_apis/public/gallery",
    "itemUrl": "https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items",
    "resourceUrlTemplate": "https://{publisher}.vscode-unpkg.net/{publisher}/{name}/{version}/{path}",
    "controlUrl": "",
    "recommendationsUrl": "",
    "nlsBaseUrl": "",
    "publisherUrl": ""
}

5. Reopen Cursor.app and install the following extensions:
   • ms-python.python
   • ms-python.vscode-pylance
   • ms-python.debugpy
6. Make sure in your settings that python.languageServer is set to "Pylance"
7. Re-sign Cursor.app (for MacOS)

codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/Cursor.app

Enjoy!

PS: you may need to goto your settings.json to remove any theme settings, because having a broken theme looks exactly like this same problem. In my case cursor had copied over my settings from vscode and they pointed to a theme that wasn't yet installed in cursor, removing and then setting the theme manually worked when I though for sure I had broken it again.

2025.4.100 is the most recent Pylance extension that is compatible with the current Cursor (tested with 0.50 versions).
The extension can be installed by dragging and dropping the .vsix file into the Extensions tab in Cursor.

Direct download link to the .vsix extension package:
https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/_apis/public/gallery/publishers/ms-python/vsextensions/vscode-pylance/2025.4.100/vspackage