cursor-helper
Stop losing your Cursor chat history. This CLI fixes the things Cursor doesn't expose in the UI.
The Problem
When you rename or move a project folder, Cursor loses all your chat history. Weeks of conversations, context, and problem-solving — gone.
The Solution
Your chat history, workspace settings, and MCP cache stay intact.
Installation
# From source
Requires Rust 1.70+. Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows.
Key Commands
rename — Move Projects Without Losing History
# Move/rename a project
# Copy instead of move
# Preview changes first
export-chat — Export Everything Cursor Hides
Cursor's built-in export omits thinking blocks and tool calls. This doesn't.
# Full export with thinking, tools, and token counts
# Just the conversations
# Export to JSON
| Flag | What it adds |
|---|---|
--with-thinking |
AI reasoning/thinking blocks with duration |
--with-tools |
Tool calls (file reads, edits, shell commands) |
--with-stats |
Model name and token counts |
-v |
All of the above |
--include-archived |
Include archived sessions |
list — See All Your Projects
# List all projects (most recent first)
# Sort by chat count
# Filter by type
clean — Reclaim Disk Space
Remove workspace data for deleted projects.
Other Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
stats |
Show chat count and storage size for a project |
backup |
Create a portable backup of project metadata |
restore |
Restore metadata to a new location |
clone |
Duplicate a project with independent chat history |
How It Works
Cursor stores metadata in platform-specific locations:
| Platform | Location |
|---|---|
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/workspaceStorage/ |
| Linux | ~/.config/Cursor/User/workspaceStorage/ |
| Windows | %APPDATA%\Cursor\User\workspaceStorage\ |
Each project has a unique ID derived from its path. When you rename a folder, the ID changes and Cursor can't find the old data. This tool updates the necessary references.
Note: Linux support is experimental. Workspace hash computation depends on filesystem birthtime support, which varies by filesystem and kernel version.
Disclaimer
This tool is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anysphere, Inc. (Cursor).
It reads your local data files for personal backup and portability. It does not access Cursor's servers, APIs, or source code. See DISCLAIMER.md for details.
License
MIT — see LICENSE.