cursor-helper 0.2.1

CLI helper for Cursor IDE operations not exposed in the UI
Documentation

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

cursor-helper rename /old/project /new/project

Your chat history, workspace settings, and MCP cache stay intact.

Installation

# From crates.io (recommended)
cargo install cursor-helper

# Or from source
git clone https://github.com/lucifer1004/cursor-helper
cd cursor-helper
cargo install --path .

Requires Rust 1.70+. Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Pre-built binaries for major platforms are available on the Releases page.

Key Commands

rename — Move Projects Without Losing History

# Move/rename a project
cursor-helper rename /path/to/old-project /path/to/new-project

# Copy instead of move
cursor-helper rename --copy /path/to/project /path/to/project-copy

# Preview changes first
cursor-helper rename -n /path/to/old /path/to/new

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
cursor-helper export-chat /path/to/project -v

# Just the conversations
cursor-helper export-chat /path/to/project

# Export to JSON
cursor-helper export-chat /path/to/project --format json -o export.json

# Split into separate files per session
cursor-helper export-chat /path/to/project --split --output ./chats/

# Exclude empty sessions
cursor-helper export-chat /path/to/project --exclude-blank

# Remote sessions (SSH, tunnels, WSL, dev containers)
cursor-helper export-chat /home/user/project        # By remote path
cursor-helper export-chat --workspace-id abc123def  # By workspace ID (from 'list')
Flag What it does
--with-thinking Include AI reasoning/thinking blocks
--with-tools Include tool calls (file reads, edits, etc.)
--with-stats Include model name and token counts
-v All of the above
--split Export each session to a separate file
--exclude-blank Skip sessions with no messages
--include-archived Include archived sessions
--workspace-id Export by workspace ID (for remote sessions)

list — See All Your Projects

# List all projects (most recent first)
cursor-helper list

# Show workspace IDs (for use with export-chat --workspace-id)
cursor-helper list --with-id

# Sort by chat count
cursor-helper list --sort chats --limit 10

# Filter by type
cursor-helper list --filter remote   # SSH/tunnel projects
cursor-helper list --filter local    # Local projects

clean — Reclaim Disk Space

Remove workspace data for deleted projects.

cursor-helper clean --dry-run  # Preview
cursor-helper clean --yes      # Delete without confirmation

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.

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