A developer moves from VS Code to Cursor, imports their settings, then searches the Extensions panel for a tool their workflow depends on and finds nothing. Why is it absent?

Easycursorextensionsmigrationopen-vsx

Last reviewed 21 Aug 2026

Cursor suppresses extensions whose features overlap its own AI tooling, removing them from search results entirely.
Extension search stays empty until the editor finishes indexing, so the listing appears a while later.
Cursor installs from the Open VSX registry, so a Marketplace-only extension has no listing there.Correct answer
The import step transfers themes and settings alone, leaving extensions to be reinstalled by hand.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C. Cursor installs from the Open VSX registry, so a Marketplace-only extension has no listing there.

Explanation

The principle — Cursor is a fork of VS Code, but it does not draw on the same extension catalogue. It installs from the Open VSX registry, which overlaps heavily with the VS Code Marketplace without matching it.

Why the key is correct — An extension published only to the Marketplace has no Open VSX listing, so searching for it inside Cursor returns nothing. The install is healthy; the catalogue behind the panel is simply different.

Why the others are wrong — The import carries extensions across as well as themes and settings, so it is not limited to appearance. Search results are not withheld while a local index builds. And nothing strips competing assistants out of the listing.

Remember this — A missing extension usually means it was never published to Open VSX, so look for an alternative.

Sources — Cursor's Migrate from VS Code help page.

Sources

Primary sourceMigrate from VS Code — Cursor · accessed 19 Aug 2026
“Cursor uses the Open VSX extension registry, not the VS Code Marketplace.”

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A developer moves from VS Code to Cursor, imports their settings, then searches the Extensions panel for a tool their workflow depends on and finds nothing. Why is it absent?

Easycursorextensionsmigrationopen-vsx

Last reviewed 21 Aug 2026

Cursor suppresses extensions whose features overlap its own AI tooling, removing them from search results entirely.
Extension search stays empty until the editor finishes indexing, so the listing appears a while later.
Cursor installs from the Open VSX registry, so a Marketplace-only extension has no listing there.Correct answer
The import step transfers themes and settings alone, leaving extensions to be reinstalled by hand.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C. Cursor installs from the Open VSX registry, so a Marketplace-only extension has no listing there.

Explanation

Remember this — A missing extension usually means it was never published to Open VSX, so look for an alternative.

Sources — Cursor's Migrate from VS Code help page.

Sources

Primary sourceMigrate from VS Code — Cursor · accessed 19 Aug 2026
“Cursor uses the Open VSX extension registry, not the VS Code Marketplace.”

Practise 10 questions on this topic

Take Cursor Basics — Timed Test 1 (10 questions) — scored instantly, explanation for every question, no login.

Start the test

A developer moves from VS Code to Cursor, imports their settings, then searches the Extensions panel for a tool their workflow depends on and finds nothing. Why is it absent?

Related questions

A developer moves from VS Code to Cursor, imports their settings, then searches the Extensions panel for a tool their workflow depends on and finds nothing. Why is it absent?

Related questions