Cursor + Claude Max Ban: What Broke and How to Fix It

Cursor's built-in Claude integration stopped working for developers on Claude Max subscriptions in January 2026. If you're seeing auth errors, "subscription required" messages, or Claude responses failing silently in Cursor — this is why, and here's the fix. What broke and why Cursor integrates with Claude through Anthropic's API. When you connected Cursor to Claude via your Claude Max subscription, it was using an OAuth token from your consumer account. Anthropic's January 2026 enforcement blocked that path — automated tool access isn't permitted on consumer subscriptions. What Cursor needs is an API key, not a subscription credential. The Anthropic API itself was never restricted — only the consumer OAuth token path was blocked. Fix 1: Direct Anthropic API key (simplest) If you just want Claude back in Cursor without any additional routing: Get an API key from console.anthropic.com In Cursor: Settings → Models → API Keys → Add Anthropic key Select claude-opus-4-6 or claude-sonnet-4-6