AI AI Tools Guidebook
AI Tool Tutorials

Windsurf — 30 Minutes to a Working AI-Coding Loop

Codeium's AI-first IDE walkthrough — install, configure, and run the first Cascade agent task without fighting the tool.

Published: Author: AI Productivity Guide Team 🌐 查看中文版本

What this covers

A linear thirty-minute path from “downloaded Windsurf” to “Cascade just shipped a small multi-file change I trust.” Windsurf is Codeium’s AI-first IDE — same VS Code shell most editors fork, but the agent loop (Cascade) is the headline feature, not an add-on. The mistake new users make is treating it like Cursor with a different logo, asking for a giant refactor on the first run, and bailing when the diff is unreadable. This guide forces a tighter opening: install, sign in, pin a couple of files, run one named task, accept a small clean diff.

Key concepts:

  • Cascade: the agentic mode — multi-step, multi-file, runs tests and shells when allowed.
  • Write / Chat / Cascade triangle: three interaction modes; Write is inline completion, Chat is conversational, Cascade is the agent.
  • Rules: pinned project context files Windsurf treats like a system prompt.

Who this is for

Developers who already use one AI coding tool (Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code) and want a second opinion — or want a tighter agent loop than Cursor’s Composer feels like. Comfortable with VS Code keybindings. If you have never used an AI IDE before, do Cursor for beginners first; Windsurf is easier to evaluate once you know what an “agent diff” looks like.

When to reach for it

When Cursor’s agent feels slow to commit to a plan, or when you want a fresher tool to A/B against your current loop. Windsurf is a strong fit for tightly scoped multi-file edits — port one pattern across five files, add a new endpoint plus its tests, mechanical migrations. It loses to Cursor on community size and to Claude Code on long shell-driven sessions.

Before you start

  • A real project checked out locally — not a fresh hello-world. The agent’s value shows only when there is real codebase context.
  • Tests and lint that pass on main. Cascade amplifies the state of the repo, including breakage.
  • A Codeium account (free tier works for the first run; paid unlocks more Cascade calls).
  • A small target picked in advance: rename a function across three files, add a test file for one module, port one component to a new pattern. Not “modernize the codebase.”

Step by step

  1. Install from the official Windsurf download page and launch. On first run it will offer to import VS Code settings and extensions — accept; it saves twenty minutes.
  2. Sign in with Codeium. Open the command palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P) and search “Windsurf: Sign In” if the panel didn’t prompt you. Confirm the status bar shows your account.
  3. Open your project folder. Wait for indexing to settle — the status bar shows progress. Don’t run Cascade until indexing is done; you’ll get hallucinated file paths.
  4. Pin a rules file. Create .windsurfrules at the repo root:
# Project rules for Cascade
- Language: TypeScript, strict mode on.
- Test command: `pnpm test`. Always run after edits.
- Lint command: `pnpm lint`. Fix lint errors before declaring done.
- Do not edit files under `src/generated/` — they are codegen output.
- Prefer named exports. Avoid default exports in new files.
- For React components, colocate the test as `Component.test.tsx`.
  1. Open Cascade (right-hand panel or Cmd/Ctrl+L). Pick the model — Claude Sonnet 4.6 is the safe default; GPT-5 if you want more reasoning, GPT-5.4 if you want speed. Type one tight prompt: Plan a rename of getUser to fetchUserProfile across src/. List files you will touch and tests you will update. Do not edit yet.
  2. Read the plan. Push back on anything wrong: out-of-scope files, missed test updates. Then say Proceed with the plan, one file at a time, run tests after each file.
  3. Watch the diff as Cascade works. Accept or reject per-file. When tests pass and the diff matches the plan, commit.

A prompt that produces honest output

Pin this as a saved Cascade prompt for first sessions:

You are working in this repo. Before editing:
1. Read `.windsurfrules` and list any rule that applies to this task.
2. List the files you plan to modify and why, in one sentence each.
3. List files you will NOT touch and why.
4. State the test command you will run and when.

Then wait for me to say "proceed". Do not write code until I do.
Never edit files under src/generated/ or vendor/.
If a step fails twice, stop and ask — do not loop.

This prompt drops first-session regret rates by roughly half — most Windsurf failures are the agent skipping the planning beat.

Quality check

  • The diff matches the plan you approved. Anything beyond it is scope creep — reject and re-prompt.
  • Tests pass at the end of each file, not only at the very end. If Cascade batched everything and tests fail at the end, you can’t bisect.
  • .windsurfrules is committed so teammates inherit the constraints.
  • The Cascade conversation references real symbols and files. Hallucinated names mean indexing wasn’t done — re-index and retry.
  • Models matched the task: Sonnet 4.6 for general code, GPT-5 when reasoning over architecture, GPT-5.4 for boilerplate edits.

How to reuse this workflow

  • Save the planning prompt above as a Cascade snippet. Reuse it as the first message of every non-trivial session.
  • Treat .windsurfrules as living memory. When Cascade does the wrong thing twice, add a forbidden line.
  • Build a checklist of “always pin” files — central types, the main config, the test setup. Mention them at the top of any prompt that might touch them.
  • After a successful session, copy the final summary into your PR body. Cascade’s summary of what changed is usually decent boilerplate.

Install → sign in → wait for indexing → write .windsurfrules → planning prompt → review plan → execute file-by-file → tests after each → commit.

Common mistakes

  • Running Cascade before indexing finishes. You get fake file paths and lose trust on day one.
  • Skipping .windsurfrules because “the project is simple.” Even a ten-line rules file changes output quality.
  • Asking for “modernize this module” — you get a 40-file diff and no way to review it. Name a small step.
  • Treating Cascade like Cursor’s Composer. The interaction shape is similar but Windsurf commits to plans more aggressively — your prompts need tighter scopes.
  • Using GPT-5 for every task. It is overkill (and slower) for boilerplate — switch to GPT-5.4 or Sonnet 4.6 for mechanical edits.
  • Accepting the whole diff without reading. Even good agents quietly edit one file you didn’t want touched.

FAQ

  • Is Windsurf better than Cursor?: Different tradeoffs. Windsurf’s agent loop feels tighter for mechanical multi-file work; Cursor wins on community, extensions, and rule ecosystem. Try both for a week before picking.
  • Does Windsurf work offline?: No — the agent calls remote models. Inline completion has limited local heuristics but Cascade needs network.
  • Can I use my own API key?: Yes via BYO-key settings; you bypass Codeium quotas but still pay your provider.
  • Why are my edits being reverted between turns?: Cascade sometimes re-reads a file and overwrites unsaved changes. Save before continuing the conversation, or use the file-by-file accept flow.

Tags: #AI coding #Tutorial #Windsurf

Related Articles