{
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  "description": "Windsurf (by Codeium) is an AI IDE that competes directly with Cursor. Its key differentiator is Cascade, an agentic system designed around \"flows\", coherent multi-step coding sessions where the agent understands and remembers what it has done across many tool calls, rather than treating each interaction as isolated.\n\n\nCascade: The Core Agent\n\nCascade has simultaneous awareness of:\n\n * Your entire codebase (indexed for semantic search)\n * Terminal output (sees errors as they happen)\n * Browser s",
  "path": "/engineering-glossary/windsurf/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-17T19:20:51.000Z",
  "site": "https://sahilkapoor.com",
  "tags": [
    "Cursor",
    "Mcp Model Context Protocol",
    "Github Copilot",
    "Openhands"
  ],
  "textContent": "Windsurf (by Codeium) is an AI IDE that competes directly with Cursor. Its key differentiator is Cascade, an agentic system designed around \"flows\", coherent multi-step coding sessions where the agent understands and remembers what it has done across many tool calls, rather than treating each interaction as isolated.\n\n## Cascade: The Core Agent\n\nCascade has simultaneous awareness of:\n\n  * Your entire codebase (indexed for semantic search)\n  * Terminal output (sees errors as they happen)\n  * Browser state (can observe the running app)\n  * File changes in real time\n\n\n\nThis lets Cascade complete tasks like \"implement this feature, run the tests, and fix anything that fails\" as a single coherent flow, without you explicitly managing context handoff between steps.\n\n## Write vs Chat Modes\n\nWindsurf distinguishes between:\n\n  * **Write mode** , the agent makes changes (Cascade); requires approval for file writes\n  * **Chat mode** , read-only exploration and explanation\n\n\n\nThis separation reduces accidental modifications during exploratory conversations.\n\n## Windsurf vs Cursor\n\nBoth Windsurf and Cursor are VS Code forks with deeply integrated AI agents. The key differences:\n\n  * Windsurf emphasizes Cascade's \"continuous awareness\" of terminal/browser state during a flow\n  * Cursor has more established Mcp Model Context Protocol support and Cursor Rules for project-level configuration\n  * Model selection: both support multiple underlying LLMs; Codeium's proprietary models are available exclusively in Windsurf\n\n\n\n## Pricing\n\nWindsurf offers a free tier (limited model access) and paid plans. The free tier makes it accessible for side projects; the paid plans compete with Cursor Pro in pricing and capabilities.\n\n## Related Terms\n\n  * Cursor, primary competitor; stronger MCP ecosystem\n  * Github Copilot, extension-based alternative with broader IDE support\n  * Mcp Model Context Protocol, protocol for AI tool integrations\n  * Openhands, open-source alternative for teams that need self-hosted agents\n\n",
  "title": "Windsurf",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-18T20:04:07.647Z"
}