How to Use Windsurf: The Ultimate AI Coding Assistant

Introduction

Windsurf, formerly known as Codeium, is an AI-powered coding assistant and the world’s first agentic IDE designed to keep developers in a seamless “flow” state. Whether you prefer a lightweight plugin integrated into your favorite editor or the full Windsurf Editor with AI-powered agents (called Cascades), this guide will show you how to install, configure, and master Windsurf to accelerate coding in over 70 languages and across 40+ IDEs and web editors.

Why Choose Windsurf?

Agentic IDE with Cascade Flows
Windsurf Editor introduces Flows, combining AI Copilot and autonomous agents to handle complex tasks, understand code context, and maintain state across sessions.
Multi-IDE & Language Support
Integrate AI coding assist in VS Code, JetBrains IntelliJ, Neovim, Sublime Text, Jupyter Notebooks, Colab, and more—supporting 70+ languages including Python, JavaScript, Go, Java, TypeScript, C#, and Rust.
Unlimited Code Completions
Enjoy free, unlimited single- and multi-line completions with advanced context awareness, reducing boilerplate and speeding up development.
Integrated Chat & Refactoring
Use Windsurf Chat directly in your IDE for on-the-fly code generation, refactors, explanations, and debugging without leaving your editor.
Seamless OpenAI Integration
As part of OpenAI’s ecosystem, Windsurf leverages GPT-based models for cutting-edge code intelligence and continuous improvement.

Key Features

1. Windsurf Editor: The Agentic IDE

Windsurf Editor is a standalone AI-native IDE available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Cascade Panel: Invoke with Ctrl/Cmd+L to open intelligent Flows that can analyze selected code, run tests, or generate complex modules.
Smart File Navigator: Quickly find files or symbols with AI-powered search.
Contextual Autocomplete: Offers suggestions based on entire codebase context, not just the current file.

2. Windsurf Plugins (Extensions)

If you prefer your existing IDE:

Install the Windsurf VS Code extension from the Visual Studio Marketplace.
For JetBrains, download from the JetBrains Plugin Repository.
Available also for Neovim, Vim, Sublime Text, Eclipse, Databricks, and 40+ others.

3. Windsurf Chat

Open the Chat sidebar in your IDE to ask questions like “Refactor this function to use async/await” or “Explain the logic of this snippet.”
Reference code context by typing @ and selecting variables, classes, or file paths for precise assistance.

4. AI Flows & Agents

Flows combine prompts and tool invocations: e.g., run unit tests, analyze diffs, or document APIs.
Agents like Cascade can operate independently: generate CRUD layers, data pipelines, or test suites based on high-level instructions.

Getting Started

Create an Account
Sign up at windsurf.com using your GitHub or email.
Download Windsurf Editor (Optional)
Choose your platform on the Windsurf Editor page and install.
Install Windsurf Plugin
- VS Code:
```
code --install-extension Codeium.codeium
```
- JetBrains IDEs: Use the plugin marketplace and search for “Windsurf” or “Codeium.”
- Neovim/Vim: Follow instructions at docs.codeium.com.
Authenticate
- Open the plugin sidebar or Windsurf Editor settings.
- Click Sign in with GitHub or paste your API key from the Windsurf dashboard.
Configure Preferences
- Set your default language models (e.g., GPT-4).
- Enable or disable specific Flows or Chat features in the Settings menu.

Integration & API

Windsurf supports a REST API for enterprise integrations:

List Projects:

GET https://api.windsurf.com/v1/projects
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Generate Code Snippet:

POST https://api.windsurf.com/v1/snippets
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "project_id": "12345",
  "prompt": "Create a Python function to parse JSON logs."
}

Manage Tokens & Teams: Invite team members and control usage in the Windsurf Dashboard.

User Interface Overview

Sidebar Panel: Access Chat, Flows, and Explorer in one pane.
Inline Suggestions: Type code and accept suggestions with Tab or Enter.
Command Palette: Trigger commands like “Open Cascade” or “Explain Code” with Ctrl+Shift+P.

Popular Use Cases

Boilerplate Generation: Scaffold REST APIs, data models, or CI/CD pipelines instantly.
Code Reviews: Automatically review pull requests and suggest improvements.
Refactoring: Convert loops to functional methods, optimize algorithms, or migrate codebases.
Documentation: Generate Markdown docs, inline comments, and API references.
Learning & Onboarding: New team members can ask the AI to explain unfamiliar code or conventions.

Advanced Usage & Best Practices

Custom Prompts: Save your own templates for tests, logging, or security checks.
Private Models: Use on-premise or VPC-hosted LLMs via API settings.
Version Control Hooks: Integrate Windsurf checks in Git hooks for linting and style enforcement.
Feedback Loop: Rate completions to improve your team’s shared model fine-tuning.

Security & Privacy

Data Encryption: All traffic secured over TLS, with end-to-end encryption for private repositories.
Data Residency: Choose data center regions (US, EU, APAC) in Enterprise plans.
Opt-Out Logging: Disable usage logging for sensitive code in Settings.
Compliance: GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, and ISO 27001 certified.

Pricing Plans

Free
- Unlimited single/multi-line completions
- Basic Chat and Flows
- Community support on Discord
Pro ($12/user/month)
- Priority model access (GPT-4)
- Advanced Agentic Flows
- Usage analytics and private models
Enterprise
- Custom SLAs and dedicated capacity
- SSO/SAML and VPC deployments
- Dedicated onboarding and 24/7 support

Compare plans at windsurf.com/pricing.

Conclusion

Windsurf redefines developer productivity by merging AI intelligence with your favorite tools and workflows. Whether you’re writing a quick script in VS Code or architecting microservices in the full Windsurf Editor, you’ll find features that anticipate your needs and accelerate delivery. Start riding the AI wave today and transform how you code.

Resources

Windsurf Official Site: windsurf.com
Documentation: docs.codeium.com

Table of Contents