The outcome
Learn the interaction loop using a small task with a clear outcome.
Windsurf is a agentic AI code editor. Understanding codebases, planning and implementing repository changes with Cascade, and preserving team conventions through project rules. This guide narrows that broad capability into one repeatable outcome, with checkpoints that keep the source material and your judgment in the loop.
Before you begin
Set the boundary before the tool starts.
Choose one real task, identify who will use the result, and decide what evidence or test will make the result acceptable. Gather only the source material needed for that task. If the work contains confidential, personal, regulated, or client-owned information, confirm that the platform and account are approved before sharing it.
AI should make the work easier to inspect. If the workflow removes the source, the owner, or the review step, redesign the workflow.
Step by step
A workflow you can repeat.
- 01
Install Windsurf from the official download and open a version-controlled repository.
- 02
Review repository instructions, current branch, status, and validation commands before asking for edits.
- 03
Use Cascade to explain the relevant code and propose a small plan with acceptance criteria.
- 04
Create a checkpoint, review changes and commands, then run focused and project-wide checks.
Working standard
What good use looks like.
- State the outcome before the background.
- Provide the real source material.
- Review the result before expanding the task.
Agentic editing and terminal access can change many files quickly. Keep permissions narrow, use checkpoints and version control, inspect diffs, and never place credentials in prompts or Rules.
Official references
Check the current product documentation.
Features, plan limits, availability, and data controls change. These official pages are the starting points used for this collection.