How to use Windsurf: step-by-step tutorial
The AI code editor now sold under the Devin name: plans and quotas, Tab completion, agents, Devin Cloud, safe reviews and coding workflows to copy.
At a glance
Is Windsurf right for this job?
Use Windsurf for
- Day-to-day coding with fast completion
- Multi-file changes you review as a diff
- Learning a new codebase
- Writing tests
- Delegating narrow tickets to Devin Cloud (Pro)
Think twice for
- Accepting big diffs unread
- Repos with secrets in files
- Deploys without human review
- Heavy agent loops on a free quota
Get set up: step by step
Basics
What it is
Windsurf is an AI code editor with fast Tab completion, inline edits and an agent that works across your project. On Oct 30, 2026, windsurf.com/pricing shows the plans under the Devin name (Devin Desktop and Devin Cloud), so the editor many people know as Windsurf is now sold as part of Devin. Plans have daily and weekly quotas; extra usage is billed at API pricing.
Why this step matters: Knowing what it is good and bad at stops you using it for jobs where it will fail quietly.
Setup
Step 1: Get the official app
- Start from windsurf.com; follow its download link for your OS.
- Install only from that site. Fake “Windsurf” extensions and installers exist.
- Sign in, open a small project and try Tab completion first.
Why this step matters: Copycat apps and unofficial installers are common; starting from the official source protects your account and data.
Setup
Step 2: Plans, limits and costs
- Free: $0 with a light quota, unlimited Tab and inline edits.
- Pro: $20/month; frontier models, free SWE-2, Devin Cloud.
- Max: $200/month.
- Teams: $80/month plus $40 per full seat, up to 200 users.
- Enterprise: custom.
Plans have daily and weekly quotas; extra usage is billed at API pricing (windsurf.com/pricing, checked Oct 30, 2026).
Why this step matters: Paying for features you don't use is the most common waste. Knowing the limits first tells you if the free tier is enough.
Real things to do with Windsurf
Ship a small feature
Describe the feature and tests that define done; review the diff.
Add a "remember me" checkbox to the login form. Write tests first, then the code. Show the diff.
Review your own branch
Ask for a severity-ranked review before you open a pull request.
Review my uncommitted changes. List issues by severity with file and line.
Hunt security issues
Read-only scan, then verify each finding.
Read-only: find hard-coded secrets, unsafe SQL and missing auth checks. List file and line.
Understand legacy code
Ask for a map of the code before changing it.
Map this repo: modules, data flow, and the 3 riskiest files to change. No edits.
Data script
Generate a script with counts before and after.
Write a script that merges two CSVs on customer_id and reports unmatched rows.
Docs from code
Draft a README and correct it.
Draft a README from this code: purpose, install, usage, tests. Mark uncertain parts.The 5-part prompt that works in Windsurf
Most weak answers come from weak instructions, not a weak model. Before you send anything important to Windsurf, check that your message has these five parts. It takes thirty seconds and saves several rounds of “that’s not what I meant.”
- Situation. Who you are and why you are asking. “I run a two-person bakery” changes every answer that follows.
- Task. One clear verb: draft, compare, summarize, fix, plan, explain. If you have three tasks, send them as three steps.
- Inputs. Paste or attach the material it should use, and say what to ignore. Name the file and the pages if it is long.
- Format. Length, structure and tone: “a table with 4 columns”, “under 150 words”, “plain English, no jargon”.
- Checks. Tell it how you will judge the answer: “give a source link for every number”, “say unknown instead of guessing”, “list your assumptions first”.
Save the version that works. In Windsurf the natural home for reusable instructions is a rules file in your repo with build, test and style instructions, so you never type the same context twice.
Go further: steps continued
Use
Step 3: Your first real task
Start with a read-only question so you see how it understands your code:
Explain how this project is structured: entry point, main modules, how tests run. Then suggest one small improvement, but don’t edit anything yet.Why this step matters: A prompt with situation, task and format gets a usable answer first time, so you learn what the tool can actually do.
Setup
Step 4: Privacy
- Don't paste passwords, ID numbers, card numbers or other people's private details.
- Assume the company can read and keep your chats unless its official policy says otherwise.
- For health, money or legal decisions, confirm with a professional or an official source.
- Keep secrets out of the repo; agents read files in your workspace.
- Review terminal commands before the agent runs them.
- For company code, use a Teams or Enterprise plan your employer approved.
Why this step matters: Anything you paste may be stored and read. Deciding what never goes in is easier than undoing a leak.
Mistakes
Mistakes
- Accepting large agent edits without reading the diff.
- Burning the weekly quota on tasks Tab completion could do.
- Running agent commands you haven’t read.
- Assuming the old Windsurf plan names still apply; check the Devin plans.
Why this step matters: Knowing how it typically fails tells you where to look when you review its work.
A good session, start to finish
Decide what “done” looks like
Write one sentence describing the finished result before you open the chat: “a one-page plan I can send to my landlord by Friday.” If you cannot describe it, the bot cannot hit it.
Give context once, in the right place
Put standing facts about you, your business or your project where {name} keeps them between chats, instead of pasting them into every message.
Ask for a draft, then steer
Take the first answer as a rough draft. Reply with specific edits (“shorter”, “cut the second option”, “use our real prices”) rather than starting over.
Check the parts that matter
Open the source behind every number, name, date and quote you will reuse. For files, spot-check two page references. For code, run it.
Save what worked
Copy the final prompt into a notes file or saved instructions. Next time the same job takes one message instead of ten, and you spend fewer credits doing it.
Your first week with Windsurf
How to spot a wrong answer
Warning signs
- It gives an exact number, date or quote with no link, or with a link that does not contain it.
- It agrees with everything you say, including a wrong assumption you slipped in to test it.
- The answer is fluent but vague: lots of “generally” and “it depends” and no specifics you can act on.
- It claims to have done something (sent, saved, booked, run) without a link, ID or file you can open.
- Two answers to the same question, asked in fresh chats, disagree on a fact.
- It names a setting, menu or plan feature you cannot find. Apps change their menus often, so check the official help pages.
What to do
Open the source and find the exact sentence. Ask Windsurf to separate what it checked from what it assumed. Re-ask in a fresh chat with the source attached. If it still cannot back the claim up, treat it as unknown and use the official page instead.
None of this means the tool is bad. It means you are the editor, and editors check.
Power-user tips
Tab and inline edits are unlimited on Free; save quota for agent work.
Standing instructions stop repeated mistakes.
A clean commit makes agent changes easy to undo.
Devin Cloud does best with one clear, testable job.
Plan heavy work early in the week.
Approve terminal commands one at a time.
Privacy and safety with Windsurf
The agent reads your workspace and may run commands. Keep secrets out of files, read commands, and use an approved team plan for company code.
- Never paste passwords, API keys, one-time codes, full card numbers or government ID numbers into any chat.
- Remove other people’s names, addresses and account details from files before you upload them, unless you have their permission and a reason.
- Open the privacy or data-controls settings in your first week and decide whether your chats may be used to improve models.
- Use the account your employer approved for work material. A personal plan follows the consumer terms, not your company’s contract.
- For health, legal, tax or money decisions, use the bot to prepare questions, then confirm with a professional or an official source.
Windsurf or another bot?
| If you need… | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| AI editor with agent | Windsurf/Devin or Cursor | Both are AI-first editors; try each on your repo. |
| Terminal coding agent | Claude Code | Works in the terminal with approvals. |
| Completion in GitHub workflow | GitHub Copilot | Deep GitHub integration. |
| Build and host in browser | Replit | Hosting included. |
Our editorial judgment, not a benchmark. Try your own real task in two bots before you pay for either.
Questions people ask
Is Windsurf now Devin?
On Oct 30, 2026, windsurf.com/pricing shows the plans under the Devin name, including Devin Desktop and Devin Cloud.
Is it free?
Yes, Free is $0 with a light quota and unlimited Tab and inline edits.
How much is Pro?
$20/month, with frontier models, free SWE-2 and Devin Cloud.
What about teams?
Teams is $80/month plus $40 per full seat, up to 200 users. Enterprise is custom.
What are the limits?
Daily and weekly quotas; extra usage is billed at API pricing.
What is SWE-2?
A coding model the pricing page lists as free on Pro.
What is Devin Cloud?
Cloud agents that work on tasks for you, included with Pro.
Is Max worth it?
Only if you hit Pro quotas weekly. Track usage for a month first.
Words you will see
The Windsurf quiz, first-week checklist and cost calculator now have their own page.
Where these facts come from
Checked Oct 30, 2026. Plans change, so confirm on the official page before you pay.
Next: Windsurf lessons →