Windsurf local dev loop

Windsurf Local Dev Loop

Overview

Set up a fast, AI-augmented local development workflow using Windsurf's Cascade, Turbo mode, Previews, and terminal integration. The goal is a tight loop: edit with Cascade, preview in-IDE, iterate, test, commit.

Prerequisites

• Windsurf authenticated and project open
• Node.js 18+ or Python 3.10+
• Git initialized in project

Instructions

Step 1: Create .windsurfrules for Project Context

<!-- .windsurfrules - placed at project root, committed to git -->

# Project: my-app

## Stack
- Language: TypeScript (strict mode)
- Framework: Next.js 14 (App Router)
- Styling: Tailwind CSS v3
- Testing: Vitest + Testing Library
- Package manager: pnpm

## Architecture
- Server Components by default
- Client Components only when state/interactivity needed
- API routes in app/api/
- Business logic in lib/services/
- Types in lib/types/

## Conventions
- Named exports, never default
- async/await, never raw .then()
- zod for all runtime validation
- Error handling: Result pattern in services

Step 2: Configure .codeiumignore

# .codeiumignore - exclude from AI indexing (same syntax as .gitignore)
node_modules/
.next/
dist/
build/
coverage/
*.min.js
*.map
.env
.env.*

Step 3: Set Up Turbo Mode for Fast Terminal Execution

Turbo mode lets Cascade auto-execute terminal commands without asking permission for each one.

Enable: Windsurf Settings > Cascade > Terminal Execution Level > Turbo

Configure safety lists:

// Settings (JSON) — search "cascadeCommands"
{
  "windsurf.cascadeCommandsAllowList": [
    "npm", "pnpm", "npx", "node", "tsc",
    "vitest", "jest", "eslint", "prettier",
    "git status", "git diff", "git log", "git add"
  ],
  "windsurf.cascadeCommandsDenyList": [
    "rm -rf", "sudo", "git push --force",
    "git reset --hard", "DROP TABLE", "shutdown"
  ]
}

Step 4: Use Previews for UI Development

Ask Cascade to preview your web app:

"Start the dev server and preview the app"

Cascade starts the server and opens an in-IDE Preview tab. From the Preview:

• Click "Send element" (bottom-right) to select a UI element and send it to Cascade
• Console errors are automatically forwarded to Cascade for debugging
• Iterate by describing changes: "Make the header sticky and add a dark mode toggle"

Step 5: The Dev Loop

1. Open Cascade (Cmd/Ctrl+L)
2. Describe the feature or fix
3. Cascade edits files and runs commands (Turbo mode)
4. Preview updates in-IDE (hot reload)
5. Click broken elements → send to Cascade
6. Cascade fixes → repeat until correct
7. Run tests: "Run vitest for the files you changed"
8. Commit: "Commit these changes with message: add dark mode toggle"

Step 6: Terminal Integration

Use Cmd/Ctrl+I in the terminal for natural language commands:

Type: "find all files importing the Button component"
Windsurf generates: grep -rl "import.*Button" src/

Type: "run tests for auth module only"
Windsurf generates: npx vitest run src/auth/

Highlight terminal errors and press Cmd/Ctrl+L to send to Cascade for diagnosis.

Error Handling

Issue	Cause	Solution
Cascade not seeing project context	No .windsurfrules	Create rules file at project root
Slow AI suggestions	Large repo indexed	Add .codeiumignore
Turbo mode running dangerous commands	Missing deny list	Configure cascadeCommandsDenyList
Preview not loading	Dev server not started	Ask Cascade to start it first
Hot reload not working	Preview disconnected	Close and re-open Preview tab

Examples

Quick Project Bootstrap

Cascade prompt: "Initialize a new Next.js 14 project with TypeScript,
Tailwind CSS, and Vitest. Set up the folder structure matching
our .windsurfrules conventions."

Debug-Fix Loop

1. See error in terminal or Preview console
2. Highlight error text → Cmd/Ctrl+L → "Fix this error"
3. Cascade reads error, finds root cause, applies fix
4. Preview auto-reloads → verify fix

Resources

• Windsurf Terminal Docs
• Windsurf Previews
• Cascade Overview

Next Steps

See windsurf-sdk-patterns for workspace configuration patterns.