Windsurf and Cursor are AI-powered IDEs that transform how engineers write, navigate, and refactor code. Use Windsurf when you need deep, context-aware code generation across large monorepos with live collaboration, and use Cursor when you prefer a tightly integrated, VS Code–like environment with AI-driven workflows that feel like natural extensions of your editor. The choice matters when your team moves beyond simple code completion into AI-assisted design, refactoring, and onboarding.

Writing Code with AI

In both Windsurf and Cursor, AI generates code based on natural language prompts, but the workflow differs in how prompts are structured and how results are applied.

In Windsurf, you initiate code generation with a /generate command in a dedicated AI panel. The command expects a prompt field and optional context and targetFile fields:

{
  "prompt": "Create a GraphQL resolver for fetching user profiles with their posts and comments.",
  "context": [
    "User model has id, name, email, createdAt",
    "Post has id, userId, title, content, publishedAt",
    "Comment has id, postId, userId, content, createdAt"
  ],
  "targetFile": "src/resolvers/userResolver.ts"
}

Windsurf returns a 201 Created response with a Location header pointing to the new snippet, which is automatically inserted into the target file. The AI can also generate a test field in the response, providing Jest-style tests:

{
  "generatedCode": "const userResolver = { ... }",
  "test": "describe('userResolver', () => { ... })",
  "status": "success"
}

In Cursor, AI is invoked via Cmd+K (or Ctrl+K) and uses a more interactive prompt editor. The prompt is split into two parts: a prompt section and a context section. The context is rendered as a collapsible sidebar with file previews, and Cursor supports inline code blocks using fenced code blocks:

Write a function to validate a JWT token and extract user claims.

Context:
- JWT is signed with a secret stored in `process.env.JWT_SECRET`
- User claims include `userId`, `email`, `role`, and `exp`

```ts
interface UserClaims {
  userId: string;
  email: string;
  role: 'admin' | 'user';
  exp: number;
}

Return a function validateJwt that returns UserClaims or throws Error.


Cursor generates code directly in the editor, with the result wrapped in a `diff` block. It updates the current file and optionally creates a new file if the target doesn’t exist.

---

## Refactoring and Code Navigation

Refactoring is where both IDEs shine, but the patterns differ.

In **Windsurf**, refactoring begins with a `/refactor` command. The command accepts a `target` (file or range), a `goal` (natural language), and a `strategy` (e.g., `extract-function`, `rename-variable`, `introduce-type`):

```json
{
  "target": "src/services/authService.ts",
  "goal": "Extract the user validation logic into a separate function named `validateUserInput`.",
  "strategy": "extract-function",
  "context": "The function should handle email format, password strength, and role validation."
}

Windsurf returns a 200 OK with a diff field that includes the full file patch:

{
  "diff": [
    "+++ src/services/authService.ts",
    "@@ -10,6 +10,15 @@",
    "+function validateUserInput(user) {",
    "+  const errors = [];",
    "+  if (!/^[^@]+@[^@]+\\.[^@]+$/.test(user.email)) {",
    "+    errors.push('Invalid email format');",
    "+  }",
    "+  // ...",
    "+  return { valid: errors.length === 0, errors };",
    "+}",
    "-function registerUser(user) {",
    "+function registerUser(user) {",
    "+  const validation = validateUserInput(user);",
    "+  if (!validation.valid) {",
    "+    throw new Error(validation.errors.join(', '));",
    "+  }",
    "  // ...",
    "}"
  ],
  "appliedTo": "src/services/authService.ts"
}

The diff is a standard unified diff, and Windsurf applies it to the file. You can review and accept changes before committing.

In Cursor, refactoring is initiated via Cmd+Shift+R, which opens a sidebar with AI suggestions. Cursor presents multiple refactorings for a selected code block: extract, inline, rename, move, and type inference. You select one and confirm with a single click.

Cursor also supports AI-powered navigation. With Cmd+Shift+G, you can search using natural language:

Find all services that handle authentication and return user data.

Cursor returns a list of matching files, with snippets and a reason field explaining why each file was selected. It uses a combination of semantic search and code embeddings, returning results in a JSON array:

[
  {
    "file": "src/services/authService.ts",
    "snippet": "export async function login(email, password) { ... }",
    "reason": "Contains login function, uses JWT, and returns user object with roles.",
    "score": 0.87
  },
  {
    "file": "src/middleware/authMiddleware.ts",
    "snippet": "function requireAuth(req, res, next) { ... }",
    "reason": "Handles authentication in Express and extracts user from request.",
    "score": 0.79
  }
]

Project Setup and Onboarding

Setting up a new project in both IDEs involves AI-assisted scaffolding.

In Windsurf, you start with a POST /projects endpoint. The request body includes name, language, framework, and features:

{
  "name": "blog-api",
  "language": "TypeScript",
  "framework": "NestJS",
  "features": [
    "authentication",
    "GraphQL",
    "database: PostgreSQL",
    "testing: Jest"
  ],
  "structure": "monorepo"
}

Windsurf responds with a 201 Created and a projectUrl:

{
  "id": "proj_abc123",
  "name": "blog-api",
  "url": "https://windsurf.io/projects/proj_abc123",
  "files": [
    "src/main.ts",
    "src/modules/auth/auth.controller.ts",
    "src/modules/auth/auth.service.ts",
    "test/auth.test.ts"
  ],
  "status": "scaffolding-in-progress"
}

The IDE displays a progress bar and updates the project view in real time. You can run POST /projects/proj_abc123/trigger to re-generate or re-apply the scaffolding.

In Cursor, onboarding is triggered by Cmd+Shift+P and selecting “Create Project from Template.” The IDE presents a list of templates, each with a description, example code, and dependencies. You select one and confirm. Cursor generates the project structure, installs dependencies using npm install, and opens the workspace.

Cursor also supports AI-driven project setup via a project.json file at the root. This file includes name, language, framework, and ai settings:

{
  "name": "blog-api",
  "language": "TypeScript",
  "framework": "NestJS",
  "dependencies": [
    "@nestjs/graphql",
    "prisma",
    "typeorm"
  ],
  "ai": {
    "scaffold": true,
    "generate-tests": true,
    "lint": true,
    "precommit": [
      "format",
      "lint",
      "test"
    ]
  }
}

When the project is opened, Cursor runs npm run setup and applies AI-generated configurations, including tsconfig.json, prettierrc, and commitlint.config.js.

Collaboration and Real-Time Editing

Both IDEs support live collaboration, but the mechanisms differ.

In Windsurf, collaboration is initiated via POST /projects/{id}/collaborators:

{
  "collaborators": [
    "[email protected]",
    "[email protected]"
  ],
  "permissions": {
    "[email protected]": "editor",
    "[email protected]": "viewer"
  }
}

Each collaborator sees a real-time feed of AI-generated changes. When a user types in the editor, the IDE sends PATCH /projects/{id}/activity with userId, timestamp, and changes:

{
  "userId": "[email protected]",
  "timestamp": "2024-03-21T10:30:00Z",
  "changes": [
    {
      "file": "src/resolvers/userResolver.ts",
      "action": "insert",
      "line": 45,
      "content": "const user = await db.users.findById(id);"
    },
    {
      "file": "src/resolvers/userResolver.ts",
      "action": "highlight",
      "range": [45, 50],
      "color": "#ffcc00"
    }
  ]
}

Windsurf broadcasts these events to all connected clients via WebSocket. The client listens on wss://windsurf.io/projects/{id}/ws and updates the UI in real time.

In Cursor, collaboration is built into the editor. When multiple users are in the same project, Cursor uses a delta-based editing protocol. The client sends PATCH /editor with a deltas array:

{
  "workspaceId": "ws_123",
  "userId": "[email protected]",
  "deltas": [
    {
      "file": "src/main.ts",
      "operations": [
        {
          "op": "insert",
          "offset": 100,
          "text": "import { Logger } from '@nestjs/common';"
        },
        {
          "op": "delete",
          "range": [150, 160],
          "reason": "Remove unused import"
        },
        {
          "op": "format",
          "range": [0, 1000],
          "language": "typescript"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The server applies these operations in order and returns a 200 OK with a sequence number and appliedDeltas. Clients use this sequence to sync state and resolve conflicts.

Cursor also supports AI-assisted chat. Users can open a chat panel and send messages like:

What’s the purpose of the `User` entity in the database?

Cursor responds with a summary, references to code, and a suggested-actions list:

{
  "summary": "The User entity represents a user in the system and includes fields for identity, authentication, and metadata.",
  "references": [
    "src/entities/User.ts",
    "src/migrations/20240320100000-create-users-table.ts"
  ],
  "suggestedActions": [
    "Create a new `UserRepository` class",
    "Add `profileImage` field to the User entity",
    "Generate `UserDTO` for API responses"
  ]
}

Common Pitfalls and Sharp Edges

  • Windsurf: The /generate endpoint assumes the targetFile exists. If it does not, it creates the file but does not generate a test file unless explicitly requested. The context field is optional but highly recommended for complex prompts. A silent failure occurs when the prompt is empty: the server returns a 201 Created but the generatedCode is null.
  • Cursor: When using Cmd+K, the prompt editor does not persist across sessions unless explicitly saved. The project.json file is not automatically loaded; it must be in the root directory. If a project has both project.json and package.json, Cursor uses project.json as the primary configuration source, but package.json is used for dependency resolution.
  • Both: AI-generated code is not always idempotent. In Windsurf, if you run /refactor twice on the same target with the same goal, the second run does not merge changes—it overwrites. In Cursor, AI-generated code is versioned but not automatically committed. You must manually run git commit after applying AI changes.
  • Shared Edge: Both IDEs assume the ai service is available. If the AI service returns a 503 Service Unavailable, the client shows a “AI is down” toast but continues editing locally. When the service recovers, the client queues pending requests and sends them in batches, but it does not automatically retry failed requests—this must be handled by the client or by the user.
  • Failure Mode: If a POST /projects request times out, the client assumes the project was created but does not receive the projectUrl. The client must poll GET /projects/{id} until the project is ready, using a status field that can be pending, scaffolding-in-progress, or completed.
  • Configuration Gotcha: In Cursor, the ai section in project.json is only applied during project initialization. If you later modify project.json, you must run Cmd+Shift+P > Reload Project to apply the new settings.

This page was rewritten on 14 October 2026. It replaced a templated version that was not specific to its own title. How these pages are written and checked. If anything here is wrong, tell us at [email protected] and we will correct it.