Windsurf Common Errors

Overview

Quick reference for the most common Windsurf IDE errors and their solutions. Covers Cascade failures, Supercomplete issues, indexing problems, and extension conflicts.

Prerequisites

• Windsurf installed and previously working
• Access to Windsurf settings and logs

Instructions

Error 1: Cascade Not Responding

Symptoms: Cascade panel shows spinner indefinitely, no response to prompts.

Solutions:

1. Check internet connection -- Cascade requires cloud access
2. Check Windsurf status: https://status.windsurf.com
3. Check credit balance: Windsurf widget (status bar) > Account
4. Restart Cascade: Command Palette > "Cascade: Restart"
5. Restart Windsurf: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P > "Reload Window"

Error 2: Supercomplete Not Showing Suggestions

Symptoms: No ghost text appears while typing.

Solutions:

1. Check if disabled: Click Windsurf widget (status bar) > verify autocomplete is ON
2. Check file type: Supercomplete may be disabled for certain languages
3. Check .codeiumignore: Current file might be excluded from indexing
4. Ensure not conflicting: Disable GitHub Copilot or TabNine if installed

// Verify in settings.json
{
  "editor.inlineSuggest.enabled": true,
  "codeium.autocomplete.enable": true
}

Error 3: Indexing Stuck or Slow

Symptoms: Status bar shows "Indexing..." for extended periods, Cascade lacks context.

Solutions:

1. Check workspace size: Windsurf struggles with 100K+ files without ignore rules
2. Create or update .codeiumignore:

node_modules/
.git/
dist/
build/
.next/
coverage/
vendor/
__pycache__/
*.min.js
*.bundle.js
*.map

3. Open a subdirectory instead of monorepo root
4. Command Palette > "Codeium: Reset Indexing"

Error 4: Extension Conflicts

Symptoms: Duplicate suggestions, slow editor, features not working.

Known conflicts:

GitHub Copilot — conflicts with Supercomplete (disable one)
TabNine — conflicts with Supercomplete
Cody (Sourcegraph) — conflicts with Cascade
IntelliCode — may interfere with completions

Fix: Disable conflicting extensions:

Extensions sidebar > Search "copilot" > Disable

Error 5: Cascade Writes to Wrong Files

Symptoms: Cascade modifies files you didn't intend.

Solutions:

1. Be specific in prompts: name exact file paths
2. Add constraints: "Don't modify any files except src/services/auth.ts"
3. Use .windsurfignore to protect sensitive directories
4. Review diffs before accepting -- use the Revert button per step
5. Always commit before Cascade sessions for safe rollback

Error 6: "Model not available" or Credit Exhausted

Symptoms: "You've used all your credits" or specific model unavailable.

Solutions:

• Free plan: 25 credits/month. Switch to SWE-1 Lite (unlimited)
• Pro plan: 500 credits/month. Buy additional credits at windsurf.com/account
• Switch model: Use the model dropdown in Cascade to select a different model
• Check credit usage: Windsurf widget > Account > Usage

Error 7: MCP Server Not Connecting

Symptoms: MCP tools not appearing in Cascade, "server disconnected" errors.

Solutions:

1. Verify MCP is enabled: Settings > Cascade > MCP > Enable
2. Check config file: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
3. Verify command exists: Run the MCP command manually in terminal
4. Check environment variables: MCP config supports ${VAR} interpolation
5. Restart: Command Palette > "Cascade: Restart MCP Servers"

Error 8: Cascade Loses Context Mid-Conversation

Symptoms: Cascade forgets what it was doing, makes contradictory changes.

Solutions:

1. Keep conversations focused: one task per Cascade session
2. Start a new conversation for new tasks (Cmd/Ctrl+L, then + icon)
3. Use @ mentions to re-inject context: @src/services/auth.ts
4. Convert key decisions to Memories: "Remember that we're using JWT, not sessions"
5. For long tasks, use Workflows instead of multi-turn conversations

Error Handling

Examples

Quick Health Check

# Check if Windsurf is installed
windsurf --version

# Check Codeium auth state
ls ~/.codeium/

Reset Everything

Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P):
1. "Codeium: Reset Indexing"
2. "Cascade: Restart"
3. "Developer: Reload Window"

Resources

• Windsurf Status Page
• Windsurf GitHub Issues
• Windsurf Documentation

Next Steps

For comprehensive debugging, see windsurf-debug-bundle.