Setting Up AI Code Editor Environment

v20260423

windsurf-install-auth

Windsurf is a powerful, AI-powered code editor built on VS Code. This guide covers the complete setup process, including initial installation for macOS/Linux/Windows, crucial Codeium authentication using Google/GitHub, and advanced configuration for enterprise or team deployments. Learn to use Supercomplete and interact with the Cascade AI agent to boost your development workflow.

Development Coding AI IDE VSCode Authentication Setup Codeium

Get Skill

247 downloads

Overview

Windsurf Install & Auth

Overview

Windsurf is an AI-powered code editor by Codeium (now Cognition AI), built on VS Code. It features Cascade (agentic AI assistant), Supercomplete (intent-aware autocomplete), and deep codebase indexing. Authentication is handled through Codeium accounts, not raw API keys.

Prerequisites

macOS, Windows, or Linux (64-bit)
8GB RAM minimum (16GB recommended for large codebases)
Internet connection for AI features

Instructions

Step 1: Install Windsurf

macOS:

brew install --cask windsurf

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):

curl -fsSL https://windsurf.com/install.sh | bash
# Or download .deb from https://windsurf.com/download

Windows: Download installer from https://windsurf.com/download

Step 2: Authenticate with Codeium

On first launch, Windsurf prompts for Codeium authentication:

Click "Sign In" in the welcome tab or Windsurf widget (bottom-right status bar)
Browser opens to Codeium auth page
Sign in with Google, GitHub, or email
Authorization token is stored locally at ~/.codeium/

Verify authentication:

Check the Windsurf widget in the status bar -- it should show a checkmark
Open Cascade (Cmd/Ctrl+L) and send a test message

Step 3: Configure for Enterprise / Team

For team deployments with centralized auth:

// Settings > Windsurf Settings (or ~/.codeium/config.json)
{
  "codeium.apiServer": "https://codeium.yourcompany.com",
  "codeium.portal.url": "https://portal.yourcompany.com",
  "codeium.enterpriseMode": true
}

Enterprise API key (headless / CI environments):

# Set via environment variable for non-interactive use
export CODEIUM_API_KEY="your-enterprise-api-key"

Step 4: Verify AI Features Are Working

1. Open any project folder in Windsurf
2. Type in a code file -- Supercomplete suggestions should appear
3. Press Cmd/Ctrl+L to open Cascade chat
4. Type "explain this project" -- Cascade should respond with codebase analysis
5. Check status bar widget shows model name (e.g., SWE-1, Claude, GPT)

Step 5: Select Your AI Model

Cascade supports multiple models. Configure via the model selector dropdown in the Cascade panel:

Model	Plan Required	Best For
SWE-1 Lite	Free	Basic coding tasks
SWE-1	Pro ($15/mo)	Complex multi-file edits
SWE-1.5	Pro	Frontier-level performance
Claude Sonnet	Pro	Nuanced reasoning
GPT-4o	Pro	General-purpose coding
Gemini Pro	Pro	Large context tasks

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
"Sign in required"	Auth token expired	Click Windsurf widget > Sign In
Cascade not responding	Not authenticated	Check status bar for auth status
No completions appearing	Supercomplete disabled	Click status bar widget > enable autocomplete
Enterprise auth fails	Wrong API server URL	Verify `codeium.apiServer` setting
"Indexing failed"	Workspace too large	Add `.codeiumignore` to exclude large dirs

Examples

Migrate Settings from VS Code

# Windsurf inherits VS Code extensions and settings
# Import on first launch or manually:
# Windsurf > Command Palette > "Import VS Code Settings"

Verify Installation

# Check Windsurf CLI is available
windsurf --version

# Open project in Windsurf from terminal
windsurf /path/to/project

Resources

Next Steps

After authentication, proceed to windsurf-hello-world for your first Cascade interaction.

Info

Category Development

Name windsurf-install-auth

Version v20260423

Size 4.31KB

Source jeremylongshore/claude-code-plugins-plus-skills

Updated At 2026-04-28