Tag: ai-ide
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Windsurf: Flows that preserve intent across a long refactor
A field-tested take on flows that preserve intent across a long refactor with Windsurf: what it rewards, where it breaks, and how to keep the workflow honest.
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Cursor: Agent mode as a disciplined driver, not a replacement for review
A field-tested take on agent mode as a disciplined driver, not a replacement for review with Cursor: what it rewards, where it breaks, and how to keep the workflow honest.
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Windsurf: Cascade as a deliberate planning surface, not an auto-pilot
A field-tested take on Cascade as a deliberate planning surface, not an auto-pilot with Windsurf: what it rewards, where it breaks, and how to keep the workflow honest.
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Cursor: Writing .cursorrules that actually stay short and enforceable
A field-tested take on writing .cursorrules that actually stay short and enforceable with Cursor: what it rewards, where it breaks, and how to keep the workflow honest.
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Windsurf: Turning agent output into atomic, reviewable commits
A field-tested take on turning agent output into atomic, reviewable commits with Windsurf: what it rewards, where it breaks, and how to keep the workflow honest.
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Cursor: Using MCP inside Cursor to give the agent a real toolbox
A field-tested take on using MCP inside Cursor to give the agent a real toolbox with Cursor: what it rewards, where it breaks, and how to keep the workflow honest.
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Windsurf: Indexing strategies for a monorepo with generated code
A field-tested take on indexing strategies for a monorepo with generated code with Windsurf: what it rewards, where it breaks, and how to keep the workflow honest.
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Cursor: Migrating a legacy module without losing git history or sanity
A field-tested take on migrating a legacy module without losing git history or sanity with Cursor: what it rewards, where it breaks, and how to keep the workflow honest.
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When to reach for Cascade and when to fall back to pure editing
Cascade is genuinely good at multi-file, well-scoped changes. It's a worse tool than your own hands for the single-line fix you already know how to make. The line between the two is narrower than it feels in the moment.
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Keeping tests running in the background while the agent edits
Cursor's agent mode moves fast enough that a broken test can sit unnoticed for several turns. Running the suite in watch mode alongside it turns a silent failure into an immediate one, and changes how much you trust letting the agent keep going.
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Windsurf: the value of a pause button in an otherwise relentless agent
Windsurf's Cascade agent is built to run long. Interrupting it costs less than letting a bad run finish. Field notes on the three signals worth stopping on, and what state an interrupt leaves behind.
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Cheap wins: the keybindings that turn Cursor back into a proper editor
Cursor's default shortcuts collide with a decade of VS Code muscle memory. Here are the remaps that stop the AI from hijacking keys you already own, and the two bindings worth adding.
More posts tagged ai-ide
- Windsurf: Pairing Cascade with a linter that refuses bad taste
- Cursor: Right amount of automation before it becomes magical thinking
- Windsurf: What Windsurf teaches about the ergonomics of agent IDEs
- Cursor: Resetting indexes when completions start feeling stale
- Windsurf: Using write-mode sparingly to protect your muscle memory
- Cursor: Pairing tab with explicit intent comments to steer predictions
- Windsurf: Keeping the editor quiet until you ask for help
- Cursor: Composer runs that land a feature in a single reviewable diff
- Windsurf: Flows that preserve intent across a long refactor
- Cursor: Agent mode as a disciplined driver, not a replacement for review
- Windsurf: Cascade as a deliberate planning surface, not an auto-pilot
- Cursor: Writing .cursorrules that actually stay short and enforceable
- Windsurf: Turning agent output into atomic, reviewable commits
- Cursor: Using MCP inside Cursor to give the agent a real toolbox
- Windsurf: Indexing strategies for a monorepo with generated code
- Cursor: Migrating a legacy module without losing git history or sanity
- Windsurf: When to reach for Cascade and when to fall back to pure editing
- Cursor: Keeping tests running in the background while the agent edits
- Windsurf: Value of a pause button in an otherwise relentless agent
- Cursor: Cheap wins: keybindings that turn Cursor into a proper editor
- Windsurf: Pairing Cascade with a linter that refuses bad taste
- Cursor: Right amount of automation before it becomes magical thinking
- Windsurf: What Windsurf teaches about the ergonomics of agent IDEs
- Cursor: Resetting indexes when completions start feeling stale
- Windsurf: Using write-mode sparingly to protect your muscle memory
- Cursor: Pairing tab with explicit intent comments to steer predictions
- Windsurf: Keeping the editor quiet until you ask for help
- Cursor: Composer runs that land a feature in a single reviewable diff
- Windsurf: Flows that preserve intent across a long refactor
- Cursor: Agent mode as a disciplined driver, not a replacement for review
- Windsurf: Cascade as a deliberate planning surface, not an auto-pilot
- Cursor: Writing .cursorrules that actually stay short and enforceable
- Windsurf: Retrospective after our first Windsurf-heavy sprint
- Cursor: Teaching Cursor the house style without a wall of prose
- Windsurf: Onboarding a new hire with Windsurf already installed
- Cursor: First code review after a heavy Cursor day
- Windsurf: Write mode restraint in the first month of use
- Cursor: Learning to write intent in comments, not in chat
- Windsurf: Windsurf setting that changed how we reviewed code
- Cursor: Pricing tier choices with incomplete information
- Windsurf: First MCP server we plugged into Windsurf
- Cursor: Undoing Cursor changes on purpose, a first discipline
- Windsurf: Beginner comparison: Windsurf, Cursor, VS Code Agent
- Cursor: MCP inside Cursor as an early glimpse of the toolbelt
- Windsurf: Pausing Cascade versus pausing yourself
- Cursor: When agent mode decided to write tests we never wrote
- Windsurf: First atomic commit authored entirely by Cascade
- Cursor: First week we stopped fighting Cursor and let it drive
- Windsurf: Writing our first Cascade-friendly task spec
- Cursor: Indexing hiccups on a monorepo larger than the demo
- Windsurf: Windsurf defaults we kept and the ones we overrode
- Cursor: Composer for the first multi-file refactor we trusted
- Windsurf: What the first long Cascade session actually cost
- Cursor: Tab predict surprises that made us rewrite comments
- Windsurf: Moment Windsurf made a skeptical reviewer pause
- Cursor: Agent mode as a faster, more honest pair programmer
- Windsurf: Flows as a new way to carry intent across files
- Cursor: Writing a .cursorrules file that did not embarrass us
- Windsurf: First look at Cascade after a year of Cursor
- Cursor: First hour inside Cursor after years of VS Code
- Windsurf: Retrospective after our first Windsurf-heavy sprint
- Cursor: Teaching Cursor the house style without a wall of prose
- Windsurf: Onboarding a new hire with Windsurf already installed
- Cursor: First code review after a heavy Cursor day
- Windsurf: Write mode restraint in the first month of use
- Cursor: Learning to write intent in comments, not in chat
- Windsurf: Windsurf setting that changed how we reviewed code
- Cursor: Pricing tier choices with incomplete information
- Windsurf: First MCP server we plugged into Windsurf
- Cursor: Undoing Cursor changes on purpose, a first discipline
- Windsurf: Beginner comparison: Windsurf, Cursor, VS Code Agent
- Cursor: MCP inside Cursor as an early glimpse of the toolbelt
- Windsurf: Pausing Cascade versus pausing yourself
- Cursor: When agent mode decided to write tests we never wrote
- Windsurf: First atomic commit authored entirely by Cascade
- Cursor: First week we stopped fighting Cursor and let it drive
- Windsurf: Writing our first Cascade-friendly task spec
- Cursor: Indexing hiccups on a monorepo larger than the demo
- Windsurf: Windsurf defaults we kept and the ones we overrode
- Cursor: Composer for the first multi-file refactor we trusted
- Windsurf: What the first long Cascade session actually cost
- Cursor: Tab predict surprises that made us rewrite comments
- Windsurf: Moment Windsurf made a skeptical reviewer pause
- Cursor: Agent mode as a faster, more honest pair programmer
- Windsurf: Flows as a new way to carry intent across files
- Cursor: Writing a .cursorrules file that did not embarrass us
- Windsurf: First look at Cascade after a year of Cursor
- Cursor: First hour inside Cursor after years of VS Code