windsurf-performance-tuning

Overview

Optimize Windsurf's indexing engine, Cascade context building, Supercomplete latency, and overall IDE responsiveness. Most performance issues stem from indexing too many files or missing exclusion patterns.

Prerequisites

• Windsurf IDE installed
• Understanding of workspace indexing
• Access to Windsurf settings

Capture a repeatable latency or indexing symptom before changing exclusions, extensions, workspace scope, or editor settings.

Tool Use

• Use Read to inspect only the repository files and configuration needed for the request.
• Use Grep to locate relevant settings, rules, logs, or code without broad collection.
• Use Write only for a new artifact the user requested; never write credentials or unreviewed production configuration.
• Use Edit for bounded, reviewable changes and preserve unrelated user work.

Instructions

Step 1: Optimize Workspace Indexing

The indexing engine is the #1 performance factor. Exclude everything that isn't source code:

# .codeiumignore — aggressive exclusion for large codebases
# Build artifacts
node_modules/
dist/
build/
.next/
.nuxt/
.output/
.svelte-kit/
coverage/
.cache/

# Package manager
pnpm-lock.yaml
package-lock.json
yarn.lock

# Generated code
*.min.js
*.min.css
*.bundle.js
*.chunk.js
**/*.map
generated/
__generated__/

# Binary and media files
*.png
*.jpg
*.gif
*.svg
*.ico
*.mp4
*.woff
*.woff2
*.ttf
*.eot

# Data files
*.sqlite
*.db
*.sql.gz
*.csv

# Python
__pycache__/
*.pyc
.venv/
venv/
.tox/
*.egg-info/

# Go
vendor/

# Rust
target/

Step 2: Open Focused Workspaces

# DON'T: Open entire monorepo root
windsurf ~/monorepo/          # Indexes ALL packages = slow

# DO: Open specific service directories
windsurf ~/monorepo/apps/web/        # Only indexes web app
windsurf ~/monorepo/packages/api/    # Only indexes API

# Each Windsurf window gets its own focused AI context
# Cascade performs better with fewer, relevant files

Step 3: Tune IDE Settings

// settings.json — performance-focused configuration
{
  // Indexing limits
  "codeium.indexing.maxFileSize": 524288,

  // Reduce extension overhead
  "extensions.autoUpdate": false,
  "extensions.autoCheckUpdates": false,

  // Editor performance
  "editor.minimap.enabled": false,
  "editor.renderWhitespace": "none",
  "editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled": false,

  // File watcher optimization
  "files.watcherExclude": {
    "**/node_modules/**": true,
    "**/dist/**": true,
    "**/.git/objects/**": true,
    "**/build/**": true
  },

  // Search exclusions
  "search.exclude": {
    "**/node_modules": true,
    "**/dist": true,
    "**/coverage": true,
    "**/*.min.js": true
  }
}

Step 4: Optimize Cascade Usage

## Cascade Performance Tips

1. Start fresh sessions for new tasks
   - Long conversations accumulate context, slowing responses
   - Click + in Cascade panel to start new conversation

2. Use @ mentions instead of describing files
   - BAD: "Look at the auth service file"
   - GOOD: "@src/services/auth.ts fix the token refresh logic"

3. Scope prompts narrowly
   - BAD: "Refactor the authentication system"
   - GOOD: "Extract JWT validation from src/middleware/auth.ts into src/services/jwt.ts"

4. Use Chat mode for questions, Code mode for edits
   - Chat mode is lighter — doesn't build full edit context
   - Switch modes based on intent

5. Choose the right model for the task
   - A currently available SWE-family model: routine work at lower or no quota cost when labeled free
   - SWE-1: standard coding tasks
   - SWE-1.5 / Claude: complex multi-file tasks (worth the wait)

Step 5: Memory Management

## Reduce Memory Usage

1. Close unused editor tabs
   - Each open file adds to memory footprint
   - Cmd/Ctrl+K Cmd/Ctrl+U: close unused tabs

2. Limit extensions
   - Each extension consumes memory
   - Disable extensions you don't actively use
   - Check: Extensions > "@enabled" to review

3. Disable unused Supercomplete languages
   - Settings > codeium.autocomplete.languages
   - Disable for languages you don't write

4. Monitor process memory
   - Help > Open Process Explorer
   - Look for extensions consuming >200MB

Step 6: Benchmark Your Setup

#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail
echo "=== Windsurf Performance Check ==="

# Workspace size
FILE_COUNT=$(find . -type f -not -path '*/node_modules/*' -not -path '*/.git/*' | wc -l)
echo "Indexed files: ~$FILE_COUNT"

# Config status
echo "Has .codeiumignore: $([ -f .codeiumignore ] && echo 'YES' || echo 'NO (SLOW!)')"
IGNORE_LINES=$(wc -l < .codeiumignore 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
echo "Ignore patterns: $IGNORE_LINES"

# Recommendations
if [ "$FILE_COUNT" -gt 5000 ]; then
  echo "WARNING: >5000 files. Add more patterns to .codeiumignore"
fi
if [ "$IGNORE_LINES" -lt 5 ]; then
  echo "WARNING: Few ignore patterns. Add build artifacts, binaries, lock files"
fi

Output

Return a before-and-after performance record with workspace size, indexing boundaries, memory and CPU observations, configuration changes, measured improvement, and rollback instructions. Label conclusions as measured, inferred, or still unverified.

Error Handling

| Issue | Cause | Solution | |-------|-------|----------| | Indexing never completes | Too many files | Add .codeiumignore, open subdirectory | | Cascade timeout | Complex prompt + large context | Narrow scope, start fresh session | | High memory usage | Too many extensions/tabs | Close tabs, disable unused extensions | | Supercomplete lag | Large file open | Split large files, add to maxFileSize limit | | IDE freezes | Extension conflict | Safe Mode: windsurf --disable-extensions |

Examples

Quick Performance Fix

# Create minimal .codeiumignore if missing
[ -f .codeiumignore ] || cat > .codeiumignore << 'EOF'
node_modules/
dist/
build/
.next/
coverage/
*.min.js
*.map
EOF

Reset Indexing

Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P):
Use the current indexing reset control in Devin Desktop Settings after downloading diagnostics.

Resources

• Focused first-party references
• Windsurf Context Awareness
• Windsurf Ignore
• Autocomplete Tips

Related Skill

Continue with windsurf-cost-tuning to connect performance findings with seat allocation, quota consumption, and approved extra-usage budgets.