Apply Windsurf advanced debugging techniques for hard-to-diagnose issues.
Use when standard troubleshooting fails, investigating complex race conditions,
or preparing evidence bundles for Windsurf support escalation.
Trigger with phrases like "windsurf hard bug", "windsurf mystery error",
"windsurf impossible to debug", "difficult windsurf issue", "windsurf deep debug".
Deep debugging techniques for Windsurf issues that resist standard troubleshooting. Covers Cascade context corruption, indexing engine problems, extension conflicts, MCP failures, and workspace configuration debugging.
Prerequisites
Standard troubleshooting attempted (see windsurf-common-errors)
Terminal access
Understanding of Windsurf's architecture (VS Code base + Codeium AI layer)
Instructions
Step 1: Isolate Windsurf Layer vs VS Code Layer
Windsurf = VS Code + Codeium AI Layer
If the issue is:
- Editor crashes, rendering, file system → VS Code layer
- AI suggestions wrong, Cascade fails, indexing stuck → Codeium layer
- Extension not working → Extension compatibility layer
Test VS Code layer:
windsurf --disable-extensions # Run without extensions
# If issue persists → VS Code layer problem
Test Codeium layer:
# Disable Codeium: Extensions > search "codeium" > Disable
# If issue resolves → Codeium layer problem
Step 2: Debug Cascade Context Issues
When Cascade consistently gives wrong or irrelevant suggestions:
set -euo pipefail
echo "=== Cascade Context Debug ==="
# 1. Check rules file
echo "--- .windsurfrules ---"
if [ -f .windsurfrules ]; then
CHARS=$(wc -c < .windsurfrules)
echo "Size: $CHARS chars (limit: 6000)"
[ "$CHARS" -gt 6000 ] && echo "WARNING: Over limit — content truncated!"
else
echo "MISSING — Cascade has no project context"
fi
# 2. Check workspace rules
echo "--- Workspace Rules ---"
TOTAL_RULE_CHARS=0
if [ -d .windsurf/rules ]; then
for rule in .windsurf/rules/*.md; do
[ -f "$rule" ] || continue
CHARS=$(wc -c < "$rule")
TOTAL_RULE_CHARS=$((TOTAL_RULE_CHARS + CHARS))
HAS_TRIGGER=$(grep -c "^trigger:" "$rule" || true)
echo " $(basename "$rule"): $CHARS chars, trigger: $([[ $HAS_TRIGGER -gt 0 ]] && echo 'YES' || echo 'MISSING')"
done
echo "Total: $TOTAL_RULE_CHARS chars"
else
echo "No .windsurf/rules/ directory"
fi
# 3. Check total rules budget
RULES_CHARS=$(wc -c < .windsurfrules 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
GLOBAL_CHARS=$(wc -c < ~/.windsurf/global_rules.md 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
TOTAL=$((RULES_CHARS + GLOBAL_CHARS))
echo "--- Total Rules Budget ---"
echo "Project rules: $RULES_CHARS + Global rules: $GLOBAL_CHARS = $TOTAL chars (limit: 12000)"
[ "$TOTAL" -gt 12000 ] && echo "WARNING: Over 12000 total — rules will be truncated!"
# 4. Check memories
echo "--- Memories ---"
MEMORY_DIR="$HOME/.codeium/windsurf/memories"
if [ -d "$MEMORY_DIR" ]; then
MEMORY_COUNT=$(find "$MEMORY_DIR" -type f | wc -l)
echo "Memory files: $MEMORY_COUNT"
[ "$MEMORY_COUNT" -gt 50 ] && echo "WARNING: Many memories — may cause conflicting context"
else
echo "No memories directory"
fi
Step 3: Debug Indexing Problems
set -euo pipefail
echo "=== Indexing Debug ==="
# Count files that would be indexed
TOTAL_FILES=$(find . -type f -not -path '*/node_modules/*' -not -path '*/.git/*' | wc -l)
echo "Total files (excluding node_modules, .git): $TOTAL_FILES"
# Check for large files that slow indexing
echo "--- Large files (>1MB, not in node_modules) ---"
find . -type f -size +1M -not -path '*/node_modules/*' -not -path '*/.git/*' | head -10
# Check .codeiumignore effectiveness
if [ -f .codeiumignore ]; then
echo "--- .codeiumignore patterns ---"
wc -l < .codeiumignore
echo "patterns defined"
else
echo "WARNING: No .codeiumignore — indexing everything"
fi
# Recommendations
if [ "$TOTAL_FILES" -gt 10000 ]; then
echo ""
echo "RECOMMENDATION: >10K files. Open a subdirectory instead of root."
echo "RECOMMENDATION: Add more patterns to .codeiumignore"
fi
Step 4: Debug Extension Conflicts
set -euo pipefail
echo "=== Extension Conflict Check ==="
# List all installed extensions
windsurf --list-extensions 2>/dev/null | while read ext; do
# Check for known conflicts
case "$ext" in
*copilot*|*tabnine*|*cody*|*intellicode*|*aws-toolkit*codewhisperer*)
echo "CONFLICT: $ext — competes with Supercomplete/Cascade"
;;
*remote*|*liveshare*|*container*)
echo "OK: $ext — compatible but may affect performance"
;;
*)
echo "OK: $ext"
;;
esac
done
echo ""
echo "Resolution: Disable conflicting extensions or run:"
echo " windsurf --disable-extensions # Test in clean mode"
Step 5: Debug MCP Server Issues
set -euo pipefail
echo "=== MCP Debug ==="
MCP_CONFIG="$HOME/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json"
if [ -f "$MCP_CONFIG" ]; then
echo "MCP config exists"
# Validate JSON
python3 -c "import json; json.load(open('$MCP_CONFIG'))" 2>&1 && echo "JSON: valid" || echo "JSON: INVALID"
# Check each server command
python3 -c "
import json
config = json.load(open('$MCP_CONFIG'))
for name, server in config.get('mcpServers', {}).items():
cmd = server.get('command', 'N/A')
print(f' {name}: command={cmd}')
"
else
echo "No MCP config at $MCP_CONFIG"
fi
Step 6: Nuclear Reset Options
When nothing else works:
## Progressive Reset (least to most destructive)
1. Restart Cascade
Command Palette > "Cascade: Restart"
2. Reset Indexing
Command Palette > "Codeium: Reset Indexing"
3. Reload Window
Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P > "Developer: Reload Window"
4. Clear Memories
Delete contents of ~/.codeium/windsurf/memories/
5. Reset All Codeium State
Close Windsurf
rm -rf ~/.codeium/windsurf/cache/
Reopen Windsurf (re-indexes, re-authenticates)
6. Clean Install
Uninstall Windsurf
rm -rf ~/.codeium/
rm -rf ~/.config/Windsurf/ # Linux
# or: rm -rf ~/Library/Application Support/Windsurf/ # macOS
Reinstall from windsurf.com/download
Attach:
1. Output from all diagnostic scripts above
2. Debug bundle from windsurf-debug-bundle
3. Exact prompts that produce wrong results
4. Expected vs actual Cascade behavior
