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Windsurf: Devin CLI /goal Keeps Working Until the Objective Is Done

WindsurfView original changelog

Windsurf's Devin CLI (v3000.11.92) added a /goal command that gives Devin an objective and lets it keep working across turns without prompting. Devin continues automatically each time a turn ends, until it reports the goal complete or blocked. A run pauses itself after 50 turns, and /goal resume and /goal clear manage interrupted or abandoned goals.

Key Takeaways

  • /goal turns a single objective into a multi-turn loop, so Devin continues automatically after each turn instead of waiting for the developer to prompt again.
  • Devin stops only when it reports the goal complete or blocked, which gives the run a clear finish line.
  • A 50-turn cap pauses the run on its own, limiting how far a non-converging goal can drift.
  • /goal, /goal resume and /goal clear let developers check status, restart after an interrupt, or abandon the goal.
  • The command is not available on prompt-based plans, so access depends on the plan type.
  • It ships alongside mid-turn steering, which makes it practical to redirect a long-running goal without cancelling it.

A Command for Longer, Unattended Runs

Windsurf's Devin CLI v3000.11.92 introduced a new /goal <objective> command. Instead of answering one prompt and waiting for the next, Devin treats the objective as a standing task. Each time a turn finishes, Devin starts the next one on its own, and it keeps going until it reports that the goal is complete or that it is blocked.

This changes the rhythm of terminal work. Developers who previously had to nudge the agent with "continue" or re-state the remaining steps can now describe the end state once and let Devin iterate toward it.

Managing a Goal

Several companion forms control the loop. Running /goal with no arguments shows the current goal's status. /goal resume continues a goal after the user interrupted it, and /goal clear drops the goal entirely. A built-in safety limit pauses a run after 50 turns, so a goal that is not converging does not run indefinitely. The command is not available on prompt-based plans.

Why It Matters

Goal-driven loops are one of the main ways coding agents are being used for larger tasks such as migrations, test-suite repairs and multi-step refactors. By building the loop into the CLI with a clear completion signal, a visible status and a turn cap, Windsurf gives developers a way to hand off a bounded objective while keeping a predictable stopping point.

Other Devin CLI Changes in the Same Release

The same release also shipped steering for messages typed mid-turn, a per-session model switch in the picker (Alt+Enter), new config.json settings such as agent.subagent_model, and PreCompact and PostCompact hooks around context compaction.