Back to rankings

Windsurf: Devin Desktop Gets a New Agent Window Built on the Devin Web App

WindsurfView original changelog

Windsurf's Devin Desktop (v3.11.212) rebuilt the Agent Window so it runs the same interface as the Devin web app, including the sessions sidebar, Automations, Review, Wiki and the Command Palette. Users can now view up to 8 sessions side by side, browse Files, Changes and a Terminal inside every session, and open app previews for cloud sessions. The release also changes several agent defaults, such as Enter steering a running turn and agent edits saving without format-on-save.

Key Takeaways

  • The Agent Window now mirrors the Devin web app, with the same sessions sidebar, Automations, Review, Wiki, settings and Command Palette, so the desktop and browser experiences match.
  • Users can view up to 8 sessions side by side by dragging one session onto another, which makes supervising parallel agents practical.
  • Every session gets Files, Changes and Terminal views, and the Changes tab now works for local sessions with a "Since last seen" scope.
  • Cloud sessions gain a Preview tab with a URL bar, port switching, device sizes and an element picker, plus an IDE button that opens Remote SSH on the session's machine.
  • Agent defaults changed: diff zones are off, edited files no longer auto-open, and edits save without format-on-save, each of which can be turned back on in settings.
  • Enter now steers a running turn, while Cmd/Ctrl+Enter queues the message until the turn ends, matching the behavior recently added to the Devin CLI.

A New Agent Window That Matches the Devin Web App

Windsurf's Devin Desktop v3.11.212 replaces the previous Agent Window with one that runs the same interface as the Devin web app. The sessions sidebar, session view, Automations, Review, Wiki, settings and Command Palette (Cmd+K) now match app.devin.ai, and they follow the user's Devin Desktop theme. The result is that moving between the desktop app and the browser no longer means relearning where things live, and Customizations and settings use the same UI as Devin Cloud.

Working With Many Sessions at Once

The sidebar became a more capable place to manage parallel work. Dragging a session onto an open session shows up to 8 sessions side by side. Sessions can be grouped by workspace, with a "+" on each group to start a new session in that folder, and a child session can be started from any session's "More" menu. Sessions grouped into Spaces now appear under a parent session in the sidebar, which keeps related agents together.

Files, Changes and Terminals in Every Session

Windsurf brought the inspection tools that previously lived in the editor into every session. A Files view shows a local session's working directory, or a cloud session's machine, as a file tree next to the editor. The Changes tab now works for local sessions too, with per-file diffs and a "Since last seen" scope that highlights what changed since the user last looked. A Terminal option in the add-tab menu opens a terminal on the session's machine, or a local shell in the session's folder.

Several editing conveniences came with it:

  • Cmd/Ctrl+O opens a local file in the Agent Window, and Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+F searches the text of the session's files.
  • Files opened in the Agent Window's editor support code actions and rename.
  • Selecting code in an editor tab and pressing Cmd/Ctrl+L quotes it into the chat.

Cloud Session Improvements

For cloud sessions, an IDE button in the top right opens a Remote SSH window on the session's machine. App previews open in a Preview tab with a URL bar, port switching, device sizes and an element picker. Cloud sessions connected to the user's machine can read unsaved edits from open editors, and code scan sessions show a scan badge and open their Findings view beside the chat.

New Shortcuts and Appearance Options

Windsurf added shortcuts for common session actions. Cmd/Ctrl+. cycles the agent mode, Cmd/Ctrl+[ and Cmd/Ctrl+] go back and forward, Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+L copies a link to the session, and Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+E marks a session done. Typing anywhere now focuses the composer. Under Settings, Preferences, Appearance, users can pick the interface and code fonts and their sizes.

Changed Defaults Worth Knowing

The release changes how the agent behaves out of the box, and each change can be reverted in settings:

  • Pressing Enter while Devin is working steers the running turn, while Cmd/Ctrl+Enter queues the message until the turn ends.
  • Devin no longer opens files in the background when it edits them. Users can restore this with "Auto-open edited files" under Devin Settings, Editor, User Interface.
  • Agent diff zones are off by default, so agent edits are applied directly to files. They can be re-enabled under the same settings area.
  • Agent edits are saved without running format-on-save or code actions. Enabling "Run save actions on agent edits" restores the previous behavior.
  • Configured MCP servers can be @-mentioned, and the command palette now searches the content of Local sessions, not only their titles.
  • On Windows, WSL distros can be used as remote agent hosts alongside SSH hosts, and remote hosts appear in the Cloud / Local picker.
  • Worktrees are no longer deleted automatically once a repository has more than 19 of them.

Fixes

The release also includes a broad set of fixes:

  • Long sessions stay responsive while replies stream, and scrolling long transcripts is smoother.
  • MCP servers from every configured registry can be installed, and MCP tool calls that need approval in Devin Local show their Allow and Reject controls.
  • Saving agent environment variables restarts the affected local agent so new sessions use the updated values.
  • The "System notifications" switch now turns agent notifications on and off, and Ctrl+Shift+C copies in terminals again.
  • Markdown files of a cloud session open as a rendered preview again.
  • Dev Containers gained support for lifecycle commands, Features and dotfiles, new Rebuild Container commands and prompts, and compatibility with slim images.
  • The remote server updated to Electron 42.11.16 and Node.js 24.22.1 with the October 2026 security fixes.

A follow-up build, v3.11.216, on October 24 fixed issues such as Local sessions being hidden from members without Devin Cloud permissions, and crashes when a terminal command prints an inline image.