Windsurf: Devin Gets a Terminal Tab in the Session Workspace
WindsurfWindsurf's Devin added a Terminal tab to the session workspace, letting users run commands directly on Devin's machine alongside the agent's work. The Files tab can now be opened while Devin is asleep, and opening either Files or Terminal wakes the session automatically. The change makes it easier to inspect and poke at a session's environment without leaving the workspace.
Key Takeaways
- A new Terminal tab in the session workspace lets users run commands directly on Devin's machine.
- The terminal shares the same environment the agent works in, so manual checks match what Devin sees.
- The Files tab now opens while Devin is asleep, so users can browse a paused session's output.
- Opening Files or Terminal wakes the session automatically, with no separate resume step.
- Users can verify or try a fix by hand without routing every command through the agent's transcript.
- The update moves Devin's workspace toward a full development environment in one view.
A Terminal Inside Every Session
Windsurf's Devin session workspace now includes a dedicated Terminal tab. It lets users run commands on Devin's own machine, the same environment where the agent has been cloning repositories, installing dependencies and running tests. Instead of asking Devin to run a command and waiting for the result in the transcript, users can open the tab and run it themselves.
This is useful for quick checks: confirming which branch is checked out, running a test suite by hand, inspecting logs, or trying a fix before handing control back to the agent. Because the terminal runs on the same machine as the session, what users see matches what Devin sees.
Files Tab Works While Devin Is Asleep
The Files tab previously needed an active session. Windsurf changed this so the Files tab can now be opened while Devin is asleep. Users can browse a session's working tree after the agent has paused, which is handy when returning to a session hours or days later to review what it produced.
Opening Files or Terminal Wakes Devin
Opening either the Files or the Terminal tab wakes Devin's machine. Users do not need to resume the session separately before looking around. The environment spins back up as soon as they open the tab, so the workspace is ready for them to read files or run commands.
Why It Matters
Together, these changes make the session workspace feel closer to a normal development environment. Users can move between watching the agent, reading files and running their own commands in one place. Windsurf shipped the update in the October 5, 2026 Devin release notes.