Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf): what changed, features, skills and pricing

What is Devin Desktop?

Devin Desktop is the AI code editor that used to be called Windsurf, renamed by Cognition on June 2, 2026. The Devin Desktop FAQ calls it "the same IDE, same editor, and has the same features, but unified under the Devin brand." It is a VS Code based editor with AI autocomplete, inline edits and a local agent, plus a board for managing local and cloud agents together.

The rename was more than a new logo. Over the following months the local agent changed from Cascade to Devin Local, the workspace folder moved from .windsurf/ to .devin/, and the Agent Command Center became the main view. This guide covers what changed, how the main features work now, and the pricing listed on 24 October 2026. For a side-by-side with Cursor, see Cursor vs Windsurf.

What changed when Windsurf became Devin Desktop?

Here is what the FAQ and changelog say changed, and what did not:

Your Windsurf settings, keybindings and extensions carry over. On first launch the app offers Migrate from Windsurf, which copies your settings and extensions into the new Devin folders.

The biggest practical change is the agent. Devin Local does not support four Cascade features: memories, workflows, App Deploys and Arena Mode. Run Devin: Open Cascade Migration Wizard from the command palette to turn memories and workflows into skills. Old Cascade conversations stay in your history, and a Continue in Devin Local prompt carries them forward.

To open files from the terminal, run Shell Command: Install 'devin-desktop' command in PATH from the command palette, then use devin-desktop . the way you used surf. If you used the Windsurf JetBrains plugin, the FAQ says it is in maintenance mode and recommends Devin over ACP instead.

What are Devin Desktop's main features?

The editor features from Windsurf are still there:

• Tab for AI code suggestions, including Tab to Jump and Tab to Import, unlimited on every plan
• Command (Cmd/Ctrl+I) for inline generation and edits in natural language
• Previews of your local web app, with element selection sent to the agent
• DeepWiki explanations on hover and Codemaps of code flow
• Fast Context, a retrieval subagent for finding relevant code quickly

On top of that, three agent features define the product now.

Devin Local is the built-in agent. The Devin Local page says it shares its harness with Devin CLI and takes "up to 30% fewer tokens than Cascade" on most tasks. It supports subagents, OS-level sandboxing, Normal, Plan and Ask modes, and sessions in a git worktree that you merge back with one click. Plan mode writes its plan to ~/.devin/plans/plan-<session>.md, and adding the word megaplan to a prompt makes it plan more thoroughly.

Agent Command Center is a Kanban board of every agent session, grouped by status, with local sessions and cloud Devin sessions side by side. Spaces group the sessions, PRs and files for one task.

Third-party agents through ACP. Devin Desktop can run other agents that speak the Agent Client Protocol in the same board. The ACP page names Codex CLI, Claude Agent, OpenCode, Junie and Gemini CLI as examples, and says ACP agents are available on Pro, Max and Teams. When you use one, billing is between you and that agent's provider.

How do rules and AGENTS.md work in Devin Desktop?

The FAQ says Devin Desktop "continues to read all of your existing Windsurf rules, and adds support for the new .devin/ equivalents." Because Devin Local shares Devin CLI's harness, the Devin CLI rules page is the full reference.

Files loaded as always-on rules:

• AGENTS.md (recommended), AGENT.md and AGENTS.local.md for personal rules you keep out of git
• .windsurfrules from older Windsurf projects
• CLAUDE.md, for projects set up for Claude Code

Files in subfolders load when the agent starts working in that folder. Global rules go in ~/.config/devin/AGENTS.md (%APPDATA%\devin\AGENTS.md on Windows).

For rules that should apply only sometimes, put one rule per file in .devin/rules/*.md with trigger frontmatter:

---
description: "API design rules"
trigger: model_decision
---

All API endpoints must return JSON with a consistent envelope format.

The trigger values are always_on, manual, model_decision, agent and glob. .devin/rules/ takes precedence over .windsurf/rules/, though files in both are loaded. Devin also reads .cursor/rules/*.mdc and maps Cursor's alwaysApply, globs and description to the same activation types, so a repo set up with Cursor rules works as is. The CLI docs recommend keeping rules and AGENTS.md short and moving longer procedures into skills.

How do skills work in Devin Desktop?

Skills are the recommended replacement for Cascade memories and workflows. Devin Local uses Devin CLI's skill format, which follows the SKILL.md folder layout of the Agent Skills standard. The skills overview lists these locations:

A skill can run when you type /skill-name or when the agent decides it is relevant. Devin adds a few optional frontmatter fields on top of name and description:

---
name: review
description: Review code changes before committing
allowed-tools:
  - read
  - grep
  - glob
  - exec
triggers:
  - user
---

Review the current git diff and report bugs, missing error handling and security issues.

allowed-tools pre-approves those tools while the skill runs, and triggers: [user] stops the agent from starting the skill on its own. Skills can also run as subagents or use a different model. The docs say Devin supports "the .agents skills standards, so third-party skill installation tools work with Devin CLI," and warn that third-party skills can execute arbitrary code.

How do MCP servers and permissions work with Devin Local?

With Devin Local, MCP servers live in Devin CLI config files:

The legacy Cascade agent used a separate mcp_config.json file instead, per the Cascade MCP page. Unlike Cascade, Devin Local asks before calling any MCP tool by default; you can allow one tool or a whole server for the session or permanently. When a server's OAuth login expires it shows Needs auth, and Authenticate re-runs sign-in.

Cascade's auto-execution levels are replaced by permission rules: Deny blocks an action, Ask always prompts, Allow runs without prompting. Rules can cover file reads and writes, commands, HTTP fetches and MCP tools, at project, user or organization level.

How much does Devin Desktop cost?

As of October 2026, devin.ai/pricing lists:

Paid plans include a usage allowance that refreshes daily and weekly; past it, you can buy extra usage at API pricing. The FAQ adds that on Teams, a full seat is what unlocks Devin Desktop and includes $40 a month of usage across Devin products. Prices change, so check the page before you buy.

How do you install Devin Desktop and bring your setup with you?

Download the installer for macOS, Windows or Linux from the install page. On Debian or Ubuntu you can add the apt repository and run sudo apt install devin-desktop; Fedora and RHEL use dnf the same way. The repository URLs still say windsurf, and the old package name pulls in the new one, so existing installs keep updating. During onboarding you can import your VS Code or Cursor settings.

To carry skills over from another tool, put them in .agents/skills/, which Devin reads along with Codex, Cursor and others. If your skills and prompts live in many repos, Kipt keeps them as Markdown in a private GitHub repo you own; you can import skills from a GitHub link, a folder or a .zip and copy them into .devin/skills/ or .agents/skills/. The free SKILL.md generator helps turn a migrated Cascade workflow into a valid skill file.