Busabase × WindsurfKnowledge Base for Windsurf
Windsurf now spans two agent runtimes. Legacy Cascade retains Memories, Workflows, and its own MCP configuration, while Devin Local is the default for new tabs and uses different configuration surfaces. A durable knowledge layer must identify the runtime before it accepts any result.
Two agent runtimes
Record whether the work came from legacy Cascade or Devin Local before discussing memory.
Current Windsurf documentation marks Cascade Memories, Workflows, and Cascade MCP as legacy-only surfaces. Devin Local is the default Agent for new tabs and uses Devin CLI configuration. Treat the runtime as required provenance, not a footnote.
| Surface | Legacy Cascade | Devin Local | Knowledge implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Default for new tabs | No | Yes | Do not assume Cascade state |
| Auto memories | Yes, workspace-local | Not persisted by this system | Promote only verified facts |
| Workflows | Manual slash commands | Use Skills instead | Preserve procedure identity |
| MCP config | mcp_config.json | Devin CLI config | Capture exact tool surface |
Migration
Move reusable guidance forward; do not migrate stale recollection wholesale.
Windsurf recommends Rules or AGENTS.md for durable instructions and Skills for complex procedures. Auto-generated Cascade memories stay local to one workspace and are not committed. Review each item before moving it into a new runtime or shared record.
Instruction scopes
Global, workspace, directory, and system rules answer different ownership questions.
Workspace Rules can be version-controlled, AGENTS.md applies by directory, global rules remain personal, and enterprise system rules are administered centrally. A reviewed business fact does not belong in any of these instruction scopes.
Personal behavior across workspaces
Team conventions checked into the repository
Directory-scoped instructions
Enterprise baseline managed by administrators
Workflows and Skills
Manual Workflows and model-selected Skills are procedures, not proof that a run succeeded.
Cascade Workflows run only when invoked with a slash command. Skills may be selected dynamically and bundle support files. Preserve the procedure version, then attach the actual diff, tests, logs, and external responses from each run.
Manual, Cascade-only sequence
Model-selected procedure with supporting files
MCP boundary
The same server name can represent a different authorization and control surface in each runtime.
Cascade MCP supports stdio, HTTP, SSE, OAuth, tool toggles, registries, and enterprise allowlists. Devin Local reads separate CLI configuration. Record server identity, transport, runtime, enabled tools, authenticated account, and returned evidence.
Runtime-specific config loads
Team policy permits the server
The current identity may act
Bounded evidence returns
An owner accepts the claim
Execution evidence
A Windsurf checkpoint or successful tool call is recoverable execution state, not organizational truth.
Link the runtime, workspace, repository revision, instruction set, Skill or Workflow, tool calls, resulting artifacts, verification, and unresolved warnings. Keep local recovery mechanisms in Windsurf and publish only the claim another system needs.
runtimecascade or devin-localworkspace_refWorkspace and repositoryinstruction_refsRules, AGENTS.md, system policyprocedure_refWorkflow or Skill revisiontool_evidenceMCP calls, logs, and responsesverificationDiff, tests, hooks, reviewer notes
Knowledge contract
Make migrated knowledge challengeable after the original Windsurf tab is gone.
One record should express one reusable claim and preserve why it survived the runtime boundary.
knowledge_keyStable identity outside a sessionruntimeCascade or Devin Localsource_refsFiles, docs, records, and APIsprocedure_refRule, Workflow, Skill, or AGENTS.mdproposed_stateConcise cross-team claimownerPerson accountable for acceptancefreshnessObserved and next-review datesdecisionAccepted, conditional, rejected, supersededControl planes
Enterprise allowlists control execution; Change Requests control what becomes reusable truth.
Do not treat MCP registry approval, system Rules, or Hooks as record approval. They answer whether an action may run and how it is observed, while a reviewer decides whether the resulting claim becomes canonical.
| Control | Question answered |
|---|---|
| System Rules | What behavior must every Agent follow? |
| MCP registry / allowlist | Which external tools may load? |
| Hooks | What should be blocked, logged, or validated? |
| Change Request | Should this result become shared state? |
Practical questions
Windsurf knowledge base FAQ
Does Busabase replace Windsurf Rules?
No. Rules guide Agent behavior; Busabase stores selected reviewed facts with owners and lifecycle.
Should Cascade memories be copied into Devin Local?
Not wholesale. Reclassify each item as instruction, procedure, or changing fact and verify it in the target runtime.
Are Workflows supported by Devin Local?
Current Windsurf docs describe Workflows as Cascade-specific and recommend migrating procedures to Skills.
Does MCP authorization make its output authoritative?
No. It permits a tool call. The returned state still needs evidence and review.
Which runtime should a record name?
The runtime that actually executed the work, plus the config and tool surface used.
Start with one runtime boundary
Promote one fact that still holds after Cascade or Devin Local closes.
Choose a completed Windsurf task, identify its runtime and evidence, remove local-only recollection, and send one reusable claim through review.