Continue vs Windsurf | agentconfig.ing

Continue vs WindsurfComparisonUpdated 2026-03-16

SUMMARY

Continue (IDE) uses markdown configuration while Windsurf (IDE) uses markdown. They differ on 1 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.

FEATURE COMPARISON

Feature	Continue	Windsurf	Notes
Config format	markdown	markdown
Hierarchy support	✓	✓	Whether config files can be placed at multiple directory levels
Global config	✓	✓	User-wide configuration outside any project
Project config	✓	✓
Subdirectory scoping	✓	✓	Config files in subdirectories that apply only to that subtree
File inclusion / imports	✗	✗	Ability to include or reference other files from config
Ignore file	✗	.codeiumignore
IDE integration	✓	✓
Schema / structure	Free-form (Markdown)	Free-form (Markdown)	Whether config uses structured schema or free-form content
Git committed	✓	✓	Whether primary config files are intended to be version-controlled
Encoding	UTF-8	UTF-8

FILE MAPPING

Purpose	Continue	Windsurf
Project rules	.continue/rules/*.md	.windsurf/rules/*.md
Project rules	.continuerules	AGENTS.md

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

Continue

.continue/rules/*.md

markdown

# Code Style Rules

- Use TypeScript strict mode for all files
- Prefer named exports over default exports
- Use async/await over .then() chains
- Keep functions under 30 lines
- Use descriptive variable names (no single letters except loop counters)

Windsurf

.windsurf/rules/*.md

markdown

---
trigger: glob
globs: "**/*.test.ts"
---

# Testing Conventions

- Use Vitest as the test runner
- Colocate test files next to source files
- Use describe blocks organized by function/component name
- Prefer userEvent over fireEvent in component tests
- Mock external services; never hit real APIs in unit tests

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Ignore file

Continue: Not supported. Windsurf: .codeiumignore.

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Continue, configure .continue/config.yaml. If you use Windsurf, configure .windsurfrules. Many projects include config files for multiple tools so each team member can use their preferred editor.

PORTABILITY TIP

sync-instructions.sh

bash

# Maintain a single source of truth:
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md CLAUDE.md
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md .cursorrules
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md AGENTS.md