Jinn vs Windsurf | agentconfig.ing

Jinn vs WindsurfComparisonUpdated 2026-03-17

SUMMARY

Jinn (CLI) uses yaml configuration while Windsurf (IDE) uses markdown. They differ on 7 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.

FEATURE COMPARISON

Feature	Jinn	Windsurf	Notes
Config format	yaml	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	CLI	✓
Schema / structure	unknown	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

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Config format

Jinn: yaml. Windsurf: markdown.

2. Hierarchy support

Jinn: Not supported. Windsurf: Supported.

3. Project config

Jinn: Not supported. Windsurf: Supported.

4. Subdirectory scoping

Jinn: Not supported. Windsurf: Supported.

5. Ignore file

Jinn: Not supported. Windsurf: .codeiumignore.

6. IDE integration

Jinn: CLI. Windsurf: Supported.

7. Schema / structure

Jinn: unknown. Windsurf: Free-form (Markdown).

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Jinn, configure 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

SUMMARY

FEATURE COMPARISON

KEY DIFFERENCES

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

PORTABILITY TIP

SEE ALSO