Windsurf Rate Limits & Credits

Overview

Windsurf uses a credit-based system for AI features. Each prompt to Cascade consumes credits, with different models costing different amounts. Understanding the credit system prevents mid-session interruptions and optimizes your AI budget.

Prerequisites

• Windsurf account (Free, Pro, or Teams)
• Access to account dashboard at windsurf.com/account

Instructions

Step 1: Understand Credit Allocation by Plan

Plan	Monthly Credits	Unlimited Features	Price
Free	25	Supercomplete (SWE-1 Lite), Tab completions	$0
Pro	500	Supercomplete, Tab, Commands, Previews	$15/mo
Teams	500/user	All Pro features + admin controls	$30/user/mo
Enterprise	Custom	All features + SSO, RBAC, audit	Custom

Step 2: Credit Cost per Model

Different models consume different credit amounts per prompt:

Model	Credits/Prompt (approx)	Best For
SWE-1 Lite	0 (unlimited)	Quick questions, simple tasks
SWE-1	1	Standard coding tasks
SWE-1.5	2	Complex multi-file tasks
Claude Sonnet	2	Nuanced reasoning, architecture
GPT-4o	2	General purpose
Gemini Pro	2	Large context windows

Step 3: Monitor Credit Usage

In-IDE: Click the Windsurf widget (status bar) > shows remaining credits

Dashboard: windsurf.com/account > Usage tab shows:

• Credits consumed today/this month
• Credits remaining
• Per-model breakdown
• Usage trend over time

Step 4: Credit Conservation Strategies

1. Use SWE-1 Lite for simple tasks (free, unlimited):
   - Quick questions about syntax
   - Simple completions
   - Code explanations

2. Use premium models for complex tasks:
   - Multi-file refactoring
   - Architecture decisions
   - Debugging complex issues

3. Write better prompts to reduce back-and-forth:
   - Include file paths, constraints, and expected output
   - Reference files with @ mentions instead of describing them
   - One well-structured prompt > five vague ones

4. Use Workflows for repetitive tasks:
   - Workflows consume credits but eliminate wasted retry prompts
   - A 5-step workflow costs less than 5 separate conversations

5. Leverage free features:
   - Supercomplete (Tab) is unlimited on all plans
   - Command mode (Cmd+I) is unlimited on Pro
   - Only Cascade Write/Chat consumes credits

Step 5: Handle Credit Exhaustion

When credits run out mid-session:

1. Switch to SWE-1 Lite (unlimited) for basic tasks
2. Use Supercomplete (Tab) for inline coding -- always free
3. Buy additional credits: windsurf.com/account > Buy Credits
4. Wait for monthly reset (credits renew on billing date)
5. Upgrade plan if consistently running out

Step 6: Team Credit Management (Teams/Enterprise)

# Admin Dashboard > Analytics > Credit Usage
team_monitoring:
  total_credits: 5000  # 10 users x 500
  consumed_this_month: 3200
  top_consumers:
    - dev_a: 800 credits (power user)
    - dev_b: 600 credits (heavy Cascade use)
    - dev_c: 50 credits (underutilizing)

  actions:
    - Offer training to dev_c (low usage = not getting value)
    - Review dev_a's usage (is it productive or wasteful?)
    - Consider upgrading if team consistently hits limit

Error Handling

Issue	Cause	Solution
"No credits remaining"	Monthly allocation exhausted	Switch to SWE-1 Lite or buy more
"Model not available"	Not on required plan tier	Upgrade from Free to Pro
Unexpected credit drain	Complex prompts using premium models	Check per-model credit costs
Team budget exceeded	No usage monitoring	Enable admin analytics alerts

Examples

Check Credits Quickly

Click the Windsurf widget in the bottom-right status bar.
It shows: model name, credits remaining, and authentication status.

Cost-Effective Prompt Strategy

Instead of:
1. "What does this function do?" (1 credit)
2. "Can you add error handling?" (1 credit)
3. "Also add tests" (1 credit)
Total: 3 credits

Do this:
1. "Explain this function, add error handling, and write unit tests
   for both success and error paths" (1 credit)
Total: 1 credit

Resources

• Windsurf Pricing
• Credit Documentation

Next Steps

For security configuration, see

windsurf-security-basics

.