From Windsurf to Devin Desktop: my first impressions after migrating

#devin #windsurf #ai #productivity

I did not expect this change to happen so suddenly.

After using Windsurf for more than a year, I migrated to Devin Desktop today. For me, this feels like a meaningful change because it is not just another version update: it is another rename in the history of the product. It started as Codeium, then became Windsurf, and now everything is being unified under the Devin brand.

At first, the change can feel a bit unexpected. But the more I look at it, the more it makes sense. Since earlier versions, especially around Windsurf 2.3.15, the direction was already visible: Devin Local and Devin Cloud were becoming more integrated into the editor experience, and the official Devin website already had several signs that the product was moving toward a more unified platform.

The migration experience

One thing I really liked is that after installing and opening Devin Desktop for the first time, it showed an option to migrate from Windsurf. That migration takes care of moving the previous experience without forcing you to start from scratch.

According to the official Devin Desktop FAQ, the migration preserves settings, extensions, workflows, skills, rules, and inherited Windsurf data. It also explains that Devin Desktop reads legacy paths like ~/.config/Windsurf/ and ~/.windsurf/extensions/, while writing new data to ~/.config/Devin/ and ~/.devin/extensions/.

Another important detail: the ~/.codeium/ structure does not change in this release. That matters because it contains user settings, MCP configuration, global workflows, skills, and CLI binaries related to Windsurf.

Not everyone had a perfect migration

From what I saw on X, some early users did not have a perfect migration. A few people reported missing extensions or other small issues after moving to Devin Desktop.

In my case, the experience was good: I installed Devin Desktop, opened the application, selected the migration option from Windsurf, and everything worked. I did not lose my extensions or important configuration.

My recommendation before migrating is simple: make a backup of your previous folders. Even if the official migration is designed to preserve everything, it is always better to keep a backup of paths like:

~/.config/Windsurf/
~/.windsurf/
~/.codeium/

Devin Desktop is no longer just "another editor"

The most interesting part for me is not the rename itself, but the direction of the product.

In the official announcement, Devin Desktop is presented as an Agent Command Center: a central place to manage local agents, cloud agents, sessions, spaces, and AI-assisted development work. The editor is still there, with the VS Code/Windsurf-like experience many of us already know, but the center of gravity now seems to be moving toward agent management.

I like this because it reflects what is already happening in day-to-day development: we are using more AI tools, more models, more CLIs, and more coding assistants. The problem is that we often end up with multiple terminals, sessions, editors, and subscriptions open at the same time.

Devin Desktop seems to be trying to solve that from a single place.

ACP and external coding assistants

Another point I found very interesting is the support for ACP (Agent Client Protocol).

According to the official Devin Desktop announcement, Devin Desktop can integrate with compatible agents through ACP. That opens the door to managing external assistants inside the same interface.

What makes this especially interesting is that the list of assistants you can connect is starting to cover many of the names we already use every day: Claude Code, Codex, Copilot CLI, GitHub Copilot, OpenCode, Kilo Code, Cursor, Qwen Code, and other compatible agents. Not all of them will behave exactly the same, but the direction is clear: Devin Desktop wants to become a coordination layer for assistants, not just another editor.

In my case, I tested it with Copilot CLI, and it was surprising to see Devin Desktop pick up sessions I already had and resume them from there. That feels powerful because I do not need to constantly jump between VS Code, Cursor, separate terminals, or different applications to manage each assistant.

The idea of having one place to coordinate agents and access the models available through different subscriptions feels like a natural evolution of AI-assisted development.

Devin CLI is also good news

Another thing that excites me is that there is now a CLI experience around Devin.

This puts it in the same direction as other tools that are becoming common in developer workflows, such as Gemini CLI, Antigravity CLI, Copilot CLI, and other terminal-based assistants.

Having a CLI matters because you do not always want to open a full editor. Sometimes you want something lighter that you can use from a terminal, inside a server, or even on a VPS to work remotely without depending on a full graphical interface.

It does not necessarily replace Devin Cloud, but it opens more possibilities for people who prefer a more controlled or terminal-first workflow.

My first impression

My first impression is positive.

Yes, the rename can feel unexpected, especially because we already went from Codeium to Windsurf and now from Windsurf to Devin. But this time the change seems to have a clear reason: unify the ecosystem under one brand and turn the editor into a broader platform for managing agents.

What I liked the most:

The migration from Windsurf appeared directly when opening Devin Desktop.
I did not lose my extensions or important settings.
The product keeps the editor experience I already knew.
Devin Local, Devin Cloud, and Devin CLI are starting to feel like parts of the same platform.
ACP support could turn Devin Desktop into a real hub for managing different assistants.

I still want to keep testing it more deeply, but at first glance I like how the product is evolving.

To me, Devin Desktop no longer feels like just the new name for Windsurf. It feels like the beginning of a stage where the editor becomes the place where we coordinate multiple agents, models, and workflows.

And honestly, I find that pretty exciting.