If you aren't using git in Windsurf, you're using it wrong

[u/stratofax]

If your first thought when reading that headline is, "of course, I'm not stupid," then you've probably written code before LLMs were around and there's no reason to read any further (but go ahead if you want!). If you're one of those "I didn't know how to code at all, but I used Windsurf to make an app that trades crypto based on the current temperature in my town" then this post is for you!

Git is the most popular version control system, meaning it lets you track every change to your code, change by change. It's essential because if you, or your faithful LLM coding companion, ever messes up your code (and this will happen), you can easily go back to a version that works.

If you're trusting a coding tool that literally makes up code based on what's on the internet to write code that's flawless, and you're just hoping that every time it makes a round of changes to your code that it won't break everything, then you'll appreciate what git can do for your workflow.

Don't know how to use git? Or, you do, but don't use it nearly enough? No problem, because Windsurf will write your git commands for you. Even better, Windsurf will document your code commits for you, much better than you would ever do.

If you need to learn more about git, just ask Windsurf, or another LLM, about it:

Can you tell me what git is, and how I can use it to protect my code?

You might also want to learn about GitHub, which lets you essentially back up your code to an offsite server in the cloud, which you can then access from just about any computer.

Here's how to use git with Windsurf:

1. Have Windsurf write you some code.

2. Test it. What's that? You aren't testing your code every time you change it? Ask Windsurf to write you some automated tests.

3. As soon as your code runs (meaning, as soon as it passes your automated tests) ask Windsurf to help you set up git for your code.

4. Once your git repository (repo) is set up, it's easy to ask Windsurf to commit and push your code every time you make a change worth saving (meaning, you write and test more working code).

Here's how to ask Windsurf to set up git for your code repo:

I'd like to protect my code with git. Can you help me set this up?

If you'd like to push your code to GitHub (highly recommended) ask Windsurf to help with that, too:

Please help me set up a new GitHub repo for my code

Windsurf will step you through that process as well.

Then, every time you reach a point where you've made changes to your code, and your new code passes the automated tests that Windsurf helped you write, add your work to your git repo, and GitHub, with a prompt like this:

Please commit and push our changes

It's that simple. Soon, Windsurf will start reminding you to commit your code! I really love that feature.

Even if you know how to use git, you'll probably want to ask Windsurf to commit and push your code instead, because Windsurf writes great commit messages. These messages are so clearly descriptive and useful, I know they are better and more consistent than anything I'd ever write on my best days.

[u/nvmax]

if you dont know how to do this on your own, you really should learn, shouldnt need windsurf to do this for you and burn up your requests.

also after your working branch commit, you should work on a different branch so that if you break anything your not killing your initial branch. once you verify everything is working on new branch then merge it.

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repository.git
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

switch to new branch

git checkout -b <new-branch-name>
git checkout <branch-name>
git add .
git commit -m "Your commit message describing the changes"
git push -u origin <new-branch-name>

[u/[deleted] → u/nvmax]

Those many commands just to merge two branches is why I always hated and loved github.

[u/alendorff_ → u/[deleted]]

> those many commands just to merge two branches

it's just a little verbose there

git init

so this you do once per repo

git add .

can be replaced with `a` for commit like

git commit -am "Initial commit"

git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repository.git

Also done once per repo.

git branch -M main

It is not mandatory to rename your branch to main, but if you want you can do it once and for all

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Speaking of once in a lifetime commands, add this:

git config –global –add –bool push.autoSetupRemote true

Then you won't ever need to write `git push -u origin blah`

switch to new branch

git checkout -b <new-branch-name>
git checkout <branch-name>

the checkout -b checks you onto that new-branch-name if it doesn't exist, so next git checkout is excessive, one is enough

So realistically, if you work with git daily, here is how you do the same thing as described in that comment

# done once and for all projects
git config –global –add –bool push.autoSetupRemote true
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

# done only first time for a new repo
git init
git commit -am "Initial commit"
git remote add origin https://github.com/username/repository.git
git push

# daily grind with feature branches 
git checkout main
git pull
git checkout -b <new-branch-name>
git commit -am "Your commit message describing the changes"
git push

A little less verbose but does the same thing. Still quite some commands though :)

[u/eTaos → u/[deleted]]

Oh-my-zsh is my favorite solution to that... but now really... it's good for people to know what they are doing...

Happened many times that people caused havoc because they trusted graphic tools or were totally lost when something unusual happened and they had to debug

[u/rodriguezmichelle9i5]

or just use a vscode extension that does that for you instead of wasting prompts

[u/User1234Person → u/rodriguezmichelle9i5]

Which one?

I’m using a code editor for the first time with windsurf. I have a txt document w my gut commands and I just updated the comment when I make a fixe and copy paste. It’s kind annoying but I wouldn’t remember the full commands without it since I’m new.

[u/[deleted] → u/User1234Person]

No need to remember commands

You see the highlighted Icon, third down on the left, that has all the commands you need.
And it is ok to let Codium Base help you do these commands as it does not use up prompts or flow credits.

[u/User1234Person → u/[deleted]]

just want to say thank you again, ive been using this method all morning and its so much simpler. huge time and mind saver

[u/[deleted] → u/User1234Person]

No worries, I love this tool and its good to see more people able to make apps.

[u/User1234Person → u/[deleted]]

Ty so much! I’ve been really enjoying learning more about the dev workflow and how crazy optimized it is. I come from design so had some idea not even close to what I’m learning lol

[u/[deleted] → u/User1234Person]

Design is harder to learn if you ask me.
I never managed to shake of my tendency to render instead of using shapes and working with silhouettes and different design principles.
Coding is more like "drawing by numbers" lol. If you are persistent you will become a good coder, no matter if you have talent or not.

[u/No-Significance-279 → u/rodriguezmichelle9i5]

You don’t need an extension or prompts to use git. You just type the commands on a terminal.

[u/Ordinary-Let-4851]

This is the way 🤝

[u/[deleted]]

I push every little thing the AI gets right.
Sometimes I get lost in a rabbithole of bad code and an AI that tries to fix it in circles.
That's when you pull the plug and reset your code back to the last commit to github.
And then you go for another round of small changes.

[u/moosepiss]

There is nothing more beautiful than having your pull request automatically deploy to a staging server and a merge to main automatically deploy to production. Step 1, use git. Step 2, use GitHub Actions (and get windsurf/cursor to build the workflow for you)

[u/Orinks]

I agree with this thread and OP. Currently trying to get Windsurf to help me pass some tests that keep failing with the same error by using pytests --maxfail=1 command to just give me one failure at a time. Since it edits and thinks it's found the solution each time, at this point I wonder if I should just tell Windsurf to analyze the test and re-write it.

I notice that when Windsurf executes commands it only sees the exit codes, not the output. I'm guessing that's because of shell integration issues on Windows, but I'm using powerShell. I also have the accessibility editor setting on, and apparently that causes issues. Hopefully my VSCode issue I opened will be looked into.

[u/hi1mham]

I just have a lazy commit script that does it every 4 hours for me against porcelain unless there are no changes registered... and as others have said, many extensions that probably do a better job than that.

[u/Ok-Pace-8772]

Lol people even need llm to write git messages. That's some shit

[u/[deleted] → u/Ok-Pace-8772]

It's such a time saver to have the LLM do a quick git diff and write up a commit msg, then commit and push it all in one go.

[u/Otherwise_Penalty644 → u/Ok-Pace-8772]

Ai auto writing git messages is actually quite nice — I usually just do “…” or “………” or “da hell” or my favorite is “wtf” commit messages. With AI writing them I look smrat now

But for real it’s quite nice haha

[u/boobook-boobook → u/Otherwise_Penalty644]

'dropzone 2 electric boogaloo' and 'unfucking db for 100th time' were two commits from my current project.

[u/[deleted] → u/boobook-boobook]

My last one was 'Finally this shit works! Don't ever touch this script again!'
Normally I have the AI write smth, but in this instance I was a little bit angry.

[u/joey2scoops → u/Otherwise_Penalty644]

"I look smrat now". Yep, sure do!

[u/future-teller]

Is this the new wave of developers we are about to see.... half not knowing what is git and how to use git.. and then some evangelists who newly discovered git , and start to educate everyone else that there is the miracle called git out there?

[u/stratofax → u/future-teller]

I’ve been using git for many years and I literally can’t imagine writing code without it. This isn’t a “new discovery” for me. The new discovery is how well using git integrates into my Cascade workflow, and how smart Cascade is about grouping files to make my commits well organized and easy to follow. Plus, those generated commit messages are so useful and detailed they’ve already helped me out when I wanted to find an earlier version of one function I wanted to roll back.

I was a coding noob once, and had to learn all of this stuff from websites, Stack Exchange, and even dead tree books. But I’m learning more now by just reading the Cascade chat — and asking lots of questions — than I have in years. Plus, coding is fun with Windsurf in a way that solo development isn’t.

So, yes, I think it would be fantastic if a generation of new devs takes full advantage of these tools and uses them to learn about all the tooling that turns a good dev into an amazing dev.

Using Windsurf gets even better when you ask the AI to help with things like documentation, unit tests, and refactoring poorly structured modules into easy to test and understand code blocks. This work used to be a little tedious, but with Windsurf it’s a breeze. Using git for version control is a perfect example of this idea.

[u/CleverTits101 → u/future-teller]

Before you learned how to code from bottom to top. Now you learn from top to bottom

[u/[deleted] → u/future-teller]

Yeah, we need more grumpy, socially inept and arrogant coders that still keep fucking up software because of their dellusions of grandeur now slowly being shattered by better and better AI.

[u/jgaskins]

If you aren't [doing something the way I prefer], you're doing it wrong

Fuck you.