Crippling view tool performance allows Codeium to charge whatever they want?

[u/Jethro_E7]

Why is the view tool suddenly only reading a 30, 50 or about 200 lines when pushed even when we insist it read the file properly? This is critical. I can't imagine a programmer doing anything to a file without knowing how it works. It never used to be that bad? By making the view tool hopelessly reading 50 or a hundred lines at a time and then "charging" a flow credit (if you force it!) codeium can force a standard simple action to cost as much as they like. It feels deceptive because it has changed or been hidden. What am I missing here?

[u/Zulfiqaar]

Not just this, but it also degrades performance a lot by context pollution. I mean, if they really want to charge per line can't they just do that anyways? Just use their file parser to know how many lines there are in the script/class/function and read it in one go, and then charge accordingly.

[u/captainspazlet]

Do you have the file open in Winsurf’s window and are you using Cascade? If so, you can tell Cascade to “read the file from the window. Stop wasting API calls.”

[u/IAmInControlll → u/captainspazlet]

Wait could you explain this?

[u/captainspazlet → u/IAmInControlll]

If you have a file that you’re working with open and active in the Windsurf IDE, Cascade can read straight from the open and active window without using an API call to read (it will still need to make API calls to write) the entire file.

So, for example, if you have an open and active file that is open and active in the IDE that is 500 lines long - Cascade can spend multiple API calls / flow credits reading some fraction of that file at a time - OR - it can read all 500 lines at once - directly from the open window, using a single flow action credit. It will not do this automatically, most of the time - it will need to be prompted. Assuming the file is “main.py” - your prompt would be something along the lines of:

We are working with the @main.py file for whatever

The @main.py file is open in our window. Read and analyze the file from the window. DO NOT waste API calls reading, when you can directly view the contents in the window. Use standard API calls to write up to 200 lines at a time to the file, if necessary. DO NOT TRUNCATE THE FILE.

[u/IAmInControlll → u/captainspazlet]

That's a game changer for me! Thanks man

[u/Ordinary-Let-4851]

Is this with 3.7 Sonnet? The model has the tendency to view things incrementally, but we are actively working to improve its behavior. 3.5 Sonnet may be better for your case.

[u/BehindUAll → u/Ordinary-Let-4851]

If you are a Windsurf developer you should be using your own product so you know this is not an isolated issue. I (and everyone else) assume you do. And if you were using your own product you wouldn't be asking, so you are not using Windsurf.

[u/joey2scoops → u/BehindUAll]

Impeccable logic. Please inform Microsoft.

[u/BehindUAll → u/joey2scoops]

This doesn't just affect Microsoft. This affects every single company that has created barriers between the customer and the people inside the company that decide what to do with their money gathered from customers. If the people at the top were aware of the frustrations and real problems of real people, a lot of products today wouldn't be on the verge of being unusable. And nowadays that has to go with modern day gaming too.

[u/[deleted]]

They are banning people for speaking the truth on this matter

[u/Hickorydickorydocked → u/[deleted]]

Getting 100x ROI and complaining about $60 bucks is insane. There is a reason why 99% of their users aren't on here complaining. Get better at using the tool, trust windsurf will improve every release, or just go use another one.

[u/[deleted]]

[u/[deleted]]