Windsurf's Ability to Modify Multiple Projects Simultaneously

Windsurf’s Ability to Modify Multiple Projects Simultaneously

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In practical work, it is very common for a requirement to be implemented through collaboration across multiple projects. For example:

  • A web access requirement may involve modifications to both front-end and back-end projects;

  • An order operation requirement in a microservice architecture may involve modifications to multiple microservice projects such as user, order, payment, etc., which may also have calling relationships between them.

Typically, without AI-assisted tools, we need to first break down the requirements, develop interface specifications, then implement functionality in each project separately, and finally conduct integration testing. Although this implementation involves modifications to multiple projects, since a single requirement is usually handled by one developer, the developer often modifies multiple projects simultaneously during coding, potentially skipping the interface design phase, thus reducing communication costs.

So, can the introduction of AI-assisted tools achieve similar effects? With this question in mind, I tried using Windsurf to see..

  • Tool Preparation

    • Windsurf: Version 1.1.3

    • Claude 3.5 Sonnet

    • Front-end Project: articlechecker (based on Node.js)

    • Back-end Project: springbootdemo (based on Spring Boot)

    • Requirement: Create a page in the front-end project that allows users to input content and submit it to the back-end service via a button. After the back-end processes the content, it returns the result to be displayed on the front-end.

  • Function Implementation

1. Asking the Tool’s Capability

First, I asked Windsurf whether it supports modifying two projects simultaneously. As shown in Figure 1, Windsurf mentioned that it can only handle files within the current workspace and suggested using soft links or Git Submodule to achieve cross-project operations.

Windsurf's Ability to Modify Multiple Projects Simultaneously

Figure 1

2. Attempting Cross-Workspace File Modifications

Since the above suggestions did not fully meet my needs, I decided to directly inform Windsurf of my request and let it attempt to implement the function. Surprisingly, Windsurf not only correctly understood my intention but also successfully completed modifications to both projects:

  • Implemented the page in the current workspace for the front-end project articlechecker;

  • Implemented the service logic in the back-end project springbootdemo.

Even though Windsurf can only open one workspace at a time, the entire process was as smooth as operating within a single project. As shown in Figure 2, Windsurf actually opened the front-end project, and its modifications to the back-end project were also accurately completed.

Windsurf's Ability to Modify Multiple Projects Simultaneously

Figure 2

When I further refined the requirements, Windsurf was able to automatically identify the front-end and back-end parts that needed modification and independently completed the collaborative changes across projects.As shown in Figure 3, the entire process was very smooth.

Windsurf's Ability to Modify Multiple Projects Simultaneously

Figure 3

  • Conclusion

Windsurf’s capabilities indicate that it can smoothly modify files across multiple projects, providing greater convenience for actual development. Developers can leverage this capability to implement more operations, such as requiring it to refer to existing interfaces for internal interface design and functionality implementation, thereby further enhancing work efficiency. However, it is also necessary to pay attention to the fact that Windsurf has high file operation permissions, to avoid misoperations on system files.

It is worth mentioning that the above operations can also be completed by Cursor, with an overall interaction experience not much different from Windsurf. However, when operating files outside the currently opened workspace, Cursor requires a second confirmation, which provides more reassurance.

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