How do I move from Windsurf to Cursor without losing my rules and memories?

Kayvan Zahiri · October 25, 2026

Your code and your AGENTS.md move with the folder: open it in Cursor and Cursor reads them. Windsurf's workspace rules need converting, from .windsurf/rules/*.md (or .devin/rules) into Cursor's .cursor/rules/*.mdc. Its auto-generated memories and chats do not move. They are stored on your Mac, per workspace, so write down anything you still need before you switch. BuildGist does not work with Windsurf. It does work with Cursor from the first run.

BuildGist is a Mac app for Claude Code, Cursor and Codex. Download for Mac.

A note on names

Windsurf's documentation now calls the editor Devin Desktop, and its agent Cascade. Paths in both forms still work: .devin/rules is preferred, and .windsurf/rules and the single .windsurfrules file are still read.

What moves on its own, and what does not

Moves: the code, the Git history, and AGENTS.md. Windsurf treats a root AGENTS.md as always on, and one in a subfolder as applying to that folder. Cursor reads AGENTS.md at the root and in subfolders too.
Needs converting: workspace rules, and the global rules file at ~/.codeium/windsurf/memories/global_rules.md.
Stays behind: memories, which Windsurf keeps in ~/.codeium/windsurf/memories/, tied to the workspace and never committed, and the Cascade conversations.

1. Turn memories into rules first

Windsurf's own documentation recommends rules or AGENTS.md over memories for anything you want reused. Open the Customizations panel in Cascade, read the memories for this workspace, and copy the ones that still matter into AGENTS.md. Then both editors have them.

2. Convert workspace rules

Each Windsurf rule declares a trigger in its frontmatter. Cursor's .mdc files use alwaysApply, globs and description. The mapping:

trigger: always_on becomes alwaysApply: true.
trigger: glob with globs: ... becomes globs: ... with alwaysApply: false.
trigger: model_decision with a description becomes description: ... with alwaysApply: false.
trigger: manual becomes a rule with neither, used by @-mentioning it.

Save each one with the .mdc extension. Cursor ignores a plain .md file in .cursor/rules. If a rule needs no frontmatter at all, put it in AGENTS.md instead. Global rules go into Cursor's User Rules, in Cursor's settings.

3. Carry the task you are in

git status
git diff --stat

Windsurf's checkpoints and reverts stay in Windsurf, so commit or stash anything you might want back. Then open the first Cursor chat with a short note: the task, what is done, what is left, what failed, and the next step. Ask Cursor to repeat the next step before it edits.

4. Check what Cursor loaded

Open Cursor's rules settings and confirm the converted rules are listed with the type you expect. Ask a question one rule should change, and see whether the answer follows it.

Workflows

Windsurf workflows are prompt templates you run with /workflow-name. They do not convert to rules, since a rule is guidance and a workflow is a set of steps. Save each one as a Markdown file in the repository, for example docs/workflows/release.md, and in Cursor mention the file with @ when you want those steps followed. Then the steps are in version control, and any agent you open in the folder can read them.

Where BuildGist fits after the move

BuildGist works with Claude Code, Cursor and Codex, on Macs with Apple silicon. It does not see Windsurf runs. Once you work in Cursor, it writes a plain-English explanation of each meaningful run in its Inbox, uncommitted work included. If you then start a new chat in Claude Code or Codex in the same project, its card offers the Cursor task and Continue carries the context. How the three share one set of rules is in how to keep context across Claude Code, Cursor and Codex, and how BuildGist compares with those files is in BuildGist vs CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md and HANDOFF.md.

Questions

Do Windsurf memories transfer to Cursor?

No. They are stored locally in ~/.codeium/windsurf/memories/, per workspace, and are not in the repository. Copy the ones you need into AGENTS.md.

Can Cursor read .windsurfrules or .windsurf/rules?

Not as rules. Convert each file to an .mdc rule in .cursor/rules, or move plain rules into AGENTS.md, which both editors read.

Does BuildGist work with Windsurf?

No. It works with Claude Code, Cursor and Codex.

Do Windsurf checkpoints carry over to Cursor?

No. Named checkpoints and reverts stay in Windsurf. Commit or stash before you switch if you want a point to return to.

Sources

Windsurf (Devin Desktop) memories and rules and AGENTS.md, checked October 25, 2026.
Cursor rules, checked October 25, 2026.

What you need

A Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 12 or later.
Claude Code, Cursor or Codex.
A Git project. No commit, push, remote or GitHub repository is needed.
A GitHub account, to sign in. BuildGist does not access your GitHub repositories.

Codex needs you to approve BuildGist once, in Codex. BuildGist shows the steps. Setup is in Getting started.

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Apple silicon, macOS 12 or later. United States, 18 or older.

Questions: kayvanandre@gmail.com.