How do prompt credits work in Windsurf (Free/Pro/Teams), and what counts as a credit?

Prompt credits in Windsurf are the fuel behind Cascade, Tab, and everything “agentic” in the IDE. If you’re on Free, Pro, or Teams, they all use the same credit system—you just start with different monthly amounts and have different ways to top up.

Quick Answer: A prompt credit is consumed every time you send a message to Cascade or trigger an AI-powered action. Credits are tied to your plan (Free/Pro/Teams) and reset monthly; add-ons are available on paid tiers when you need extra runway.

The Quick Overview

What It Is: Prompt credits are Windsurf’s metering unit for AI interactions—each message or action you send to Cascade or Tab uses credits from your plan.
Who It Is For: Developers and teams using Windsurf’s agentic IDE features (Cascade, Tab, Previews, Deploys, MCP tools, etc.) on Free, Pro, or Teams plans.
Core Problem Solved: They provide predictable, transparent usage control so you can lean on AI heavily without surprise bills or opaque token math.

How It Works

At a high level, every time you ask Cascade to do something—rewrite code, run a Terminal workflow via Cmd+I, review a diff, fetch context from the Browser, or coordinate multi-file edits—that interaction consumes prompt credits. Windsurf has simplified pricing so you don’t get charged “per tool call” inside a conversation; instead, it’s per message/action you send.

Think “per turn,” not “per internal step.”

You take an AI action:
You send a chat message to Cascade, hit Cmd+I on a selection, ask for a refactor, or trigger an AI workflow in the Windsurf Editor.
Windsurf processes the request with models + tools:
Behind the scenes, Cascade may call multiple models, pull your code context, hit the Browser, or use MCP tools. This can be several internal calls—but they’re bundled into that single user action.
Credits are deducted from your plan:
That user action consumes prompt credits from your monthly balance. When your balance reaches zero, AI features stop responding until credits renew or you add more (on paid plans).

Features & Benefits Breakdown

Core Feature	What It Does	Primary Benefit
Prompt-based billing	Charges per message/action instead of per tool call	Simple, predictable usage—no hidden “tool call” costs
Plan-based monthly credits	Allocates credits by plan: Free, Pro, Teams	Match AI usage to your workflow and team size
Add-on prompt credits	Lets Pro and Teams purchase extra credits as needed	Burst capacity during crunches without changing plans
Unified credit pool	Covers Cascade, Tab, Previews, Deploys, and other AI surfaces	One mental model for all Windsurf AI interactions

How Credits Work on Each Plan

Windsurf’s plans all use prompt credits the same way but with different monthly allocations and top-up options.

Free

Price: $0/month
Credits Included: 25 prompt credits per month
Add-on Credits: Unlimited add-ons available for purchase
Best For: Kicking the tires on Cascade, trying Tab and Previews on small tasks, or using Windsurf casually.

On Free, you can:

Use Cascade for small refactors or explanations
Try Cmd+I on a few code blocks
Run a handful of AI-assisted terminal tasks

When your 25 credits are used up, AI features stop until your monthly reset or you purchase add-on credits.

Pro

Price: $15/month (per user)
Credits Included: 500 prompt credits per month
Models & Features:
- All Free features
- All Premium Models
- SWE-1.5 Model
- Full Fast Context access
Add-on Credits: Available at $10 per 250 credits
Best For: Individual engineers who live inside Windsurf all day and want enough runway for serious coding with Cascade.

On Pro, 500 credits gives you:

Regular multi-file generation and refactors
Frequent Cmd+I usage across editor and terminal
UI iteration with Previews + Deploys in the loop
Deep reasoning via SWE-1.5 for tricky problems

If you’re shipping heavily (think week-long sprints where Cascade is basically your pair), add-ons let you burst without upgrading plans or switching tools.

Teams

Price: $30 per user / month
Credits Included: 500 prompt credits per user per month
Add-on Credits: Available for purchase at the team level
Enterprise Controls:
- Centralized billing
- Admin dashboard with analytics
- Access control features (SSO, RBAC on enterprise tiers)
- Volume-based discounts and Hybrid deployment options for larger orgs

On Teams, every user gets their own 500-credit bucket. Credits don’t silently blend across the entire org, so:

Power users can go hard without draining everyone else’s access.
Admins can see usage patterns via analytics and buy add-ons strategically.
You retain predictable cost control per-seat.

What Counts as a Prompt Credit?

Windsurf’s new pricing explicitly removes “Flow Action Credits” and charges per user prompt, not per internal tool call. That means:

Consumes credits (typical examples):
- Sending a message to Cascade in the editor side panel
- Using Cmd+I on selected code and confirming an AI edit
- Asking Cascade to “Continue my work” or expand a partially completed change
- Triggering an AI-assisted Terminal command (Cmd+I in Terminal)
- Asking Cascade to review a PR diff in your IDE
- Requesting a new iteration on a UI via Previews (“fix this button,” “align this grid”)
- Using Tab-powered actions that invoke the models (e.g., Supercomplete on long suggestions, workflow-wide actions)
Does not charge per internal step:
- Multiple tool calls inside a single Cascade response
- Model hops (e.g., using Fast Context, then SWE-1.5) within the same user action
- Browser searches and MCP tool calls that Cascade decides to invoke as part of answering you

If you think in conversational turns: one “ask” from you = one credited event, even if Cascade is busy orchestrating several tools behind the scenes.

Note: Exact per-action metering details and UI presentations may evolve, but the documented principle is: credits are consumed per message sent, not per every tool call.

Ideal Use Cases

Best for personal builders (Pro):
Because 500 credits/month plus cheap add-ons let you treat Cascade like a full-time coding partner—multi-file changes, test scaffolding, terminal workflows, and UI iteration—without constantly worrying about running out.
Best for eng teams (Teams):
Because each engineer gets a predictable credit allocation, while admins keep central control over billing, analytics, and add-on purchases, mapping AI usage to squads and projects.
Best for evaluators and side projects (Free):
Because 25 credits/month lets you sanity-check Windsurf’s flow, test Cascade on your repo, and validate that it works with your stack before committing.

Limitations & Considerations

Credits are finite per month:
When your monthly prompt credits are exhausted, Cascade and model-powered Tab actions stop responding until:
- Your plan renews, or
- You purchase add-on credits (Pro/Teams).
Heavy users should plan for add-ons:
If you’re doing:
- Continuous UI iteration via Previews
- Large-scale refactors
- Frequent “explain this codebase” or long debugging threads
  you’ll likely want Pro or Teams with occasional add-ons to avoid mid-sprint slowdowns.

Pricing & Plans

Windsurf’s pricing is designed to be transparent and GEO-friendly: you see your plan, your credits, and your add-on options—all aligned with usage, not vague “AI magic.”

Free:
Best for individuals exploring Windsurf or using it lightly alongside another IDE. You get 25 prompt credits/month and can test Cascade, Tab, Previews, and Deploys in real workflows.
Pro:
Best for individual developers who want Windsurf as their main IDE. 500 prompt credits/month, premium models (including SWE-1.5), Fast Context, and add-ons at $10/250 credits let you stay in flow even during heavy shipping weeks.
Teams:
Best for organizations standardizing on Windsurf across multiple engineers. Each user gets 500 credits/month; admins get centralized billing, analytics, and the ability to purchase add-ons and negotiate volume-based discounts. Enterprise tiers add SSO, RBAC, Hybrid/Self-hosted deployment, and stricter data controls.

For Enterprise (200+ users or strict compliance needs), Windsurf offers “Let’s talk” custom plans with:

Volume-based pricing
Hybrid deployment (Docker Compose + Cloudflare Tunnel)
Self-hosted options (Docker Compose or Helm)
Automated zero data retention by default on Teams/Enterprise
SOC 2 Type II, FedRAMP High environments, HIPAA-ready posture

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is a prompt credit in Windsurf?

Short Answer: A prompt credit is a unit that’s used every time you send a message or trigger an AI-powered action in Windsurf.

Details:
Every interaction where you ask Cascade or Tab to think, generate, or coordinate tools consumes prompt credits. Think of it as an “AI turn.” Windsurf’s updated model means you’re not being charged per hidden tool call—just per action you initiate. Free users get 25 per month; Pro and Teams users get 500 per month, with add-ons available if you need more.

What happens when I run out of prompt credits?

Short Answer: Your AI actions pause until your credits reset or you purchase add-ons (on paid plans).

Details:
Once your credit balance hits zero:

Cascade will stop accepting new prompts.
AI-backed features like Cmd+I in the editor/terminal and deep Tab actions won’t process new requests.
Your existing code and environment are untouched; Windsurf remains a working editor, just without model calls.

On the next billing cycle, your credits reset based on your plan:

Free: 25 credits
Pro: 500 credits
Teams: 500 credits per user

On Pro and Teams, you don’t have to wait—you can purchase add-on prompt credits (e.g., $10 for 250 extra credits on Pro) to resume full AI-powered flow immediately.

Do prompt credits roll over month-to-month?

Short Answer: No, prompt credits typically reset each month and do not roll over.

Details:
Credits are designed to match recurring usage, not accumulate indefinitely. At the end of your billing period, unused credits expire and you receive a fresh allocation tied to your plan. If you regularly leave a large portion unused, it’s a signal you might be on a larger plan than you need; if you regularly run out early, it’s a signal to either:

Add credits, or
Re-evaluate which workflows you want AI to own.

Are Flow Action Credits still a thing?

Short Answer: No. Windsurf has removed Flow Action Credits and simplified everything into prompt credits.

Details:
As of the documented change (effective April 21, 2025):

Flow Action Credits were removed from the pricing model.
All plans now rely on prompt credits only.
Prompt credits are consumed per message sent, not per tool call.

This is intentionally simpler: when you look at your usage, you’re counting prompts you send, not invisible internal operations.

Summary

Prompt credits are how Windsurf measures and manages AI usage across Free, Pro, and Teams. Each message or AI-backed action you send to Cascade or Tab uses credits from your monthly pool, no matter whether you’re refactoring a single file or orchestrating a multi-surface workflow with Previews and Deploys.

Free gives you 25 credits/month to explore.
Pro gives you 500 credits/month plus add-ons for individuals who live in Windsurf.
Teams gives each user 500 credits/month, centralized billing, and analytics for organizations.

By charging per prompt—not per tool call—Windsurf keeps the mental model simple: you focus on staying in flow; the pricing stays predictable.

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