Where apps hide your files

Windsurf's settings, rules and MCP files

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

Windsurf keeps a VS Code style settings.json in Application Support and its AI files in a hidden ~/.codeium/windsurf folder. Since the June 2026 rename to Devin Desktop, some of those paths have new names, so here are both.

The locations

Windsurf splits its settings in two. The editor settings use the VS Code layout in Application Support, and the AI side (rules, memories, skills, workflows) lives in a hidden folder in your home folder:

~/Library/Application Support/Windsurf/User/settings.json   (editor settings, Windsurf builds)
~/Library/Application Support/Devin/User/settings.json      (editor settings, Devin Desktop)
~/.codeium/windsurf/                                         (rules, memories, skills, workflows)

Why two editor paths? The vendor renamed Windsurf to Devin Desktop in an update on 2 June 2026 (the app is now Devin.app). Its documentation says the renamed app reads the old Windsurf folder, writes to the new Devin folder, and on first launch offers Migrate from Windsurf, which copies settings, keybindings, snippets and extensions across. Choose Start fresh and nothing is copied. The ~/.codeium folder did not change in that release.

To see which editor folders exist on your Mac (names only):

ls ~/Library/Application\ Support | grep -i -E "windsurf|devin"

Open the settings file from inside the app

The reliable route needs no path. Open the Command Palette (⇧⌘P, the shortcut the vendor's docs give) and run Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON). That command comes from VS Code, which the app is built on, and it opens the settings.json your build actually uses. The app's own AI settings are a separate panel: the docs point to Devin - Settings in the status bar at the bottom right (Windsurf builds before the rename label it Windsurf - Settings), or the Open Devin User Settings command.

Extensions are not in Application Support. The vendor gives ~/.windsurf/extensions/ for Windsurf and ~/.devin/extensions/ for Devin Desktop.

What lives in ~/.codeium/windsurf

Per the vendor's documentation:

Path	What it holds
memories/global_rules.md	Global rules for every workspace, limited to 6,000 characters
memories/	Memories Cascade generated, each tied to the workspace it was made in
skills/	Global skills, one folder each
global_workflows/	Global workflows, as .md files
cascade/	Cascade chat history (the troubleshooting page names this folder)
bin/	The devin-desktop command and the legacy surf and windsurf commands

Items appear as you create them, so a missing memories folder is normal. On the Mac used for this guide, the folder holds only skills. The vendor's file table also lists a binary user_settings.pb directly in ~/.codeium. Pre-release builds have their own folders: the Devin CLI docs name ~/.codeium/windsurf-next and ~/.codeium/windsurf-insiders for those channels.

To see what you have, names only:

ls -la ~/.codeium ~/.codeium/windsurf

The MCP config file

This file has moved more than once, so check every candidate:

• ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json is the path Windsurf's own docs gave before the rename.
• ~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json (or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/devin/mcp_config.json) is the path the current MCP page gives for the Cascade agent. It is also where the newer Devin Local agent and the Devin CLI keep user-wide MCP servers.
• ~/.codeium/mcp_config.json appears in the vendor's file-path table for the rename.

This lists whichever exist, with size and permissions only:

ls -l ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json ~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json ~/.codeium/mcp_config.json 2>/dev/null

The supported way in is the app's button: in the Cascade panel, open the ... (Actions) menu at the top right and click the Open MCP config file icon in the MCPs section. The docs say this applies to the legacy Cascade agent; Devin Local, the default agent for new tabs, configures MCP servers through the Devin CLI config files instead.

MCP configs often hold API keys in an env or headers block. Do not paste the file into a chat or bug report. The docs describe ${env:VAR_NAME} and ${file:/path} placeholders that keep secrets out of the file.

Rules inside a project

Per-project files live in the repository, not your home folder. The docs list .devin/rules/*.md as the preferred location, .windsurf/rules/*.md as the fallback, and the old single .windsurfrules file as still read. Each rule file is limited to 12,000 characters, and AGENTS.md files are read too. Because these are plain files in the project, Git can track them, unlike global rules and memories.

Back up and move to a new Mac

Quit the app, then copy the User folder from whichever Application Support folder you use, and the ~/.codeium/windsurf folder. For example:

cp -R ~/.codeium/windsurf ~/windsurf-backup

That copy includes your chat history and any tokens in an MCP config, so keep it private and out of shared cloud folders. On the new Mac, install the app, open it once, quit, and copy the files back. If you only want your editor setup, the docs describe importing VS Code or Cursor configuration from the Command Palette.

Reset or uninstall

To return one file to its defaults, quit the app, move the file to the Desktop and start the app again. Moving is better than deleting: you can put it back. The vendor's uninstall steps are to drag the app to the Trash and run rm -rf ~/.codeium/windsurf. That command deletes your global rules, memories, skills and chat history with no undo, so back the folder up first, or move it to the Trash in Finder instead.

Why a normal search misses these

~/.codeium and ~/.config are hidden dot-folders and ~/Library is left out of Finder searches, so Finder and Spotlight searches for mcp_config or global_rules come back empty.

Finding the file again

Type mcp_config into Everywhere to see every copy at once, from ~/.codeium and ~/.config to each project's .devin or .windsurf folder, which settles which location your build uses. Press ⌘↵ to reveal the one you want in Finder. A search for settings.json returns one hit per editor, so read the folder path, and remember it matches file names only, not the settings inside.

Common questions

Where is the Windsurf settings.json on a Mac?

In ~/Library/Application Support/Windsurf/User/settings.json, or ~/Library/Application Support/Devin/User/settings.json once the app is Devin Desktop and you migrated. Preferences: Open User Settings (JSON) in the Command Palette opens the one your build uses.

Where is the Windsurf MCP config file?

Windsurf builds before the rename used ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json; the current docs give ~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json. The Open MCP config file icon in the Cascade panel's Actions menu opens the right one.

Where are Windsurf global rules stored?

In ~/.codeium/windsurf/memories/global_rules.md, a single file limited to 6,000 characters. Project rules go in .devin/rules or .windsurf/rules inside the project.

Why can I not see the .codeium folder?

Its name starts with a dot, so Finder hides it. Press ⇧⌘. in a Finder window, or use Go to Folder (⇧⌘G) with ~/.codeium.