Windsurf and Lanes both bring AI into your coding, but at different layers. Windsurf is an AI-native editor: you write and edit with an agent inside the editor. Lanes is a workspace that runs coding agents in parallel: you hand off tasks and orchestrate several at once.
This page is about which layer you need, and why the answer is often both.
At a glance
| Dimension | Lanes | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Workspace that orchestrates CLI agents | AI-native code editor |
| Parallel agents | Many, one per issue, each isolated | One in-editor agent |
| Isolation | A git worktree and branch per session | Your single working tree |
| Agents | Official Claude Code and Codex CLIs | Windsurf's built-in agent and models |
| Planning and review | Board columns from Backlog to Done | Inline, as you edit |
| Billing | Your existing CLI subscription | Windsurf plan |
| Runs | Locally, on your machine | Local editor |
| Docs | Lanes Desktop docs | windsurf.com |
Where Lanes fits
Lanes is for running a fleet. You plan work as issues, start an agent per issue, and each runs in its own worktree so nothing collides. A board keeps you in control of the whole set, and sessions run the official CLI on the plan you already pay for.
Concretely: work lives on an issue board with columns from Backlog to Done, and an issue's instructions become the initial prompt when you start a session on it. Start in Plan mode to get an approach proposed before any edits, or Implement mode to begin the work immediately. Each session is the official CLI in a real terminal, with CLI, model, and reasoning effort picked at launch, so the agent behaves exactly as it does anywhere else.
Where Windsurf fits
Windsurf shines when you want an AI agent inside the editor as you build, one focused stream at a time, with the model wired deeply into your file tree and edits. Lanes does not try to replace that inner loop. If the work is you, an editor, and a running conversation about the code in front of you, an AI-native editor is the right layer.
How Lanes does it
- One issue, one agent, one branch. For every issue, Lanes creates a git worktree under
.worktrees/off your project's base branch, so parallel agents never touch the same files. It warns before removing anything with uncommitted work and cleans up automatically when the issue completes. See worktree management. - Status you can read across the fleet. Every session reports Busy, Awaiting input, Stopped, Exited, or Error on its card, with a bell when an agent needs you. The Meta tab tracks tokens, cost, and runtime per session. See working with sessions.
- Review before merge. The built-in Test Worktree and Complete & Merge commands run your suite inside the issue's worktree and fold the branch back only when you are satisfied. Per-worktree board tabs keep the review focused. See the issue board.
Choose Lanes if
- You want several agents running at once, each on its own branch.
- You want to keep using Claude Code or Codex on your existing subscription.
- You want a board to plan, track, and review agent work.
- You want plan-first runs you approve before any code changes.
Choose Windsurf if
- You want an AI-native editor for hands-on coding.
- You work one task at a time inside an editor.
- You want the assistant living in your keystrokes, not on a board.
The two can sit together: edit in Windsurf, hand parallel tasks to Lanes.
Further reading
- Quick start: install Lanes and run your first session in about two minutes.
- Working with sessions: the session lifecycle, statuses, and per-session settings.
- Worktree management: isolation, dirty-state warnings, and cleanup.
- Run AI coding agents in parallel: the workflow Lanes is built around.
See Lanes Desktop or read the quick start.