Windsurf (Codeium) Expert
Aletheion methodology evaluation · system_id: windsurf · audit date: 2026-03-26
Per-dimension breakdown (task-level)
| Dimension | Score | Tasks | Per-task scores | Result |
|---|
Persona-based runs
Simulated user runs evaluating this system across personas. Full transcripts (interaction_log) are stored in agi_complex_evaluations and reachable via the per-system evidence endpoint.
judge: claude-sonnet-4-6 · would succeed: True · would recommend: True
“The college student was able to get a working CSV analyzer by the end of the session, but the journey had friction. Windsurf produced functional code quickly but consistently failed to anticipate the user's environment — missing dependency instructions upfront caused an immediate error on turn 2. The user had to reactively debug rather than being set up for success. Windsurf recovered well when asked directly, but a more proactive first response would have saved 10+ minutes. The edge case handling (empty file, text columns) was added correctly when prompted, but Windsurf never volunteered thes...”
Show transcript (5 turns)
User: hey can you help me build a csv analyzer thing for the command line? it needs to show like mean median and count and also make a chart somehow
System: Windsurf generates a Python script using pandas and matplotlib. It creates a file `csv_analyzer.py` with argparse for CLI input, pandas for stats (mean, median, count), and a matplotlib bar chart saved as PNG. It also provides a usage example: `python csv_analyzer.py data.csv`. The code is functional but assumes pandas and matplotlib are installed, with no install instructions provided.
confusion: low
User: ok i ran it and got ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pandas' lol what do i do
System: Windsurf correctly identifies the issue and tells the user to run `pip install pandas matplotlib`. It may also suggest using a virtual environment but doesn't walk through setup step by step. The fix works after the user installs the packages.
confusion: medium
User: ok it runs now but the chart just saves as a png file, can it show up on screen instead? also what happens if i give it an empty csv
System: Windsurf updates the code to use `plt.show()` instead of `plt.savefig()`. For the empty file case, it adds a try/except block that catches empty DataFrames and prints a user-friendly error message. The updated code is pasted in full again rather than showing a diff, which is slightly overwhelming.
confusion: medium
User: what if the csv has like text columns and not just numbers? it crashed when i tried my class roster csv
System: Windsurf updates the script to use `df.select_dtypes(include='number')` to filter only numeric columns before computing stats. It explains briefly that non-numeric columns are skipped. The fix works correctly. However, the chart now only shows numeric columns which may confuse the user if they expected to see all data.
confusion: low
... 1 more turns omitted ...
judge: claude-sonnet-4-6 · would succeed: True · would recommend: True
“The user successfully built a working terminal-based weather app, but the journey was bumpier than necessary. Windsurf's core code generation was competent — it produced functional Python, handled the error-fixing turns well, and improved output formatting on request. However, several friction points emerged that are characteristic of AI coding tools with beginner users: (1) The initial code lacked error handling that should be standard, forcing a reactive fix later. (2) The API key management explanation introduced unnecessary complexity with two options and no clear recommendation. (3) The F...”
Show transcript (7 turns)
User: hey can you help me build a weather app that shows the forecast? I need to use an API but I've never done that before
System: Windsurf generates a full Python script using OpenWeatherMap API with hardcoded API key placeholder, requests library, and a basic print-based UI. Provides ~60 lines of code with inline comments. Also gives instructions to install requests via pip.
confusion: low
User: wait where do I get an API key? and do I just paste it in the code?
System: Windsurf explains OpenWeatherMap signup, free tier, where to find the API key in the dashboard. Suggests pasting it directly into the code OR using a .env file with python-dotenv. Provides both options with code snippets.
confusion: medium
User: I tried running it and got this error: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'requests'
System: Windsurf correctly identifies the issue and tells user to run 'pip install requests' in terminal. Provides the exact command. May also suggest 'pip3 install requests' as alternative.
confusion: low
User: ok it runs but the output looks really messy, like it just prints a bunch of numbers and stuff. can you make it look nicer?
System: Windsurf refactors the print statements to format temperature (converts Kelvin to Fahrenheit/Celsius), adds weather description, humidity, and wind speed in a readable format. Uses f-strings. Output now looks like a clean text dashboard.
confusion: low
... 3 more turns omitted ...
judge: claude-sonnet-4-6 · would succeed: True · would recommend: True
“The college student started with a reasonable high-level request but immediately hit an environment prerequisite wall (Node.js not installed). Windsurf's initial scaffolding assumed a development environment the user didn't have. The pivot to a vanilla HTML solution was the right recovery, but it came at the cost of the original WebSocket/SSE requirement — the final product uses setInterval simulation instead of true live data. The user experienced moderate friction in the middle turns around real data integration and CORS issues, which are genuinely beyond a tech-level-2 user's comfort zone. ...”
Show transcript (7 turns)
User: hey can you build me a live stock price dashboard? like it should update automatically without me refreshing the page
System: Windsurf generates a full-stack app with a Node.js/Express backend using WebSockets (socket.io) and a React frontend with a basic chart. It scaffolds multiple files: server.js, App.jsx, a Chart component using Chart.js or Recharts. It simulates stock data with random price fluctuations for 3-4 tickers (AAPL, GOOG, TSLA, AMZN). Provides setup instructions: npm install, npm start.
confusion: ?
User: ok i tried running it but i got an error that says 'node is not recognized as an internal or external command' — what do i do
System: Windsurf explains that Node.js needs to be installed, provides a link to nodejs.org, and gives step-by-step install instructions. It also suggests using a simpler approach if the user prefers — a pure HTML/CSS/JS version with no build step. Offers to rewrite using vanilla JS with SSE or a mock WebSocket.
confusion: ?
User: yeah can you just make it work in the browser without installing anything? like just an html file i can open
System: Windsurf rewrites the entire dashboard as a single index.html file using vanilla JS, CSS, and a Canvas-based or SVG chart (or includes Chart.js via CDN). Uses setInterval to simulate live data updates every second. Includes 3 stock tickers with a line chart. Looks reasonably clean with a dark theme.
confusion: ?
User: this is cool but the chart looks kinda ugly and the layout is all squished on my phone. can you make it look better and work on mobile?
System: Windsurf updates the CSS with flexbox/grid layout, adds media queries for mobile responsiveness, improves chart styling with better colors, gridlines, and a legend. May use a CDN-hosted library like Chart.js more effectively. Adds a header with a title and timestamp showing last update time.
confusion: ?
... 3 more turns omitted ...