Reviewed 2026-07-28
Windsurf for Apps Script
A workflow comparison of Windsurf, now published as Devin Desktop, and Google Apps Script Copilot for Apps Script projects.
Short answer: Cognition now publishes the Windsurf editor as Devin Desktop, and it remains a desktop application, so an Apps Script project reaches it through a clasp pull and push. Google Apps Script Copilot works in the script.google.com editor, where the project already lives.
How this page was reviewed
We compare documented product surfaces, where each tool runs, what an Apps Script project has to do to reach it, and task fit. Reviewed July 28, 2026, when the editor's documentation was published under the Devin Desktop name. This is not a benchmark or a claim of feature parity; check the official sources, because naming and packaging here changed recently.
Side by side
At a glance
| Criterion | Google Apps Script Copilot | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Current product name | Google Apps Script Copilot. | Published by Cognition as Devin Desktop; a Windsurf plugin for JetBrains IDEs is offered separately. |
| Where it runs | Chrome extension inside the script.google.com editor. | Downloadable desktop application, documented for Mac, Windows, and Linux. |
| How it reaches the project | Reads the Apps Script project already open in front of you. | Edits local files, so the project is pulled to disk with clasp first. |
| Setup before the first prompt | Install the extension and sign in. | Install the application, install Node.js 20 or later and clasp, enable the Apps Script API, then clone the project. |
| Running and testing | Apply the change and run it in the same editor. | Push with clasp, then run in the Apps Script editor or through the API. |
| Manifest and scopes | appsscript.json and the authorization prompt stay in view. | appsscript.json is edited locally and applied on push; the authorization prompt still appears in Apps Script. |
| Strongest fit | Changes that belong in an existing Apps Script project. | Agent-led work across a local repository, with Apps Script as one target among several. |
Naming, as of this review
Cognition publishes the editor as Devin Desktop, and its documentation describes the transition as keeping the IDE, extensions, settings, and in-progress work intact. A separate Windsurf plugin for JetBrains IDEs is still offered. If you are comparing tools on the Windsurf name, check the current product page first, because it is the same lineage under a newer label.
Best fit
Windsurf, under either name, is a desktop editor for repository work across many languages. Google Apps Script Copilot is for Apps Script work that starts and ends in the browser editor. Where the code lives while you edit it decides most of this.
The sync step
Apps Script projects are hosted at script.google.com. To edit one in a desktop editor you install Node.js 20 or later and clasp, enable the Apps Script API for your account, pull, edit, and push before the code can run. It buys Git history and local tooling and costs a round trip on every change.
Which one to choose
the script lives in the browser editor and you want changes, scopes, and the execution log in one place.
you want a local agentic editor over a repository, and an Apps Script project is one of several things it maintains.
Questions people ask
- Is Windsurf still called Windsurf?
- Cognition now publishes the editor as Devin Desktop, and its own FAQ describes the change as preserving your IDE, extensions, settings, and in-progress work. The Windsurf name continues for the JetBrains plugin. Check the current product page before comparing versions, since this changed during 2026.
- Can Windsurf open a Google Apps Script project?
- Not from the cloud directly. Apps Script projects live at script.google.com, and a desktop editor works on local files, so you pull the project with clasp, edit it, and push it back. clasp needs Node.js 20 or later and the Apps Script API enabled for your account.
- Is an agentic desktop editor worth the sync step for Apps Script?
- It depends on the size of the work. For a multi-file refactor that you want in Git and under review, the round trip is minor. For a single trigger fix in a bound Sheets project, the setup usually costs more than the change itself.
Official sources
Read the original documentation before changing a production workflow.