WINDSURF PUB_DATE: 2026.01.16

WINDSURF AGENT REFERENCES MISSING TODO_LIST TOOL; PLANNING DISABLED

A user report shows the Windsurf coding agent saying the todo_list/update_plan tools are unavailable and proceeding without plan updates; the linked docs were o...

Windsurf agent references missing todo_list tool; planning disabled

A user report shows the Windsurf coding agent saying the todo_list/update_plan tools are unavailable and proceeding without plan updates; the linked docs were outdated. This points to a model/workspace configuration mismatch where the agent prompt expects tools that aren't enabled, leading to silent loss of planning capability.

[ WHY_IT_MATTERS ]
01.

Agents may make changes without explicit plans, reducing traceability and safety.

02.

Mismatched tool schemas can create brittle automation and hidden failures.

[ WHAT_TO_TEST ]
  • terminal

    Validate the agent’s system prompt vs actual tool list; run a task with planning disabled to observe fallback behavior and logs.

  • terminal

    Gate AI-generated commits on presence of plan artifacts/comments and alert when prompts reference missing tools.

[ BROWNFIELD_PERSPECTIVE ]

Legacy codebase integration strategies...

  • 01.

    Audit and pin IDE/agent configs per repo and model to avoid silent tool changes.

  • 02.

    Add CI checks to fail when planning tools are unavailable or plan files are missing in PRs.

[ GREENFIELD_PERSPECTIVE ]

Fresh architecture paradigms...

  • 01.

    Select agents with versioned, discoverable tools and store planning state in-repo.

  • 02.

    Define a minimal plan schema and tool-availability check in templates/devcontainers.