Windsurf freezes after Cascade responds? Preserve work before restarting.

One user-reported issue describes an IDE freeze after a completed response on a specific Linux setup. Save open buffers if possible, then compare the working tree before replaying the task.

Do this first: Wait briefly if the process is still alive. If you must restart, inspect git diff and changed files immediately afterward, then open a smaller task rather than replaying the whole conversation.

What the failure looks like.

Clicks, scrolling, and keyboard input stop working after a Cascade response. Some reports describe a freeze lasting several minutes.

Why it happens.

A large burst of renderer or gRPC work can block the Electron main thread. A hard kill during that state can make the next startup less trustworthy.

Fix it without losing the task.

Wait briefly if the IDE process is alive and responsive elsewhere. Record which surface is frozen and whether a terminal command continues.

Save any open editor buffers if possible. Capture the completed Cascade response and the time of the freeze before restarting.

After restart, inspect the current diff, changed files, and process output. Do not replay the full task until you know what the completed response already changed.

If reporting the issue, include version, OS, reproduction steps, and logs with secrets removed; distinguish observed traces from root-cause conclusions.

What the next AI should receive.

Windsurf version and OS, completed response, time to freeze, whether the IDE or only Cascade stopped, saved-buffer status, renderer or application logs, and post-restart diff.

Check before restarting

Record Windsurf version, OS, time to freeze, the response that completed, and whether the whole IDE or only Cascade stopped responding. Save open files before a hard restart if possible.

Boundary of the evidence

Issue #284 is one Linux x64 report for Windsurf 1.9544.35 (1.106.0); its renderer and gRPC traces are user-collected, not a vendor-confirmed cause or fix.

Diagnostic checkpoint

Issue #284 is one user report on a named Linux setup, not a vendor-confirmed cause or general freeze rate.

How ShardStitch helps.

ShardStitch can preserve the accessible worktree and the last known response for a fresh session. It cannot recover unsaved editor buffers or diagnose the Electron renderer from repository files.

Source trail.

Windsurf issue #284 and Windsurf documentation.

FAQ.

Does the renderer trace in issue #284 prove the Windsurf freeze cause?

No. The issue includes user-collected diagnostics, but no vendor-confirmed root cause or fix. Treat the traces as evidence from that report only.

Could a hard restart lose the latest Cascade edits?

Unsaved editor buffers may be lost. Save what remains possible, then compare the worktree and recent commits after restart before replaying the task.

Scope note: Evidence boundary: the linked open issue is one environment-specific report. Its traces and duration are the reporter's observations, not a confirmed root cause or a general Windsurf behavior.