Windsurf alternative for AI-native engineering teams
Agent workflows create velocity.
Hyrax adds architecture.
Windsurf is an agentic IDE, and its Cascade agent makes multi-file changes quickly while a developer works. Hyrax runs outside the editor: it audits the whole codebase, verifies every fix against the test suite, and opens pull requests a human approves.
Hyrax audits roughly 400 of its own repositories.
Free plan: full access, up to 100 PR reviews a month, a $30 starter credit, and $10/month ongoing.
[Hyrax] Refresh session token before expiry
hyrax-bot wants to merge · +24 −6
Why teams switch
What changes when Hyrax runs above the tools.
Judgment above the agents
Windsurf executes the task it is given. Hyrax decides what is worth doing and whether the result fits the system it lands in.
Verified before review
Every fix runs the project baseline tests, build and lint, and passes a second reviewer agent, before the pull request exists.
Context that compounds
The map of the codebase lives in the repository and improves with every merge, so the next decision starts from everything learned before it.
Comparison
How Hyrax and Windsurf make decisions.
Read how Windsurf describes itself: windsurf.com(opens in a new tab)
Workflow
Comments on a diff, or a verified pull request.
- 01A developer assigns Windsurf a task.
- 02Windsurf writes code for that task and stops when the task is done.
- 03The team decides whether the change fits the wider system, then merges.
- 01Maps the codebase and keeps the map in the repository
- 02Applies architectural judgment across six domains
- 03Opens a verified pull request that a human merges
Getting started
From install to the first verified pull request.
Install the GitHub App
Grant read access to the repositories in scope. No card is required to start.
Hyrax maps the repository
Discovery writes HYRAX.md and .hyrax/discovery into the repository, so humans and AI tools read the same context.
Review the first pull request
Approved improvements arrive as verified pull requests. A human merges every one.
The honest verdict
Both tools solve real problems.
Choose Windsurf if
The team wants an editor where an agent can make broad changes with a developer supervising. Windsurf is built for that and Hyrax has no editor to offer.
Choose Hyrax if
Fast editing has produced a codebase nobody has audited. Hyrax evaluates six domains across every repository and delivers fixes already proven against the project tests.
Free plan, then per seat with prompt credits for premium models.
Free plan with a $30 starter credit and $10/month ongoing. Paid is $30 per user per month, and each paid user gets $30/month of credits.
FAQ
Questions about Windsurf and Hyrax.
Yes, and most teams run both. Windsurf keeps doing its job. Hyrax works at the level of the whole codebase, decides what is worth changing, and delivers verified pull requests. Nothing about the Windsurf setup has to change.
Discovery writes HYRAX.md and a .hyrax/discovery directory, which document the architecture, conventions and risk areas of the codebase. Everything else arrives as a normal pull request on its own branch. Hyrax has no write access to the default branch.
The free plan includes full access, a $30 starter credit and $10/month of credits ongoing, with no card required. The paid plan is $30 per user per month, and each paid user gets $30/month of credits. Pull request reviews are included on every plan.
Installing the GitHub App and granting access to a repository takes a few minutes. Hyrax maps the codebase, then runs the first audit and returns findings ranked by severity and effort. The first verified pull requests follow once an audit is approved.
Build what you're proud to ship.
GitHub-native. Human-controlled. Verified before merge.