Windsurf’s new model picker reorganizes model selection around families rather than a flat list, adds a hovercard per model with toggles for specific variants — including reasoning effort and speed — and introduces the ability to pin models for quick access.
The grouping-by-family approach directly addresses a real friction point: as AI IDEs add more models, flat pickers become unwieldy. Surfacing variant controls (like reasoning effort) inside a hovercard keeps the main UI clean while still giving power users the knobs they want without digging through settings.
Pinning is the most immediately useful addition for daily workflows. If you default to one or two models for most tasks, you no longer have to scroll past the full catalog every time you switch context.
TIP
Pin your two most-used models right after updating — one for fast completions, one for heavier reasoning tasks. The hovercard lets you tune reasoning effort per model without leaving the picker.
The update is a small but practical quality-of-life improvement for anyone running multiple models across different task types in Windsurf.