TLDR;
- 🔥 GAME CHANGER: Windsurf's new SWE model does full software engineering tasks, not just code generation - planning, reasoning, and implementation in one seamless flow!
- 💰 OPPORTUNITY: Implement complete authentication and subscription billing in under an hour WITHOUT writing 500+ lines of backend code
- 🤯 MIND = BLOWN: Clerk's new billing feature replaces entire Stripe integration workflows - upgrade/downgrade plans with ZERO webhook setup
- ⚡ EASY BUTTON: Context7 MCP server integration brings documentation directly to your AI model, dramatically improving implementation accuracy
- ⏱️ HOLY SH*T ALERT: What normally takes days of planning and implementation was completed in a single livestream session
Introduction
The AI coding space just took a quantum leap forward. Windsurf's Wave 9 update with their new SWE model family isn't just another incremental improvement - it's an entirely new paradigm for how developers can build features with AI assistance.
I just spent an evening testing the limits of SWE-1 (their flagship model) by implementing both authentication and billing in my app VibeStamps - tasks that would normally require days of planning and hundreds of lines of code. The results were nothing short of mind-blowing.
If you're still thinking of AI coding assistants as glorified autocomplete tools, this post will completely change your perspective on what's possible today.
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What is Windsurf's SWE Model?
Windsurf's latest Wave 9 update introduces a new family of models specifically designed for software engineering tasks. SWE (which literally stands for Software Engineer) comes in three flavors:
- SWE-1: Their flagship model (on par with Claude 3.7 Sonnet)
- SWE Lite: Mid-tier option
- SWE Mini: Lightweight version
What makes SWE different from other AI models is its focus beyond just generating code. It excels at planning, reasoning, and understanding the entire software development lifecycle.
The most exciting part? If you're a Windsurf Pro user, you currently get access to SWE-1 for free for a limited time. This is a significant opportunity to test high-end AI capabilities without additional cost.
The Challenge: Adding Authentication and Billing to VibeStamps
To test SWE-1's capabilities, I decided to implement two critical features for my app VibeStamps:
- Authentication: Secure the app so only registered users can access it
- Billing: Add subscription plans to monetize the service
For context, VibeStamps is an application I built that generates timestamps from SRT files for YouTube videos, helping content creators boost their SEO. Until now, it was completely open and free, running on my dime (and my Google Gemini API credits).
This was the perfect real-world test case - not a contrived example, but actual features needed for a production application.
The Authentication Implementation
I started with authentication using Clerk, a popular authentication provider. Here's where things got interesting - instead of me having to write detailed instructions or plan the implementation step-by-step, I simply:
- Copied Clerk's prompt from their documentation
- Pasted it into Windsurf
- Let SWE-1 handle the implementation
The results were astonishing. Within minutes, SWE-1:
- Installed the required packages
- Created middleware for route protection
- Set up the sign-in/sign-up UI components
- Integrated with my existing UI theme
- Protected the file upload functionality
What impressed me most wasn't just that it worked, but how it integrated seamlessly with my existing design system. The model understood my app used Tailwind and shadcn/ui, and it properly implemented authentication while maintaining my existing dark/light mode functionality and cloud animations.
When I discovered an issue (the dashboard page wasn't needed), I simply told SWE-1 to remove it, and it cleaned up all related code throughout the codebase - not just the page itself, but also the navigation links in the header.
The Billing Revolution with Clerk
Next came the truly mind-blowing part. I recently spent days just planning a potential Stripe integration for another app. The plan document alone was nearly 500 lines covering:
- Front-end checkout flows
- Webhook handlers
- Database schema updates
- Payment failure scenarios
- Plan changes
- Security considerations
It was overwhelming - and I hadn't even written a line of code yet.
Enter Clerk's new billing feature (currently in beta). When I discovered this was available, I asked SWE1 to implement it. Within minutes, the model:
- Created pricing plans in the Clerk dashboard
- Implemented the pricing page with Clerk's components
- Set up the checkout flow
- Integrated user account management for billing
The entire implementation took less than an hour, and I was able to test the complete flow - signing up for a plan, paying (with a test card), upgrading, downgrading - all without writing a single webhook handler or database migration.
Wait, what?
Yes, you read that correctly. No custom Stripe integration. No webhook endpoints. No database schema for storing subscription status. Clerk handles all of this behind the scenes, and SWE-1 knew exactly how to implement it.
Context7: The Secret Weapon for Documentation
One key component that made this implementation so smooth was the Context7 MCP server integration with Windsurf. This tool allows the AI model to directly access up-to-date documentation for libraries like Clerk.
Setting it up was as simple as adding a few lines to Windsurf's configuration:
"context7": { "id": "context7", "type": "mcp", "endpointUrl": "https://mcp.context7.com" }
When SWE-1 needed to understand how to implement Clerk's billing feature (which is so new it was released just days before my test), it could reference the documentation directly through Context7.
This significantly improved the accuracy of the implementation and reduced the need for me to provide detailed instructions.
The Bottom Line: AI Is Changing Software Development
The implications here are enormous. What used to take days or weeks of planning, implementation, and testing can now be accomplished in a single session with the right AI tools.
This doesn't mean developers are becoming obsolete - far from it. What's changing is where we focus our energy:
- Less time on repetitive implementation details
- More time on unique product features and user experience
- Faster iteration from idea to production
- Smaller teams can build more complex products
As Ray puts it in the livestream: "I don't want to hire a team of 10 people, 20 people, 30 people. You no longer need that in this era."
Key Takeaways
- Windsurf's SWE model is a significant leap forward - it handles the entire software engineering process, not just code generation
- Authentication and billing are now "solved problems" - with the right tools (Clerk + AI), you can implement them in hours instead of days
- Documentation access makes AI exponentially more powerful - Context7's MCP server integration dramatically improves implementation accuracy
- The economics of building software are changing - solo developers and small teams can now build features that previously required much larger teams
- This is just the beginning - as these tools continue to improve, the gap between idea and implementation will continue to shrink
Resources & Next Steps
If you want to try this yourself:
- Windsurf: Sign up for a Pro account to access SWE-1 (currently free for Pro users)
- Clerk: Check out their auth and new billing features at clerk.com
- Context7: Install the MCP server in your AI coding environment from context7.com
- VibeStamps: If you're a content creator, try out the app at vibestamps.com
About the Speaker
Ray Fernando worked at Apple for 12 years before diving into the world of AI-assisted development. He's currently taking on a 100k challenge to create apps and generate revenue online using AI tools. You can follow his journey on YouTube and X.