Windsurf, the innovative startup known for its vibe coding platform, is currently navigating some unexpected challenges after reports surfaced that OpenAI might be acquiring the company. Recently, Windsurf revealed that Anthropic has significantly cut back its first-party access to its powerful Claude 3.7 Sonnet and Claude 3.5 Sonnet AI models.
Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan shared on X (formerly Twitter) that the company was given very little warning before Anthropic reduced its access. This sudden change forces Windsurf to seek alternative third-party compute providers to keep its AI models running smoothly on its platform.
“We’ve been very clear to Anthropic that we wanted to pay for full capacity — this isn’t our preferred direction,” Mohan explained. “The short notice and decision to cut off our access is disappointing.”
In a detailed blog post, Windsurf admitted that while it has some capacity through third-party inference providers, it’s not enough to meet demand. As a result, users might experience short-term availability issues when trying to access Claude models.
With less than five days’ notice, Anthropic drastically reduced Windsurf’s access to nearly all first-party Claude 3.x models. Mohan expressed concern about potential disruptions, noting that the quick shift to other inference options might cause temporary availability problems.
This development comes just weeks after Windsurf was overlooked during the launch of Anthropic’s latest models, the Claude 4 family, which boast industry-leading performance for software engineering tasks. At that time, Windsurf did not receive direct access to Claude 4, relying instead on more complex and costly workaround solutions. Meanwhile, other prominent AI coding tools, such as Cursor by Anysphere, Devin by Cognition, and GitHub Copilot by Microsoft, gained direct access to Claude 4 from day one.
The AI coding sector, often called vibe coding, has been gaining momentum recently. Reports indicate that OpenAI may be close to acquiring Windsurf, a move that could further shake up the industry. Meanwhile, Anthropic continues to invest heavily in its own coding AI tools, including the February launch of Claude Code and a May developer conference dedicated to “Code with Claude.”
Anthropic emphasizes its focus on sustainable partnerships. A spokesperson explained that, despite the reduced first-party access, developers can still access Claude 4 via API keys, direct integrations, or through its partner ecosystem.
Windsurf has seen rapid growth this year, reaching a $100 million annual recurring revenue milestone in April, as it aims to compete with established tools like Cursor and GitHub Copilot. However, limited access to Anthropic’s models may hinder its expansion, with some users expressing frustration over the lack of direct access to the most advanced Claude models.
One user, Ronald Mannak, a startup founder specializing in Apple’s Swift language, noted that Claude 4 offered a significant boost in capabilities. Despite being a Windsurf customer since late 2024, Mannak recently switched to Cursor to better vibe code with Claude 4, highlighting the importance of model accessibility.
Currently, Windsurf allows users to connect their own Anthropic API keys for access to Claude 4, but many developers find this option more costly and complex than having the models integrated directly into Windsurf’s platform.
In the fast-evolving vibe coding landscape, flexibility and access to a variety of AI models are crucial. Major players like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic regularly release new models that outperform previous versions, making it essential for vibe coding startups to support multiple AI providers.
Windsurf emphasizes its commitment to offering options for its users, even as recent developments with Anthropic’s access policies pose new challenges for the platform’s growth and user experience.
