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On Linux, the Windsurf language server may fail to start with an error containing “no space left on device”, even when the system has plenty of free disk space. This is caused by the Linux kernel’s inotify watch or inotify instance limits being exhausted, not by actual disk usage. The language server uses inotify to watch files in your workspace for changes. When the kernel limit is reached, the system returns an ENOSPC error—which is commonly surfaced as “no space left on device.”

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Symptoms

You may see the following in Windsurf output logs: 
Language server failed - no space left on device: no space left on device
Often accompanied by stack traces referencing components like:
  • file_watcher
  • AddTrackedWorkspace
  • AddDirectoriesRecursive
Behavior you’ll typically observe:
  • Windsurf opens normally
  • The language server exits immediately after starting
  • Language-server-dependent features (e.g., Cascade, autocomplete) do not work

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Diagnosis

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1) Check your current inotify limits

Run the following commands: 
# Check the maximum number of inotify watches per user
cat /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_watches

# Check the maximum number of inotify instances per user
cat /proc/sys/fs/inotify/max_user_instances
Common defaults are 8192 for watches and 128 for instances. These are frequently too low for IDE usage in large workspaces (especially monorepos) and can be further reduced by other processes that consume inotify resources (containers, sync tools, other editors, background services).

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2) Check how many inotify instances are currently in use

find /proc/*/fd -lname anon_inode:inotify 2>/dev/null | wc -l
If this count is near (or above) your max_user_instances, new inotify users (like the language server) may fail to initialize.

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Solution

Increase the inotify limits. You can apply changes temporarily (until reboot) or permanently.

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Temporary fix (until reboot)

sudo sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288
sudo sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_instances=1024

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Permanent fix (survives reboot)

echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_instances=1024" | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo sysctl -p
After applying either fix, restart Windsurf. The language server should start successfully. This is a well-known limitation on Linux that affects other IDEs and developer tools that rely on file watchers. If your organization manages system configurations centrally, ask your IT / infra team to apply these sysctl settings.

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When to use which value

  • fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288
    Recommended for large repositories or monorepos. Each watched file/directory consumes kernel memory (often ~1 KB per watch on 64-bit systems), so 524288 watches can use roughly ~512 MB of kernel memory.
  • fs.inotify.max_user_instances=1024
    Recommended if you run multiple applications that create inotify instances (multiple IDE windows, containers, file sync tools, etc.). The default of 128 can be exhausted quickly in development environments.