Devin Local vs Cascade
Devin Local is the primary local agent in Devin Desktop — shared harness with Devin CLI, up to ~30% fewer tokens than legacy Cascade on the same tasks, with better prompt caching.
This page answers this model is only in Devin Local and when to migrate off Cascade.
Hub: Tokenminning in Devin.
Quick comparison
| Agent | Token profile | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Devin Local | Lower tokens, better caching; subagents, plan mode | Primary path |
| Cascade | Higher baseline; memories & workflows | Legacy through July 1, 2026 |
| Adaptive | Routes simple work to cheap models | Default on many self-serve plans |
Fix “this model is only in Devin Local”
The model or harness requires Devin Local, not Cascade:
- Agent selector (bottom-right) → Devin Local
- Or: Command Palette → Devin User Settings → Agents → enable Devin Local → restart
- After migration:
devin.cascade.enabled=falseto disable Cascade entirely
Some features are Local-only: plugins, subagents, plan mode, worktree sessions. See Devin Local docs .
Enable Devin Local
If the agent is missing:
Cmd+Shift+P/Ctrl+Shift+P→ Devin User Settings- Agents tab → toggle Devin Local on
- Restart Devin Desktop
New tabs default to Devin Local when available.
Migrate from Cascade
Run Devin: Open Cascade Migration Wizard (Command Palette) to move workflows and memories toward skills.
| Cascade feature | Devin Local note |
|---|---|
| Memories | Local does not persist memories — migrate critical items to skills |
| Workflows | Not on Local — migrate to skills |
| Pricing | Same credit/quota model as Cascade on self-serve |
When to use which
| Task | Use |
|---|---|
| Daily coding, refactors | Devin Local |
| Legacy workflow until July 2026 | Cascade (temporary) |
| Greenfield autonomous app in VM | Cloud — not Local |
Subagents
Devin Local subagents spawn independent context chains — powerful but multiply inference when parallel. Restrict spawning for routine search.