Best MCP Servers for Windsurf in 2026: 7 Top Picks for Developers

AI tools are now a daily part of development work. The 2026 Stack Overflow Developer Survey reports: "Of the over 70% of respondents who use AI daily, 31% use it over four hours per day."

Windsurf's agent gets far more useful when it can reach your repo, your database and the live web. This guide covers which servers to install, how to configure them in the current editor and how to keep the setup small enough to work.

What Are the Best MCP Servers for Windsurf?

The best MCP servers for Windsurf are GitHub, Context7, Playwright, Supabase or Postgres in read-only mode, Olostep for live web data, Sentry and Linear. Each one covers a different job, so many developers need only three or four of them. An MCP server gives an AI agent new tools, such as "read this pull request" or "scrape this page," through the Model Context Protocol.

If you are new to the protocol, start with how the Model Context Protocol works. This page focuses only on Windsurf. For picks across every client, see our general MCP server roundup.

Windsurf Is Now Devin Desktop: Which MCP Setup Applies to You

Windsurf has a new name, and that changes where your MCP settings live. The Devin Desktop changelog for version 3.0.12, released June 2, 2026, states: "Windsurf is now Devin Desktop."

The editor has used two different agents, and each one reads MCP servers from a different place. Check which agent your tab runs before you paste any config.

Legacy Cascade Agent

Cascade is the original Windsurf agent, and it reads servers from a single mcp_config.json file. You open that file from the ... menu in the Cascade panel by choosing "Open MCP config file." The current docs list the file at ~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json on macOS and Linux and %APPDATA%\devin\mcp_config.json on Windows.

Many older guides still point to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json. Use the in-app "Open MCP config file" action so you edit the file your build actually reads.

Cascade has no MCP Marketplace or one-click install. It supports three connection types: stdio (a local process), Streamable HTTP and SSE (both remote).

The same changelog later notes that Cascade has been removed and Devin Local is the only agent. Treat Cascade instructions as legacy if your build still shows it.

Devin Local Agent

Devin Local is the current agent, and it reads MCP servers from Devin CLI config files. The Devin Local MCP configuration docs describe three scopes:

• Local: .devin/mcp_config.local.json, which is personal and gitignored.
• Project: .devin/mcp_config.json, which you can commit and share with your team.
• User: ~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json, or %APPDATA%\devin\mcp_config.json on Windows.

The MCP Marketplace and one-click installs are available only for Devin Local. Devin Local also asks before it runs a tool, because "MCP tools default to prompting for approval." You can allow a single tool or a whole server for the session.

How We Chose These MCP Servers

We picked servers by job, not by popularity. Each pick had to meet these criteria:

1. Fills a real gap: The server does something the agent cannot already do with its built-in file and terminal access.
2. Official or vendor-maintained: The company behind the product publishes and updates it.
3. Remote option where possible: Hosted endpoints avoid most Node.js and Windows launch problems.
4. Small or trimmable tool set: You can turn off tools you do not need.
5. Scoped access: It supports read-only modes, single-project scopes or fine-grained tokens.

These are editorial picks based on those criteria. No public benchmark ranks MCP servers for Windsurf, so treat the list as a starting point and test it against your own workflow.

The 7 Best MCP Servers for Windsurf by Job

Each of these seven servers covers one distinct job, so you can pick by task. Install servers only for the jobs you repeat every week.

GitHub MCP Server for Repos, Issues and Pull Requests

The GitHub MCP server lets the agent read pull requests, search code and manage issues without leaving the editor. It is often the most useful first install for teams that review code on GitHub. Connect to the remote endpoint at https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/ with a fine-grained personal access token or OAuth.

Give the token only the scopes the agent needs, such as read access to one repository. We prefer the remote endpoint over the older @modelcontextprotocol/server-github npm package that many guides still show, because the endpoint needs no local Node.js install. The GitHub server exposes many tools, so plan to disable the ones you never use.

Context7 for Current Library Documentation

Context7 pulls version-specific library documentation into the agent's context. This helps the agent stop suggesting functions that a library renamed or removed. Use the remote endpoint at https://mcp.context7.com/mcp when you can.

A local npx install depends on Node.js and the npm cache on your machine, which adds more ways for the server to fail. Remote first is the safer default, especially on Windows.

Playwright MCP for Browser Testing

Playwright MCP lets the agent drive a real browser to click through your app and check what happens. It is the right pick for testing login flows, forms and UI changes you just made. It runs locally with npx @playwright/mcp@latest.

Use Playwright for interacting with your own app, not for collecting data from many external pages. Browser automation is slow and heavy for that job, which is where a web data server fits better.

Supabase or Postgres MCP for Database Work

A database MCP server lets the agent inspect your schema and run queries while it writes code. Supabase offers a hosted server at https://mcp.supabase.com/mcp, and Postgres users can run a community or vendor server locally.

Turn on read-only mode and limit the server to a single project. Never connect an agent to a production database with write access. A wrong agent query can change real data, and the Devin docs state the vendor does "not assume liability for MCP tool call failures."

Olostep MCP Server for Live Web Data

The Olostep MCP server gives the agent current web pages as clean Markdown or JSON. Use it for pages newer than the agent's training data, such as a vendor's latest API docs, a changelog or a pricing page. The Olostep MCP docs list 10 tools served from one hosted endpoint at https://mcp.olostep.com/mcp.

The tools map to distinct web data jobs:

• scrape_website: Returns one page as Markdown, HTML, JSON or text, with an optional wait for JavaScript-heavy sites.
• search_web: Returns structured search results as JSON instead of AI prose.
• answers: Returns a web-grounded answer with sources.
• create_crawl and create_map: Crawl a docs section or list the URLs on a site.

Clean Markdown matters inside an IDE because raw HTML wastes context on navigation and scripts. If a corporate proxy blocks the hosted endpoint, run the local version with npx -y olostep-mcp. To compare search-focused options in depth, see our web search MCP server comparison.

Sentry MCP for Production Errors

Sentry MCP brings real error reports and stack traces into the editor. The agent can read the exact failing line and the request that caused it, then propose a fix. Connect to the remote endpoint at https://mcp.sentry.dev/mcp and sign in with OAuth.

Linear MCP for Issue Tracking

Linear MCP lets the agent read a ticket, plan the work and update the status when it finishes. Connect to https://mcp.linear.app/mcp and sign in with OAuth. If the first OAuth sign-in does not connect, retry once before you start debugging the config.

Servers You Can Usually Skip

Filesystem and Fetch servers usually duplicate what the agent already does. Devin Desktop's agent can read and write workspace files, and the Devin Local docs list HTTP fetches among the actions the agent's permissions cover. Adding these servers spends tool budget without adding a new ability.

Memory servers are also rarely worth the slots for day-to-day coding. If a task is a single API call, a short script or CLI command is often simpler than a new server. Our guide to MCP versus direct API calls covers that decision.

How to Stay Under the 100-Tool Limit

Stay under the limit by running a small server stack and disabling tools you do not use. The legacy Cascade MCP documentation states: "Cascade has a limit of 100 total tools that it has access to at any given time." Count every tool from every enabled server against that cap.

Tool count matters even without a hard cap. Anthropic's engineering team explains that "Most MCP clients load all tool definitions upfront directly into context".

Every unused tool takes space the agent could spend on your code. Our guide to context engineering for agents explains why a smaller context often produces better results.

Starter Stacks by Workflow

A starter stack is a small set of servers matched to one type of work. Pick the row closest to your week, then check the tool count shown in the MCP panel after you add each server.

Disable Tools You Do Not Use

Turning off unused tools keeps the stack under the limit. In the legacy Cascade agent, use the toggle next to a server to turn it off. To remove single tools, list their names in the server's disabledTools array in mcp_config.json.

In Devin Local, run devin mcp disable <name> to turn off a whole server. A disabled server is skipped during tool discovery, so its tools do not load.

How to Add an MCP Server to Windsurf

You add a server either by editing JSON or by running one Devin CLI command. The steps below use the Olostep server as the example, and the same pattern applies to other remote servers that take an API key.

Add a Remote Server in mcp_config.json

1. Open the config file from the MCP section using "Open MCP config file."
2. Add the server under mcpServers with a serverUrl and a headers block.
3. Keep the API key out of the file with ${env:VAR_NAME}, which reads the key from an environment variable.
4. Save the file and press refresh in the MCP panel.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "olostep": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.olostep.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:OLOSTEP_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf also supports ${file:/path/to/file}, which reads a secret from a file. Both patterns work in the command, args, env, serverUrl, url and headers fields. If the variable is not set, it resolves to an empty string, so a missing key shows up as an auth error.

Add a Server With the Devin CLI

Devin Local adds servers from the terminal with devin mcp add. The general pattern is devin mcp add <name> -- <command> [args...].

devin mcp add olostep -- npx -y olostep-mcp
devin mcp list

New servers save to the local scope by default, which keeps keys out of version control. Use the scope flag (-s or --scope) to save to the project or user file instead.

Check That the Server Loaded

A working server appears in the MCP panel with its tool count. The Olostep server should show 10 tools. If it shows "Connected" with 0 tools, the API key is likely wrong or missing.

Run a quick test prompt such as "Scrape https://example.com and return the page title." If the agent calls the tool and returns a result, the setup works.

How to Keep MCP Servers Secure in Windsurf

Every MCP server can read data and take actions with the access you give it, so vet each one before you install it. A study of 1,899 MCP servers found that "7.2% of servers contain general vulnerabilities, and 5.5% exhibit MCP-specific tool poisoning."

Tool poisoning means a server hides harmful instructions in its tool descriptions to steer the agent. The study is a mid-2025 snapshot of open-source servers, but it shows the risk is real.

• Prefer official servers: Install servers published by the vendor whose product you connect to.
• Use least-privilege tokens: Give each token only the scopes and repositories the agent needs.
• Keep databases read-only: Point agents at development data, not production.
• Keep secrets out of shared files: Use ${env:}, ${file:} or the gitignored .devin/mcp_config.local.json.
• Read approval prompts: Devin Local asks before it runs MCP tools, so check what each call will do.
• Plan team allowlists carefully: Admins can allowlist servers, but "once you allowlist even a single MCP server, all non-allowlisted servers will be blocked for your team."

The allowlist matches each server by its key name in the config, and the match is case-sensitive. A typo in the key name can block a server your team expects to use.

Troubleshooting Common Windsurf MCP Errors

Common MCP failures in Windsurf come from the tool limit, a missing Node.js install or a wrong API key. Use this table to match the symptom to the fix.

FAQ

Does Windsurf Support MCP?

Yes. Windsurf, now called Devin Desktop, supports MCP servers in the legacy Cascade agent and the current Devin Local agent, with separate config files for each.

Where Is the Windsurf mcp_config.json File?

For legacy Cascade, the current docs list ~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json on macOS and Linux and %APPDATA%\devin\mcp_config.json on Windows. Use the in-app "Open MCP config file" action to be sure you edit the right file.

Is There an MCP Marketplace in Windsurf?

Yes, but only for the Devin Local agent. The legacy Cascade agent has no marketplace or one-click install, so you add servers by editing mcp_config.json.

How Many MCP Servers Can I Use in Windsurf?

There is no fixed server count, but legacy Cascade can access at most 100 tools at once. Three or four focused servers usually fit well under that limit.

Does Windsurf Support Remote MCP Servers?

Yes. Windsurf supports remote servers over Streamable HTTP and SSE, which you add with a serverUrl or url field in the config.

Which MCP Server Should I Install First?

Install the server for the job you repeat most often. For many developers that is GitHub for repo work or Context7 for current library docs.