Windsurf

Learn how to set up the Mixedbread MCP server with Windsurf.

Prerequisites

Before we configure Windsurf, make sure you have the following:

• Windsurf installed
• Node.js 22+ installed
• A Mixedbread API key from our platform

Configuration

Windsurf configures MCP servers via a configuration file named mcp_config.json.

1. Locate or create the configuration file

   Windsurf looks for mcp_config.json in the following paths:

   • macOS/Linux: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
   • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json

   If the directory or file doesn't exist, create it manually:

   macOS/Linux:

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   mkdir -p ~/.codeium/windsurf
   touch ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

   Windows (PowerShell):

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   New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.codeium\windsurf"
   New-Item -ItemType File -Force -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json"

2. Add a Mixedbread server entry

   Add the following to your mcp_config.json:

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   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "mixedbread": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": [
           "-y",
           "mcp-remote@latest",
           "https://www.mcp.mixedbread.com/api/mcp",
           "--header",
           "Authorization:${MXBAI_AUTH_HEADER}"
         ],
         "env": {
           "MXBAI_AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer YOUR_MIXEDBREAD_API_KEY"
         }
       }
     }
   }

   • command runs mcp-remote via npx.
   • args specify the Mixedbread MCP endpoint and authentication header.
   • env sets an environment variable with your API key.

   Replace YOUR_MIXEDBREAD_API_KEY with your actual key from the Mixedbread platform.

Managing Tools

Cascade limits total enabled tools to 100 at a time.

You can manage tool access by:

• Opening the Tools tab inside the plugin
• Navigating to Windsurf Settings → Cascade → Manage plugins

From here, you can toggle specific tools on or off.

Verification

Now let's confirm the integration is working.

1. Open the Cascade panel → Plugins and press Refresh.

2. Confirm that Mixedbread appears and is enabled.

3. Start a session and test Mixedbread tools with a simple command:

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   Create a new store called "my-knowledge-base"

Now you can manage your Stores and perform Search directly from Windsurf.

References

• Windsurf docs: Model Context Protocol