tavily-mcp MCP server in Windsurf live search for Cascade.

Windsurf's Cascade agent takes MCP tools from one global file: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json. One entry connects tavily-mcp (2.1k stars) and gives Cascade real web search via the Tavily API.

Windsurf (by Codeium) wires MCP servers into Cascade, its agentic assistant. Unlike Cursor or VS Code there's no per-project MCP file — everything lives in a single global config at ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json, so tavily-mcp becomes available in every workspace at once.

The server is an npm package Windsurf runs over stdio via npx, with your Tavily API key (from tavily.com) supplied as an environment variable. Setup takes one JSON block and a refresh.

Two routes to the config

From the UI: open Windsurf Settings, find the Cascade section, and under MCP Servers choose Add Server — Windsurf manages mcp_config.json for you and offers a view of configured servers with a refresh control.

Directly: open ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json in any editor (create it if missing — note the path is under .codeium, a leftover of Windsurf's Codeium lineage that trips people up). Either route ends with the same JSON.

The mcp_config.json entry

Windsurf uses the familiar mcpServers shape:

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tavily-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "tavily-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "TAVILY_API_KEY": "tvly-YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Refresh and run a search

After saving, hit the refresh button in the MCP Servers panel of Windsurf's Cascade settings — that re-reads the config without restarting the app. The tavily-mcp entry should show as connected with its tool count.

Then ask Cascade something it can't know from training data: "search for the latest Windsurf changelog and summarize it." Cascade proposes the Tavily tool call, you approve it, and the response comes back with sourced results. Tool calls from MCP servers count like other Cascade tool uses, so a search-heavy session will consume your plan's credits accordingly — check Windsurf's current pricing docs for specifics.

Troubleshooting Windsurf specifics

Server missing after refresh: validate the JSON first — Windsurf skips a malformed file without much ceremony. Confirm the file path character by character; ~/.codeium/windsurf/ is the real location even though the product is called Windsurf, and creating a ~/.windsurf/mcp_config.json by instinct does nothing.

Connected but zero tools, or errors on call: try a full app restart rather than just refresh — config refresh occasionally misses env changes. If npx fails to spawn, launch Windsurf from a terminal so it inherits your shell PATH, or install Node system-wide. Call-time auth errors are the API key: re-check the tvly- value and your Tavily quota.

The listing on Loomal

tavily-mcp is indexed with its live tool list at https://loomal.ai/marketplace/tavily-mcp. The server software is free and open source under github.com/tavily-ai/tavily-mcp; Tavily meters the API behind it. The surrounding Loomal index focuses on what directories usually omit — per-call pricing and x402 payment endpoints, so agents can pay for search calls in USDC without a subscription.

FAQ

How do I add tavily-mcp to Windsurf?

Add a tavily-mcp entry under mcpServers in ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json — command npx, args ["-y", "tavily-mcp"], TAVILY_API_KEY in env — then hit refresh in Settings > Cascade > MCP Servers. The Add Server UI writes the same file for you.

Why is Windsurf's config under ~/.codeium?

Windsurf grew out of Codeium, and the config directory kept the old name. The MCP file is at ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json on every platform — a hand-made ~/.windsurf/ folder won't be read.

Can I configure tavily-mcp for just one project in Windsurf?

No — mcp_config.json is global, so the server is available in every workspace. If you don't want it active everywhere, remove or disable the entry when you're done rather than looking for a per-project file.

Tavily shows connected but searches fail — what now?

That's almost always the key: a typo in the TAVILY_API_KEY value or an exhausted Tavily quota. The server starts fine without a valid key and only fails when a search runs. Fix the value, refresh, and retry; a full restart clears stale env values.

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