MCP Server Setup Guides for Windsurf
Windsurf has its own MCP configuration path, so a walkthrough written for Cursor will not transfer line for line. The setup guide below covers the Windsurf side, and the comparison piece looks at where the two editors differ on MCP support.
Windsurf-specific coverage here is deliberately narrow. The foundations and multi-client guides underneath it are the ones that carry over unchanged, because they deal with credentials, transports and server behaviour rather than any one editor.
19 guides in this collection.
Windsurf guides
How to Set Up MCP Servers in Windsurf IDE (2026 Complete Guide)
Step-by-step guide to configuring Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers in Windsurf IDE. Connect databases, APIs, and tools to Cascade AI in minutes.
Windsurf vs Cursor: MCP Server Support Compared (2026)
Comparing MCP server support in Windsurf vs Cursor IDE. Which AI code editor handles MCP better? Config format, server compatibility, agentic mode differences, and our verdict.
Foundations that apply to any client
What the Model Context Protocol actually is
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI applications like Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor connect to external tools and data through a single, reusable interface instead of a custom integration per tool.
Tools, resources and prompts compared
Deep dive into the three core MCP primitives — tools, resources, and prompts. Learn when to use each and how they work together.
Authentication patterns: API keys, OAuth and service accounts
A complete guide to MCP server authentication — API keys in env vars, OAuth flows, bearer tokens, and keeping secrets out of your config files.
Server-side security checklist
A practical, code-first MCP security checklist: input validation, rate limiting, least privilege, and output sanitization patterns you can paste into a server today.
Choosing between local and remote servers
Compare local and remote MCP server deployments. Learn the pros, cons, and use cases for each approach to make the right choice for your needs.
Debugging a server that will not connect
A practical troubleshooting guide for MCP server problems. Learn to diagnose connection failures, tool errors, and performance issues with step-by-step solutions.
Server guides that cover more than one client
How to Set Up the Filesystem MCP Server (2026)
Give Claude, Cursor, and VS Code safe, scoped access to your local files with the Filesystem MCP server. Full setup with copy-paste config, allowed directories, and troubleshooting.
How to Set Up the GitHub MCP Server (2026)
Connect GitHub to Claude, Cursor, and VS Code with the official GitHub MCP server. Read issues and PRs, browse code, trigger Actions, and review security alerts from your AI assistant.
How to Set Up the Google Drive MCP Server (2026)
Connect Google Drive to Claude, Cursor, and VS Code with MCP. Search Docs, read Sheets, and pull files into your AI workflow, with OAuth config and troubleshooting.
How to Set Up a Google Sheets MCP Server (2026)
Connect Google Sheets to Claude, Cursor, and VS Code with MCP. Read, write, and analyze spreadsheet data from your AI assistant, with Google Cloud credentials and OAuth or service-account auth.
How to Set Up the Linear MCP Server (2026)
Connect Linear to Claude, Cursor, and VS Code with MCP. Query issues, update status, create tickets, and search projects, with Linear API key setup and troubleshooting.
How to Set Up the Notion MCP Server (2026)
Connect Notion to Claude, Cursor, and VS Code with MCP. Read pages, search your workspace, create and update content, with Notion API key setup and database permissions.
How to Set Up the Playwright MCP Server (2026)
Give Claude, Cursor, and VS Code a real browser with the official Playwright MCP server. Navigate pages, click, fill forms, and scrape using the accessibility tree.
How to Set Up the Redis MCP Server (2026)
Connect Redis to Claude, Cursor, and VS Code with MCP. Query keys, inspect data structures, run commands, and search vector indexes from your AI assistant.
How to Set Up the Sentry MCP Server (2026)
Connect Sentry to Claude, Cursor, and VS Code with MCP. Pull error details, stack traces, and issue context into your AI assistant so it can triage and help fix bugs.
How to Set Up the Stripe MCP Server (2026)
Connect Stripe to Claude, Cursor, and VS Code with MCP. Query customers, payments, and subscriptions, create payment links, and manage billing data from your AI assistant.
How to Set Up the Zapier MCP Server (2026)
Connect Zapier to Claude, Cursor, and VS Code with MCP. Trigger and run workflows from your AI assistant, with hosted server setup and tool selection.
MCP setup guides for other clients
Prefer to scan the whole library at once? The complete article index lists every guide by publication date, and both hub views sit side by side on the guides page.