Add the Tavily MCP server to Windsurf

Config last verified Jun 1, 2026

The exact config to run Tavily in Windsurf — paste it in, restart, and the tools load.

Prerequisites

Windsurf installed.
TAVILY_API_KEY — Tavily API key used to authenticate requests and govern usage limits.

Setup

1. Open `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`

On Windows the file lives at %USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json.

2. Add this configuration

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tavily": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.tavily.com/mcp/"
    }
  }
}

Heads up

Windsurf uses `serverUrl` for remote servers.

3. Restart Windsurf and confirm the Tavily tools load.

Gotchas

Windsurf uses `serverUrl` for remote servers.

Windsurf's Cascade reads MCP servers from an "mcpServers" object in ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json. Unlike most clients, remote servers are configured with the "serverUrl" field rather than "url", so a config that uses "url" silently fails to connect. Native remote transport is supported without an OAuth flow.

← Back to the Tavily MCP server