Windsurf with Markup AI MCP

Coding

Overview

Connect Windsurf to the hosted Markup AI MCP server at https://api.markup.ai/mcp/ so Cascade can run brand-voice, clarity, persona, and other content agents.

You’ll need a Markup AI account to continue. Sign up at https://console.markup.ai/signup.

Get Your API Key

Visit https://console.markup.ai/signup and create an account.
Copy your API key from the console.

Store your key securely. Windsurf supports ${env:VAR} interpolation in headers, so you can reference an environment variable instead of pasting the key.

Configure Windsurf (External MCP Server)

In Windsurf, go to Windsurf Settings → General. Navigate to the MCP section and click Add Server, then Add Custom Server.
Paste this snippet into the Windsurf raw config (~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markup-ai": {
      "serverUrl": "https://api.markup.ai/mcp/",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

If your config already has an mcpServers section, merge the "markup-ai" entry into it instead of duplicating the key.
Save the file and refresh Windsurf.

The serverUrl field is what marks this as a remote HTTP server. Prefer to log in instead of using a key? Omit the headers block and Windsurf will start the OAuth login flow.

Restart & Verify

Use the refresh action in Windsurf (or fully relaunch) after saving the raw config.
Open Cascade and confirm an MCP connection indicator or that Markup AI tools are listed.

Test Your Setup

“Check this paragraph for brand-voice drift: [paste text]”
“How would a skeptical buyer react to this copy? [paste text]”

You should see Cascade call Markup AI tools to analyze your text.

Troubleshooting

Ensure your config is valid JSON. A trailing comma or mismatched brace will prevent loading.
Confirm the URL is https://api.markup.ai/mcp/.
If changes don’t apply, make sure you saved the raw config and refreshed Windsurf.