Integration GuideJanuary 2026

Using Polydev with Windsurf

Add multi-model AI consultation to your Windsurf IDE setup for smarter code suggestions and problem-solving with Cascade.

WindsurfMCPCascade

Works across all IDEs: Polydev uses the universal Model Context Protocol (MCP) standard. The same MCP server powers Windsurf, Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, and Codex CLI. Just add it to your MCP config and mention "polydev" or "perspectives" in any prompt.

npm install -g polydev-ai

Windsurf MCP Marketplace showing Polydev enabled

Windsurf MCP Marketplace with Polydev enabled

Quick Start

Get Polydev running in Windsurf in under 2 minutes:

Install Polydev

npm install -g polydev-ai

Requires Node.js. This installs the polydev-ai command globally so you can run it from any terminal.

Authenticate

polydev-ai login

Run this from any terminal. Opens your browser and saves your token automatically. Alternative: get your token from polydev.ai/dashboard/mcp-tokens

Add MCP config

Create or edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "polydev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "polydev-ai@latest"]
    }
  }
}

If you got your token manually instead of using polydev-ai login, add an env block: "env": { "POLYDEV_USER_TOKEN": "pd_xxx" }

Restart Windsurf

Close and reopen Windsurf to load the new MCP server. Cascade will automatically detect the new tool.

Use with Cascade

Ask Cascade to consult other models when you need different perspectives:

"I'm designing a caching strategy. Can you use Polydev to get perspectives from multiple AI models?"

Manual Configuration

If the automatic installer doesn't work, you can manually configure Polydev:

Windsurf MCP Configuration

Create or edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "polydev": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "polydev-ai@latest"],
      "env": {
        "POLYDEV_USER_TOKEN": "pd_your_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

If you ran polydev-ai login, you can remove the env block — the server reads your saved token from ~/.polydev.env automatically.

Alternative: Settings UI

You can also configure MCP servers through Windsurf's settings:

Open Windsurf Settings (Cmd+,)
Search for "MCP" or navigate to Extensions → Cascade
Find the MCP Servers configuration section
Add a new server with the configuration above

Note: Windsurf uses mcp_config.json in the ~/.codeium/windsurf/ directory.

Usage Examples with Cascade

Cascade Flow Integration

You say:

"I need to refactor this authentication flow. Use polydev to get recommendations from multiple AI models before we make changes."

Cascade will query multiple models and incorporate their perspectives into its suggested changes.

Multi-File Analysis

You say:

"Review these database models for any design issues. Get polydev perspectives on the relationships and indexes."

Windsurf's multi-file context combined with multi-model consultation catches more issues.

Performance Optimization

You say:

"This React component is slow. Use polydev to get optimization strategies from different AI models."

Different models suggest different optimization approaches - memoization, virtualization, code splitting, etc.

Windsurf-Specific Tips

Cascade Flows + Polydev

When Cascade proposes a flow of changes, ask for Polydev perspectives before accepting. This adds a multi-model review layer to Windsurf's agentic coding.

Supercomplete Enhancement

For complex code completions, ask Cascade to validate Supercomplete suggestions with Polydev before accepting them.

Multi-Repository Context

Windsurf's workspace awareness combined with Polydev gives you multi-model consultation that understands your entire project structure.

Auto-Invocation with Windsurf Rules

Make Cascade automatically consult Polydev when you're stuck. Windsurf supports two approaches:

.windsurfrules (project root)

Read at the start of every Cascade session for this project.

AGENTS.md (project root)

Windsurf also supports AGENTS.md — the same format used by Codex CLI. Great if you share a repo across multiple IDE tools.

Global AI Rules

Settings → Cascade → Memories & Rules → Global Rules. Applies to all projects.

Add this to any of the above:

# Auto-Invoke Polydev for Multi-Model Perspectives

When the user encounters any of these situations, automatically
use the polydev MCP tool (get_perspectives) to consult multiple
AI models before responding:

1. User says "stuck", "confused", "not sure", or "can't figure out"
2. Comparison questions: "Should I use X or Y?"
3. Security or code review requests
4. After 2-3 failed debugging attempts
5. Architecture or design decisions
6. Performance optimization questions

Example: If user says "I'm stuck on this auth bug", call
polydev.get_perspectives with the problem context before answering.

Tip: Use .windsurfrules for Windsurf-specific rules. Use AGENTS.md if your team uses multiple IDEs (Codex, Windsurf, etc.) and wants shared instructions.

When to Use Multi-Model Consultation

Best for:

Before accepting Cascade flows
Complex refactoring decisions
Security-sensitive code
Architecture discussions
Debugging elusive bugs

Skip for:

Simple autocompletions
Routine code changes
Standard boilerplate
Documentation updates

Troubleshooting

MCP server not connecting?

Check that ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json exists and has valid JSON. Restart Windsurf completely after making changes.

Cascade not using Polydev?

Explicitly mention "polydev" in your prompt. Try: "Use the polydev MCP server to get perspectives from other AI models."

Slow responses or timeouts?

Multi-model queries take 10-60 seconds depending on prompt complexity. Windsurf does not currently support configurable MCP tool timeouts. Polydev handles timeouts server-side (400 seconds), but if Windsurf's built-in timeout cuts the connection early, try breaking complex prompts into simpler questions.

Config file location?

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

Ready to get started?

Get Your API Key View Full Docs