> For clean Markdown of any page, append `.md` to the page URL.
> Documentation index: https://you.com/docs/llms.txt (section indexes: append `/llms.txt` to any section URL).
> Search these docs: Docs MCP at https://you.com/docs/_mcp/server (`searchDocs`, no API key).
> Call live You.com APIs: Product MCP at https://api.you.com/mcp (keyless `?profile=free` exposes `you-search` and `you-discover`. Research and finance use `/mcp/research`, `/mcp/finance`, or `?tools=` on `/mcp`). To pick an API or integration path, call `you-discover` on that server instead of guessing.
> OpenAPI: https://you.com/docs/openapi.json—auth header `X-API-Key`, env `YDC_API_KEY`.

# Windsurf

Give Windsurf's Cascade agent real-time web search, content extraction, and citation-backed research through the [You.com MCP Server](/docs/agents/mcp-server).

> **Install our docs MCP server**
>
> This documentation ships with a Docs MCP Server that gives any MCP-enabled agent a `searchDocs` tool to search every page here and get back relevant passages with source URLs—no API key required. Point your client at `https://you.com/docs/_mcp/server`. See the [Docs MCP Server guide](/docs/agents/docs-mcp-server) for setup and examples.

## Quick Setup

## Open Windsurf MCP Settings

In Windsurf, open **Settings → Cascade → Model Context Protocol Servers**, click **Add Server**, then paste:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "you-com": {
      "serverUrl": "https://api.you.com/mcp?profile=free"
    }
  }
}
```

> **Warning**
>
> **Windsurf gotcha:** Windsurf uses `serverUrl` (not `url`) for remote MCP servers. Copy-pasting the JSON template from the MCP Server overview page won't work without this rename.

This uses the free profile: keyless `you-search` and `you-discover`, 100 queries per day, no signup.

## Reload Cascade

Click the refresh icon in the MCP panel, or restart Windsurf. The `you-com` server should appear with a green status indicator.

## Try It in Cascade

Open Cascade and prompt:

```text
Search for the latest Astro 5 release notes and summarize the new features.
```

Cascade will request permission to use `you-search` on first call.

## Higher Rate Limits

For higher limits plus `you-contents` and `you-balance` on `/mcp`. `you-research` and `you-finance` need the dedicated paths or an explicit allowlist:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "you-com": {
      "serverUrl": "https://api.you.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <YDC_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

Get a key at [you.com/platform](https://you.com/platform).

## Quick Demo

```text
Research which JavaScript runtimes support native TypeScript execution in 2026, with citations.
```

```text
Extract https://docs.astro.build/en/guides/upgrade-to/v5/ and summarize the breaking changes section.
```

## Troubleshooting

#### Server shows red status

Check `serverUrl`, not `url`. Windsurf's config format diverges from Claude Desktop's here.

#### Tools never get called

Cascade may be deferring to its built-in tools. In a prompt, explicitly ask: *"Use the you-com MCP server to search..."*

#### 401 errors with API key

Verify the `Authorization` header is exactly `Bearer YDC-...` with one space. Do not add extra quotes around the value in the JSON.

#### Server loads but tools missing

Restart Windsurf entirely. In-app refresh is unreliable for tool re-discovery.

## Resources

#### [MCP Server Reference](/docs/agents/mcp-server)

Endpoint, authentication, and full tool reference.

#### [SDKs & Tools Overview](/docs/integrations-overview)

Browse every You.com SDK, agent tool, and integration.