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Windsurf Filesystem search_files

How to: Windsurf Filesystem search_files

client:Windsurf transport:stdio tool:search_files

Add Filesystem to Windsurf

  1. 01

    Open ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json and merge this in. Keep any servers already there.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem"
      ]
    }
  }
}
  1. 02

    Save the file and restart Windsurf.

  2. 03

    Ask for something search_files does. Windsurf lists the server's tools on connect and calls search_files itself — you do not invoke it by name.

  3. 04

    If nothing happens, check the server is running and that Filesystem's identifier in your config matches the one above exactly.

Global only — Windsurf has no per-project MCP config. Refresh Cascade after saving. Windsurf docs

Same tool, other clients

Mutating and Read-only are read off each tool's name, not its schema — a hint, not a guarantee. The registry stores tool names only; connect the server for its live schemas.