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Overview

Add Operator to Windsurf so Cascade can call a dedicated, adaptive search agent whenever it needs fresh documentation, regression details, or implementation examples that go beyond your local code. Instead of guessing why a build broke or which version changed behavior, Cascade can ask Operator to investigate across multiple sources. This guide covers how to configure Operator as an MCP server in Windsurf and how to think about prompts that take advantage of Operator’s multi-source, difficulty-aware search.

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Configure the MCP server

Windsurf reads its MCP configuration from ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json. Add Operator there as an HTTP server: 
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "operator": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.operator.io/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${OPERATOR_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}
Set OPERATOR_API_KEY in your environment before launching Windsurf: 
export OPERATOR_API_KEY="sk_your_api_key_here"
Each developer supplies their own Operator API key. You can create and manage your key at operator.io. This remote configuration is ideal when you want a simple, hosted MCP endpoint managed by Operator with minimal local setup.

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HTTP vs SSE and header options

The hosted Operator MCP server supports both streamable HTTP and SSE transports. The JSON above uses HTTP at https://mcp.operator.io/mcp. If you need SSE instead, change the serverUrl to https://mcp.operator.io/sse. You can also send your OPERATOR_API_KEY using an x-api-key header instead of Authorization if your environment prefers that format.

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How Cascade uses Operator

With Operator configured, Cascade can call it as a tool whenever it needs to:
  • Debug tricky build or runtime errors using GitHub issues and changelogs.
  • Pull up-to-date framework and library docs.
  • Find compatibility notes and migration guides across versions.
  • Search for implementation examples tailored to your stack.
You can nudge Cascade to reach for Operator by saying things like “ask Operator to search for recent issues about this error” or “use Operator to pull the latest docs for this API.”