Add Crawleo MCP to Windsurf IDE with a free subscription
Windsurf's Cascade agent supports MCP, which means you can plug in Crawleo for free and give it live web access. This tutorial shows how to open Windsurf's MCP configuration, add the Crawleo server, authenticate with your free Crawleo API key, and confirm Cascade can now search and crawl the web while you build.
What you'll learn
- Opening Windsurf's MCP configuration file
- Adding the Crawleo MCP server entry
- Using a free Crawleo API key
- Verifying Cascade can search and crawl
Step-by-step guide
- 1
Sign up for the free Crawleo plan
Create a free Crawleo account at crawleo.dev and copy your API key from the Dashboard — no card required.
- 2
Open Windsurf's MCP settings
In Windsurf, open the Cascade / MCP settings and find the option to add a new MCP server (or edit the mcp_config.json directly).
- 3
Add the Crawleo server
Paste the Crawleo MCP server configuration and set your API key in the env block, exactly as the Crawleo docs specify.
- 4
Refresh MCP servers
Save and refresh so Windsurf loads the server. Crawleo's search and crawl tools should now appear in Cascade's available tools.
- 5
Test it in Cascade
Ask Cascade to look something up online or read a URL. It uses Crawleo to fetch live results and folds them into its answer.
Frequently asked questions
Can I really do this on the free plan?
Yes. Both Windsurf and Crawleo offer free tiers, so you can complete this entire setup and run live web queries without paying for anything.
Do I need a paid Crawleo plan to follow this tutorial?
No. Crawleo has a free tier that includes credits for search and crawling, so you can complete the entire setup and run real requests without entering a card. Create an account at crawleo.dev, grab your API key, and you're ready.
Where do I get my Crawleo API key?
Sign in at crawleo.dev, open your Dashboard, and copy the API key from the API Keys section. Treat it like a password and store it in an environment variable rather than committing it to source control.
Try it with your own API key
Create a free Crawleo account and follow along — no card required.
