
How to add Apify Actors to Windsurf
Official Apify MCP server — search and scrape the web via thousands of ready-made Actors; local or remote. Paste the config into ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json and restart Windsurf.
Last updated June 15, 2026 · 1.3k★ · stdio · apikey · official
Windsurf config for Apify Actors
npx -y @apify/actors-mcp-server{
"mcpServers": {
"apify-actors": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@apify/actors-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"APIFY_TOKEN": "<your-apify-token>"
}
}
}
}Setup steps
- 1Open Windsurf → Cascade → the hammer/MCP icon → Configure (or edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json).
- 2Paste the Apify Actors config below.
- 3Fill in placeholder secrets, then save.
- 4Click Refresh in the MCP panel.
- 5Apify Actors's tools become available to Cascade.
Before you start
- An Apify account and API token from the Apify Console (Settings -> Integrations / API tokens)
- For local use: Node.js v22+ to run `npx @apify/actors-mcp-server`
- For remote use: an MCP client that supports remote servers and OAuth (e.g. Claude.ai, VS Code), or a Bearer token
- Note: running Actors consumes Apify platform credits/usage on your account
What Apify Actors can do in Windsurf
search-actorsDiscover Actors in the Apify Store relevant to a task.
fetch-actor-detailsReturn an Actor's specs, README, and input schema.
call-actorRun an Actor with input and retrieve its results.
add-actorDynamically expose a chosen Actor as its own MCP tool.
get-actor-runFetch information about a specific Actor run.
get-dataset-itemsRetrieve paginated items from an Actor run's output dataset.
get-key-value-store-recordRead a record from an Actor's key-value store.
abort-actor-runCancel a running Actor.
Security
The APIFY_TOKEN gates billable Actor runs; keep it secret and consider scoping exposed tools to limit what an agent can trigger. Actors execute remote scraping you may pay for, so review which Actors are enabled before running untrusted prompts.
Apify Actors + Windsurf FAQ
Where is the Windsurf config file?
Windsurf reads MCP servers from ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json. Paste the Apify Actors config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.
Is Apify Actors safe to use with Windsurf?
The APIFY_TOKEN gates billable Actor runs; keep it secret and consider scoping exposed tools to limit what an agent can trigger. Actors execute remote scraping you may pay for, so review which Actors are enabled before running untrusted prompts.
How do I authenticate?
With an Apify API token. The hosted server at mcp.apify.com supports OAuth, or you can pass Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_TOKEN>; locally set the APIFY_TOKEN environment variable.
Is it free?
The server itself is open source (MIT), but running Actors consumes Apify platform usage. New accounts get free monthly platform credits to start.
Should I use the hosted server or run it locally?
Apify recommends the hosted server at https://mcp.apify.com — it supports OAuth and gets the newest features (like output schema inference) first. Local stdio via npm is available for offline/embedded use.