MCP Directory

How to add MarkView to Windsurf

Native macOS markdown preview MCP server — Claude writes markdown, MarkView renders it live in a real native window. Paste the config into ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json and restart Windsurf.

Last updated June 14, 2026 · 34★ · stdio · no auth

Windsurf config for MarkView

claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope user markview -- npx mcp-server-markview
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markview": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-markview"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Setup steps

  1. 1Open Windsurf → Cascade → the hammer/MCP icon → Configure (or edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json).
  2. 2Paste the MarkView config below.
  3. 3Fill in placeholder secrets, then save.
  4. 4Click Refresh in the MCP panel.
  5. 5MarkView's tools become available to Cascade.

Before you start

  • macOS 14+
  • Node.js / npx (to run the mcp-server-markview wrapper)
  • The MarkView app installed (via Homebrew cask, build from source, or the bundled app installer)

What MarkView can do in Windsurf

preview_markdown

Render markdown content in a live-reloading MarkView window.

open_file

Open an existing .md file in MarkView.

Security

macOS-only (requires macOS 14+). The MCP server is an npm wrapper that drives the native MarkView app; the app includes an HTML sanitizer that strips scripts, event handlers, and XSS vectors from rendered markdown. No authentication or network access required.

MarkView + Windsurf FAQ

Where is the Windsurf config file?

Windsurf reads MCP servers from ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json. Paste the MarkView config there under the "mcpServers" key and restart the client.

Is MarkView safe to use with Windsurf?

macOS-only (requires macOS 14+). The MCP server is an npm wrapper that drives the native MarkView app; the app includes an HTML sanitizer that strips scripts, event handlers, and XSS vectors from rendered markdown. No authentication or network access required.

Does MarkView work on Windows or Linux?

No. MarkView is a native macOS app (Swift/SwiftUI) and requires macOS 14 or later.

What tools does the MCP server expose?

Two tools: preview_markdown (render a markdown string in a live MarkView window) and open_file (open an existing .md file in MarkView).

How do I add it to Claude Desktop instead of Claude Code?

Add an mcpServers entry to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json with command "npx" and args ["mcp-server-markview"].

View repo Full MarkView page