W Editor · Cognition

Run Your Shopify SEO from Windsurf

Windsurf is an AI code editor from Cognition whose Cascade agent can call tools from MCP servers. Connected to StoreSEO, Cascade reads your store's SEO scores, previews optimized content and applies what you approve while your Shopify theme is open in the same window.

One serverUrl entry in mcp_config.json
OAuth through your Shopify admin, or a Bearer header
All 44 tools fit under Cascade's 100-tool cap

Connect Windsurf What it can do

Last updated: October 2026

Windsurf + StoreSEO Illustrative session

You: Is the HTML sitemap set up on my store? If not, set it up.
storeseo_start read-only
storeseo_get_html_sitemap_settings read-only
Windsurf: The HTML sitemap is not set up yet. I can generate it with the default settings, and it will be created in your store. You then add its link to a menu yourself. Generate it?
You: Yes, generate it.
storeseo_update_html_sitemap needs approval
Windsurf: The sitemap page is generated. Add its link to your footer menu, then tell me and I will mark setup complete.

StoreSEO is the AI SEO Agent for Shopify merchants — a Shopify app that optimizes your store for Google and gets it cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Perplexity.

On the Shopify App Store Start Free Trial

5.0/5 from 750+ Shopify reviews

How do I connect Windsurf to StoreSEO?

1
Add StoreSEO to mcp_config.json

In the Cascade panel, open the ... menu and click the Open MCP config file icon in the MCPs section. Add the entry under mcpServers and save. Remote servers use serverUrl.
JSON

{ "mcpServers": { "storeseo": { "serverUrl": "https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp" } } }
2
Sign in to your store

Windsurf supports OAuth for remote servers. When it asks you to sign in to storeseo, a browser window opens: pick your Shopify store and approve access. Then ask this to confirm the connection.
Prompt

Use StoreSEO to show me my store's SEO score breakdown.
3
Or connect with an access token Optional

Generate a token in StoreSEO under Settings, AI Toolkit and send it as a header. mcp_config.json reads environment variables with the env syntax, so the token can stay out of the file.
JSON

{ "mcpServers": { "storeseo": { "serverUrl": "https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp", "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:STORESEO_TOKEN}" } } } }

Sign-in

Windsurf's docs say OAuth works for remote MCP servers, so you sign in by picking your Shopify store in the browser and approving. If you prefer a token, generate one in StoreSEO under Settings, AI Toolkit and add it as an Authorization header in mcp_config.json.

Check it worked

Prompt

Use StoreSEO to show me my store's SEO score breakdown.

What is Windsurf?

Windsurf is an AI code editor that began at Codeium and is now part of Cognition. Its Cascade agent reads your project, edits files and calls tools, and Windsurf's documentation now lives under Devin Desktop.

Cascade adds MCP servers by editing mcp_config.json. You open it from the Cascade panel's Actions menu, and the file lives in ~/.config/devin/ on macOS and Linux and in %APPDATA%\devin\ on Windows. A remote server needs a serverUrl or url and, for a token, a headers block. The docs list OAuth as supported for each transport type.

Cascade can use at most 100 MCP tools at a time across all servers, and the MCPs section shows how many each server has enabled. Cascade has no MCP marketplace or one-click install, and Teams and Enterprise admins can turn MCP off or allowlist servers by name.

Why use Windsurf with StoreSEO?

All 44 tools fit

Cascade's 100-tool cap leaves room for every StoreSEO tool and a couple of other servers, so you do not have to trim the list the way you would in an editor with a lower limit.

SEO beside the Liquid

When a fix needs a theme change, Cascade can open the template in the same window while StoreSEO shows the score and the missing criteria for that page.

Switch off tools you never use

List any StoreSEO tool names in the server's disabledTools array and Cascade stops offering them, which keeps rank tracking out of the way for stores not on Pro.

Good to know

Windsurf's MCP page says its configuration applies to the legacy Cascade agent. The Devin Local agent, the default for new tabs, reads Devin CLI configuration files instead, so check which agent you are using.
Cascade allows 100 tools in total. StoreSEO uses 44, so other MCP servers you have enabled count against the same 100.
On Teams and Enterprise plans an admin can turn MCP off or allowlist servers by name. If storeseo does not load, ask your admin to allow the server name you used in mcp_config.json.
The Cascade tool-approval behavior is not described on the MCP page. Treat StoreSEO's confirmation as an instruction the agent follows and review each write in the chat before you accept it.

What can you ask Windsurf to do in StoreSEO?

Prompt 1

Use StoreSEO to list every product scoring under 50 and preview new meta for the first ten.

Prompt 2

Which product images have no alt text? Show me the ten heaviest first.

Prompt 3

Check my schema settings and tell me which types are off and what each would add.

Prompt 4

Is my llms.txt up to date? If not, tell me what generating a new one will change before you run it.

Prompt 5

Show me Search Console queries from the last 28 days where we rank between 8 and 20.

Windsurf guides by job

Each guide covers one StoreSEO job end to end in Windsurf: setup, prompts, an example session, the rules and the limits.

Audit your store's SEO with Windsurf Find the products, collections, pages and posts with the lowest SEO scores and see exactly what each one is missing. Optimize meta tags and content with Windsurf Preview and apply new meta titles, descriptions, URL handles, tags, FAQs and AI snippets, and set what StoreSEO optimizes automatically for newly synced products, collections and articles. Optimize images and alt text with Windsurf Compress heavy images, write alt text and give image files descriptive names, one image at a time, with a restore for each change. Get products ready for AI search with Windsurf Raise a product's GEO score so AI shopping agents and answer engines can understand it: FAQs, AI snippet, product schema and an agent-ready description. Publish llms.txt and agents.md with Windsurf Generate the llms.txt file answer engines read and the agents.md file AI shopping agents read, check what is live, roll back or delete llms.txt versions, and reset agents.md to Shopify's default. Set up structured data with Windsurf Check which JSON-LD schema types are on, configure organization, local business, product and review schema, and switch types on or off. Manage sitemaps and indexing with Windsurf Exclude pages from the sitemap, set noindex or nofollow on a resource, and set up an HTML sitemap page for shoppers and crawlers, including which menu links to it. Track keyword rankings with Windsurf Track where your store ranks on Google by country and language, add or remove keywords and up to five competitors, read each keyword's rank history, and build keyword clusters for products. Read Search Console and Analytics with Windsurf Ask about clicks, impressions, queries, pages and traffic sources from Google Search Console and GA4 without opening either. Write SEO blog post drafts with Windsurf Have StoreSEO write a complete SEO blog post and save it as a draft in your Shopify blog, ready for you to review and publish.

Which way should you connect?

MCP server with OAuth

Best for: Claude, ChatGPT and any client that supports remote MCP sign-in
Sign-in: Pick your store in Shopify and approve once
What you get: All 44 tools, scoped to the store you approved

Connect the MCP server

MCP server with an access token

Best for: Terminal agents and editors, or any client without OAuth
Sign-in: Generate a named token in Settings, AI Toolkit and send it as a Bearer header
What you get: The same 44 tools; revoke the token in the app to cut access

Set up the AI Toolkit

Shopify Sidekick

Best for: Merchants who stay inside Shopify admin
Sign-in: Nothing to add: StoreSEO is installed in your store
What you get: SEO answers and deep links to the fix page, not the MCP tools

Use StoreSEO with Sidekick

What runs without asking. Reads such as SEO scores, store listings, settings and Google reports run straight away. Generating a preview spends AI credit but writes nothing, and StoreSEO tells the agent to say what a generation will cost before it runs one. Applying content, optimizing images, changing settings, publishing llms.txt or agents.md, writing a product description and deleting anything wait for your yes in the conversation. That yes is an instruction the agent follows, not a lock on the server, so your client's own tool-approval setting is the hard stop.

Questions

How do I connect Windsurf to StoreSEO?

Open mcp_config.json from the Cascade panel's Actions menu, add a storeseo entry under mcpServers with the serverUrl https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp, and save. Then sign in when Windsurf asks: your browser opens, you pick your Shopify store and approve access.

Do I need a StoreSEO API key for Windsurf?

No. Windsurf supports OAuth for remote MCP servers. A personal access token from StoreSEO under Settings, AI Toolkit is the alternative, sent as an Authorization header in mcp_config.json.

Will StoreSEO fit under Windsurf's tool limit?

Yes. Cascade allows 100 tools in total and StoreSEO has 44. Other MCP servers you have enabled count against the same limit, so if you run several, disable the tools you do not need.

Where is mcp_config.json?

Open it from the Cascade panel: the Actions menu, then the Open MCP config file icon in the MCPs section. Windsurf's current docs place it at ~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json on macOS and Linux and at %APPDATA%\devin\mcp_config.json on Windows.

Will Windsurf change my store without asking?

StoreSEO tells the agent to preview first and wait for your yes before it applies content, optimizes images, publishes a file or deletes anything, and that yes is an instruction the agent follows, not a lock on the server. Review each write in the Cascade chat before you accept it, and keep the write tools out of any auto-approve setting you have. Reads such as scores and reports run straight away.

Which StoreSEO plan does Windsurf need?

Any active StoreSEO plan, including the free plan, can use the MCP server. Rank tracking is a Pro feature, Google reports need a paid plan with Google connected, and generated content spends AI Content Optimizer credit. See the pricing table for current plans.

How do I disconnect Windsurf from my store?

Remove the storeseo entry from mcp_config.json, or switch its toggle off in the MCPs section of the Cascade panel. Then revoke the connection or the access token in StoreSEO under Settings, AI Toolkit, where every connected app is listed.