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
Last updated: October 2026
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.
5.0/5 from 750+ Shopify reviews
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.
{
"mcpServers": {
"storeseo": {
"serverUrl": "https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp"
}
}
} OAuth sign-in, or a Bearer header. Every step and the alternatives
Ask Windsurf about your store
Once connected, Windsurf opens a StoreSEO session and works from your store's real scores. Writes wait for your yes in the chat.
Is the HTML sitemap set up on my store? If not, set it up.
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?
via StoreSEO · illustrative
Also try · tap to copy
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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 config{ "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.
new message to WindsurfUse 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 config{ "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
Use StoreSEO to show me my store's SEO score breakdown.
Full setup guide in the docs: How to connect StoreSEO MCP to Windsurf
-
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.
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?
Tap a prompt to copy it, then paste it into Windsurf.
One connection gives Windsurf your whole store
Connect Windsurf once. It can then read and improve every part of your store below, through the same 44 StoreSEO tools and the same approval rules.
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.
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
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
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
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.
