NicoChat MCP/Windsurf - Connect the MCP

Windsurf - Connect the MCP

Declare the server in mcp_config.json and authorize it from the Cascade MCP panel.

2026-09-08

In Windsurf, MCP servers are used by Cascade. NicoChat goes into mcp_config.json as a remote server by URL; after you refresh the list, Windsurf shows the login button and opens the browser for authorization in NicoChat.

Before you start

Server URL: https://mcp.nicochat.com/mcp. It is the only information the client asks for; there is no API key to copy.
A NicoChat account with a workspace on a paid or trial plan, and you as its owner or admin.
Windsurf up to date. A plan with Cascade enabled.

Step by step

Open the MCP settings

In Cascade, click the MCPs icon (or go to Windsurf Settings › Cascade › MCP Servers) and choose Add custom server. Windsurf opens the ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json file.

Declare the server

Paste the block below and save.

Refresh the list

Back in the MCP panel, click Refresh. NicoChat shows up asking for login.

Authorize

Click Login: the browser opens on the NicoChat authorization. Log in, choose permissions and validity and confirm. The server then lists the tools.

Use it in Cascade

Ask NicoChat for something in a Cascade conversation. It asks for confirmation before each write tool.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nicochat": {
      "serverUrl": "https://mcp.nicochat.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}

The authorization screen

Whatever the client, authorization happens in the browser, on the NicoChat page. You log in, choose the permissions (read and analytics is always granted; configuration, contacts, integrations and campaigns are optional) and the validity of the connection: 1, 7, 30 or 90 days, or no expiration. The tools the assistant sees depend on what you checked here — to expand later, just reconnect.

Start with read only

On the first connection, grant only read and analytics and ask for a diagnosis of your channels. Once you are comfortable with what the assistant does, reconnect granting configuration or contacts.

First requests to try

With the connection in place, ask Cascade in natural language. Some examples that use read only:

"List my workspaces and the channels in each one."
"How many contacts entered the WhatsApp channel in the last 7 days and what is the average first response time?"
"Summarize the structure of channel X: flows, triggers, AI agents and kanban boards."
"Which keywords are configured in channel X and where does each one lead?"

If you granted configuration, the assistant also creates flows, triggers, tags and AI agents. Everything it creates inside a flow stays as a draft until you publish it in NicoChat.

Tool limit

Windsurf limits the total number of active tools across all servers. If you have other servers, turn off the ones you are not using, or connect to NicoChat only with the permissions you need.

Disconnect or revoke

In the client: remove the nicochat block from mcp_config.json and click Refresh, or turn the server off in the MCP panel.
In NicoChat: in Account Settings, revoke the authorization. The effect is immediate, even if the server is still registered in the client.

Common problems

Check that the JSON is valid and that the key used is serverUrl. Click Refresh after fixing it.

Update Windsurf. In older versions, remote servers with OAuth were not supported.

Copy the link the client shows and open it manually. If it shows no link at all, remove the server and add it again: the client registration in NicoChat is redone on first access.

That is expected when only the read permission was granted. Disconnect and connect again, checking the write permissions you need.

The server only operates in workspaces on a paid or trial plan where you are the owner or an admin. Check the plan and your role in the workspace in the NicoChat dashboard.

The validity you chose during authorization expired. Reconnect and, if you prefer, choose "no expiration".