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MCP Spreadsheet in Windsurf

Read, query, edit and convert xlsx and csv files safely. It opens xlsx, xlsm, xlsb, ods, csv and tsv, guesses the header row on a messy export, and queries with an expression language that has no eval.

Cascade edits files in the workspace; this server reads and writes the ones Cascade should not be parsing by hand, which is any workbook big enough that a model reading it row by row would be guessing.

What you get in Windsurf

You say	Tool
Open sales.xlsx and tell me what's in it.	`sheet_info`
Which rep sold the most units in the North region? Top 5 with totals.	`sheet_query`
Add a Revenue column that's Units times Unit Price, save it as a CSV next to the original.	`sheet_add_column`

The group-by ranking above used to cost five tool calls and 71 seconds via a python fallback. It is one sheet_query call here.

Install it in Windsurf

The file is mcp_config.json, and the key inside it is mcpServers.

Scope	Path
macOS, Windows and Linux	`~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json`

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spreadsheet": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@theluckystrike/mcp-spreadsheet"]
    }
  }
}

Save and reopen the MCP Servers list; Cascade picks it up without restarting the editor.

The npm publish of @theluckystrike/mcp-spreadsheet is pending; until then use the .mcpb bundle or a clone and build from the latest release.

No install: the hosted endpoint

The same server runs at https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/spreadsheet over MCP streamable HTTP, no install. Mint a free token with curl https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/token, or use a Pro key. It has no filesystem, so a file comes back as a one-hour download link.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "spreadsheet": {
      "url": "https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/spreadsheet",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer <token>" }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf notes worth knowing first

Read this first: mcp_config.json applies to the legacy Cascade agent only. The Devin Local agent, the default for new tabs, takes its servers from the Devin CLI config files, so a correct entry here can still be invisible in a fresh tab. The other hard number is a cap: Cascade reaches at most 100 tools at once, and every enabled server spends from it.

Free: read, query, stats and find up to 5,000 rows; writes up to 500 rows, never partial. Pro is $19 once, verified offline.

Questions

Where does Windsurf keep its MCP config?

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json, under mcpServers. Reach it from the MCPs icon at the top right of the Cascade panel, or Devin Settings, Cascade, MCP Servers.

I edited the file and a new tab still cannot see MCP Spreadsheet.

That file applies to the legacy Cascade agent only. The Devin Local agent, the default for new tabs, reads its servers from the Devin CLI config files instead. Check which agent the tab runs.

How many servers can I load at once?

Cascade reaches at most 100 tools at any one time, and every enabled server spends from that single budget. MCP Spreadsheet contributes 10 tools, so keep the enabled list short rather than counting servers.

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