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MCP Time Tracker in Windsurf

Track billable time without leaving the chat. It keeps a running timer, takes time you forgot to log, applies an hourly rate per project, and turns the log into a report, a CSV or invoice lines. Plain JSON on disk.

Because mcp_config.json is loaded for every workspace, the timer follows you between projects, which is what you want from a tracker and not from a file tool. Eleven tools out of the 100 Cascade can hold is a cheap seat.

What you get in Windsurf

You say	Tool
Start a timer for the Acme website project.	`timer_start`
Log 2.5 hours yesterday for Acme, design review, at 90 euros an hour.	`entry_add`
How many hours did I bill this month, grouped by project?	`report`

In the audit run each of those sentences took one tool call, at 7.7 s and 14.6 s including a turn that also logged an expense.

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

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

The npm publish of @theluckystrike/mcp-time-tracker 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/time-tracker 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": {
    "time-tracker": {
      "url": "https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/time-tracker",
      "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: unlimited timers and entries, 7 days of reports, 2 rated projects. 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 Time Tracker.

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 Time Tracker contributes 13 tools, so keep the enabled list short rather than counting servers.

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