MCP serverWindsurf, Cascade and Devin Desktop
The names moved, so here is which one you have. Each of them reads MCP servers from a config file, and Respira is one of those servers.
- Devin Desktop
- The editor that windsurf.com now presents. New tabs default to the Devin Local agent, and Cascade is still there as the legacy agent.
- Windsurf Plugins
- Cascade inside JetBrains, VS Code and other editors. This is what people usually mean by the Windsurf plugin.
- Cascade
- The agent you talk to. It is the part that calls Respira's tools.
The setup, in five steps
- Copy your config value.
Open the MCP setup page in your Respira dashboard and copy the
RESPIRA_CONFIG_B64value. One value covers every WordPress site on your account, and you move between them by naming the site in chat. - Open the MCP config file.
In Cascade, open the MCP menu and choose Open MCP config file. Use the file it opens, because the location depends on your build.
- Add the Respira server.
Add the block from the next section under
mcpServers, paste your value and save. - Press refresh.
Cognition's docs ask for this after you add a server. Without it the tools may not appear.
- Run a first task.
prompt using respira-wordpress, list my connected WordPress sites and which page builder each one runsReal site names coming back is the test.
The config
This is the same npm server the other desktop clients use. Replace the placeholder with the value from your dashboard. Windsurf needs Node.js on your machine to run it.
{
"mcpServers": {
"respira-wordpress": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@respira/wordpress-mcp-server@latest"],
"env": {
"RESPIRA_CONFIG_B64": "<paste from the Respira dashboard>"
}
}
}
}That value carries access to every site on your account. Keep the file out of any git repository.
Or connect one site with no Node.js
Each site also has its own MCP address. Cascade takes it as serverUrl, and the
site's key from your dashboard goes in the
Authorization header. Set RESPIRA_API_KEY in your environment so the
key stays out of the file.
{
"mcpServers": {
"respira-my-site": {
"serverUrl": "https://your-site.com/wp-json/respira/v1/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer ${env:RESPIRA_API_KEY}"
}
}
}
}If the server does not appear
- You edited a different file.
- Cascade's own file is
~/.config/devin/mcp_config.jsonon macOS and Linux and%AppData%/devin/mcp_config.jsonon Windows by default. The editor's discovery reads a separate one at~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json, and only if thewindsurfsource is on underchat.mcp.discovery.enabled. An older guide or tool may have written to that second file. - You are in Devin Local, not Cascade.
- Open Customize in the agent sidebar, then MCPs, to see what it has loaded. Its user-level file is the same
~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json, and.devin/mcp_config.jsoncovers one project. - Your team blocks it.
- Once a team admin allowlists one MCP server, every server not on the list is blocked. Ask them to add this one. Enterprise users also have to turn MCP on in settings.
- The site refuses the connection.
- Check the plugin is active and the site is connected on your dashboard, then see the MCP install guide.
Things to ask, once it is connected
- on site A, open the pricing page and show me every heading and its styling
- duplicate the about page on site B, then translate every heading to Spanish
- find all pages that still mention 2025 pricing and show me each one before changing anything
- run the accessibility scan on the homepage and list the WCAG violations
- roll back the last change on site C, something broke the mobile layout
Questions people ask
How do I connect the Windsurf plugin to WordPress?
Install Respira for WordPress on the site, connect the site to your Respira account, and add the Respira MCP server to mcp_config.json. Open that file from the MCP menu in Cascade, paste the block on this page with your RESPIRA_CONFIG_B64 value, and press refresh. The same block works in the Windsurf plugin for JetBrains and VS Code and in the Windsurf editor, now Devin Desktop.
Is Windsurf the same thing as Devin Desktop?
windsurf.com now presents the editor as Devin Desktop, and its documentation calls Cascade the legacy agent there, with Devin Local as the default for new tabs. Windsurf Plugins, for JetBrains, VS Code and other editors, keep the Windsurf name. Respira is an MCP server, so what changes between them is the config file, not the setup.
Which config file does it use?
Use the file that Open MCP config file opens in Cascade: by default ~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json on macOS and Linux, and %AppData%/devin/mcp_config.json on Windows. The editor can also discover servers from ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json. Devin Local has the same user-level path, and .devin/mcp_config.json for one project.
Can Windsurf change my live site?
Page and post edits land on a draft duplicate by default, and you approve the copy before it goes live. The live page changes directly only if the site owner has turned on direct editing. Page and post writes also save a snapshot first, so a change can be undone later.
Does browser sign-in work instead of a key?
Cognition documents OAuth for remote servers in Cascade, and Respira offers browser sign-in to other MCP clients, but I have not tested that pairing, so this page does not promise it. The two blocks on this page do not depend on it.
Does it work with Elementor, Bricks or Divi?
Respira writes in the page builder's own format across 19 builders, so an Elementor page stays an Elementor page. Nothing is flattened to HTML.
Why this setup is safe to leave on
- Page edits land on a copy.
- The live page keeps serving visitors until you approve the draft.
- A snapshot before every page and post write.
- An agent can move fast and sometimes sideways. Undo has to be faster.
- Native builder writes.
- Elementor stays Elementor, Bricks stays Bricks, Divi stays Divi, across 19 builders.
