Windsurf quickstart

Connect cloneside to Windsurf so Cascade can query your database safely — with a read-only firewall, 500-row cap, and PII classification, all without exposing your connection string through the AI interface.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12 or later
• A PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQL Server database you can reach locally
• Windsurf 1.0 or later

1. Install cloneside

pip install cloneside

Or with uv:

uv add cloneside

2. Scan your database

Run a scan to verify connectivity and see which columns cloneside classifies as PII:

cloneside scan postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb

Replace the URL with your actual connection string. cloneside reads schema metadata only — no rows are stored or uploaded.

3. Create cloneside.toml

[gateway]
target_url = "postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb"
dialect     = "postgresql"
license_key = ""          # paste your license key here to unlock the query tool

4. Add the MCP server to Windsurf

Option A — config file: create or edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cloneside": {
      "command": "cloneside",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Option B — Windsurf UI: open Windsurf → Cascade → MCP Servers and click + Add. Set command to cloneside and args to mcp.

5. Verify the connection

Restart Windsurf. In the Cascade panel, type:

describe_table users

You should see column names, types, and PII classifications. The query tool appears automatically once you add a valid license_key.