To add persistent memory to Windsurf, connect Cascade to Answer Engine through MCP and use a scoped memory library. Windsurf remains the coding interface, while Answer Engine stores source-linked project facts, prior decisions, and corrections that can be reused from other clients later.
Last updated: June 20, 2026.
Why add memory to Windsurf?
Windsurf is an active coding surface. It can see the current editor state, but durable project knowledge should live outside a single client. The Windsurf Cascade MCP docs describe MCP integration for connecting external tools to Cascade. Use that integration to connect a source-aware memory server.
The MCP introduction describes the protocol as a standard for connecting AI applications to external systems. That is the portability reason: your project memory should outlive Windsurf, Claude Code, Cursor, or any one client.
What config should you paste?
Use this shape in Windsurf’s MCP configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"answer-engine": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["answer-engine-mcp"],
"env": {
"ANSWER_ENGINE_API_KEY": "ae_live_your_key_here",
"ANSWER_ENGINE_API_URL": "https://engine.answeragent.ai",
"ANSWER_ENGINE_LIBRARY": "personal-memory"
}
}
}
}Do not commit a real API key. Use a scoped key that only grants the memory library Windsurf should access.
What should Windsurf write to memory?
Use the write path for durable facts:
| Store | Do not store |
|---|---|
| Architecture decisions | Raw editor churn |
| Test commands | Every failed autocomplete |
| Issue constraints | Secrets |
| User preferences | Unsupported guesses |
| Source-backed corrections | Old facts without supersession |
The MCP architecture docs define tools as server-exposed functions. A memory server should expose write tools as well as search tools so Windsurf can save important facts when you ask it to.
How do you verify the setup?
Use a small source-backed test:
Save this project memory in Answer Engine: the repo's marketing content lives in apps/marketing, not packages/web-ui. Source: project docs.Then start a fresh Windsurf session and ask:
Use Answer Engine memory to find where marketing content lives in this repo.The answer should cite the memory or source artifact. If it guesses, explicitly instruct Windsurf to use the Answer Engine MCP server.
How does this stay portable?
The memory stays in Answer Engine, not in Windsurf. The same library can later be used from Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, REST, or CLI. That is the core Portable Agent Memory design: clients can change without losing durable source-linked memory.
What should you do when Windsurf retrieves the wrong memory?
Inspect scope first. Confirm that Windsurf is using the intended API key, library, and workspace. Then inspect the retrieved source ids, not just the final answer. A wrong answer can come from an irrelevant candidate, a stale source, a missing supersession edge, or a memory that belongs to a different project.
Use a targeted test:
Use Answer Engine memory only. What source says where this project's marketing content lives?If Windsurf answers without a source, tighten the instruction. If it cites the wrong source, inspect the memory catalog and mark the old fact superseded or deleted.
How should teams roll this out?
Start with one project library and a small set of durable memories: setup commands, architectural boundaries, test commands, and active issue constraints. Ask Windsurf to retrieve those memories during a real task. After the retrieval behavior is clear, add transcript sync or broader imports.
Do not begin by importing a whole chat archive into a shared library. That usually creates noisy retrieval and cleanup work. The first rollout should prove that Windsurf can retrieve high-value memories with citations, and that the team can inspect or remove them later.
Once that works, add one more source at a time. Memory is easier to debug when each new source has a known owner, scope, and deletion path.
Document the rollout decision in the same project library. Future Windsurf sessions should be able to retrieve which sources were imported first and why.