Data.gov MCP Server for Windsurf 13 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Windsurf brings agentic AI coding to a purpose-built IDE. Connect Data.gov through Vinkius and Cascade will auto-discover every tool. ask questions, generate code, and act on live data without leaving your editor.
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Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
Vinkius Desktop App
The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install Data.gov and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
{
"mcpServers": {
"datagov": {
"url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
}
}
}
* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
About Data.gov MCP Server
Connect to Data.gov and explore the US government's open data catalog through natural conversation — no API key needed.
Windsurf's Cascade agent chains multiple Data.gov tool calls autonomously. query data, analyze results, and generate code in a single agentic session. Paste Vinkius Edge URL, reload, and all 13 tools are immediately available. Real-time tool feedback appears inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor.
What you can do
- Dataset Search — Search 300,000+ federal datasets by keyword, organization, tags and topic
- Dataset Details — Get full metadata including descriptions, resource downloads, licenses and data dictionaries
- Browse Organizations — Explore all federal agencies publishing open data (NASA, USDA, EPA, NOAA, Census Bureau, etc.)
- Browse by Topic — Discover datasets organized by topic: agriculture, climate, education, health, finance, public safety
- Browse by Tags — Find datasets by popular tags and categories
- Resource Formats — Discover available download formats (CSV, JSON, XML, Shapefile, GeoJSON, PDF)
The Data.gov MCP Server exposes 13 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to Windsurf in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.
How to Connect Data.gov to Windsurf via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the Data.gov MCP Server with Windsurf.
Open MCP Settings
Go to Settings → MCP Configuration or press Cmd+Shift+P and search "MCP"
Add the server
Paste the JSON configuration above into mcp_config.json
Save and reload
Windsurf will detect the new server automatically
Start using Data.gov
Open Cascade and ask: "Using Data.gov, help me...". 13 tools available
Why Use Windsurf with the Data.gov MCP Server
Windsurf provides unique advantages when paired with Data.gov through the Model Context Protocol.
Windsurf's Cascade agent autonomously chains multiple tool calls in sequence, solving complex multi-step tasks without manual intervention
Purpose-built for agentic workflows. Cascade understands context across your entire codebase and integrates MCP tools natively
JSON-based configuration means zero code changes: paste a URL, reload, and all 13 tools are immediately available
Real-time tool feedback is displayed inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor without switching contexts
Data.gov + Windsurf Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Windsurf combined with the Data.gov MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Automated code generation: ask Cascade to fetch data from Data.gov and generate models, types, or handlers based on real API responses
Live debugging: query Data.gov tools mid-session to inspect production data while debugging without leaving the editor
Documentation generation: pull schema information from Data.gov and have Cascade generate comprehensive API docs automatically
Rapid prototyping: combine Data.gov data with Cascade's code generation to scaffold entire features in minutes
Data.gov MCP Tools for Windsurf (13)
These 13 tools become available when you connect Data.gov to Windsurf via MCP:
get_dataset
gov dataset by its ID or name. Returns full description, organization, tags, resource list (downloadable files), metadata dates, license info and data dictionary. Get detailed info for a specific dataset
get_group
Returns group name, description, image URL and published datasets (optional). Common groups: "agriculture", "climate", "education", "health", "finance", "public-safety". Get details for a specific topic group
get_group_datasets
Returns dataset titles, descriptions, organizations and download links. Get all datasets in a specific topic group
get_organization
gov. Returns organization name, description, contact info, image URL and published datasets (optional). Get details for a specific organization
get_organization_datasets
Returns dataset titles, descriptions, resource counts and download links. Get all datasets published by an organization
get_status
gov API including total counts of datasets, organizations, groups and tags. Get Data.gov API status and statistics
get_tag
Returns tag name, dataset count and associated datasets (up to 20). Get details for a specific tag
get_tag_datasets
Returns dataset titles, descriptions, organizations and download links. Get all datasets with a specific tag
list_groups
gov (e.g. agriculture, climate, education, health, finance). Returns group names, descriptions, image URLs and dataset counts. List all topic groups on Data.gov
list_organizations
gov. Returns organization names, descriptions, dataset counts, logos and contact info. List all organizations publishing data on Data.gov
list_resource_formats
). Useful for filtering datasets by preferred format. List all data formats available in Data.gov resources
list_tags
gov datasets. Returns tag names, dataset counts and display names. Useful for discovering common topics and filtering searches. List all tags used to categorize datasets
search_datasets
gov catalog of US federal government open datasets. Supports free-text search and filtering by organization, tags, groups. Returns dataset titles, descriptions, organizations, resource counts, tags and download links. Sort options include "metadata_modified desc" (recent), "views_recent desc" (popular). Search US government open data datasets
Example Prompts for Data.gov in Windsurf
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Windsurf agent to start working with Data.gov immediately.
"Search for climate change datasets."
"What datasets does NASA publish?"
"Find education datasets about student performance."
Troubleshooting Data.gov MCP Server with Windsurf
Common issues when connecting Data.gov to Windsurf through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not connecting
Data.gov + Windsurf FAQ
Common questions about integrating Data.gov MCP Server with Windsurf.
How does Windsurf discover MCP tools?
mcp_config.json file on startup and connects to each configured server via Streamable HTTP. Tools are listed in the MCP panel and available to Cascade automatically.Can Cascade chain multiple MCP tool calls?
Does Windsurf support multiple MCP servers?
mcp_config.json. Each server's tools appear in the MCP panel and Cascade can use tools from different servers in a single flow.Connect Data.gov with your favorite client
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Connect Data.gov to Windsurf
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 13 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.