OpenStates MCP Server for Windsurf 7 tools — connect in under 2 minutes
Windsurf brings agentic AI coding to a purpose-built IDE. Connect OpenStates through Vinkius and Cascade will auto-discover every tool. ask questions, generate code, and act on live data without leaving your editor.
ASK AI ABOUT THIS MCP SERVER
Vinkius supports streamable HTTP and SSE.
Vinkius Desktop App
The modern way to manage MCP Servers — no config files, no terminal commands. Install OpenStates and 2,500+ MCP Servers from a single visual interface.
{
"mcpServers": {
"openstates": {
"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 OpenStates MCP Server
Equip your AI agent with the most comprehensive US state-level legislative intelligence via OpenStates. This unified server provides your agent with instant access to bills, legislators, and committee metadata across all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. Your agent can instantly search for specific legislation, audit legislator profiles, and retrieve committee memberships without you ever manually checking a government site. Whether you are tracking policy trends or verifying legislative actions, your agent acts as a dedicated political analyst through natural conversation.
Windsurf's Cascade agent chains multiple OpenStates tool calls autonomously. query data, analyze results, and generate code in a single agentic session. Paste Vinkius Edge URL, reload, and all 7 tools are immediately available. Real-time tool feedback appears inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor.
What you can do
- Bill Discovery — Search for thousands of legislative bills by keyword, jurisdiction, and session.
- Legislator Auditing — Fetch complete profiles, contact information, and current roles for state legislators.
- Committee Intelligence — List all legislative committees in a jurisdiction and retrieve their detailed membership lists.
- Jurisdiction Lookup — List and inspect all supported states and jurisdictions to understand current legislative coverage.
- Deep Metadata — Retrieve detailed actions and versions for specific bills to analyze the legislative process.
The OpenStates MCP Server exposes 7 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 OpenStates to Windsurf via MCP
Follow these steps to integrate the OpenStates 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 OpenStates
Open Cascade and ask: "Using OpenStates, help me...". 7 tools available
Why Use Windsurf with the OpenStates MCP Server
Windsurf provides unique advantages when paired with OpenStates 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 7 tools are immediately available
Real-time tool feedback is displayed inline, so you see API responses directly in your editor without switching contexts
OpenStates + Windsurf Use Cases
Practical scenarios where Windsurf combined with the OpenStates MCP Server delivers measurable value.
Automated code generation: ask Cascade to fetch data from OpenStates and generate models, types, or handlers based on real API responses
Live debugging: query OpenStates tools mid-session to inspect production data while debugging without leaving the editor
Documentation generation: pull schema information from OpenStates and have Cascade generate comprehensive API docs automatically
Rapid prototyping: combine OpenStates data with Cascade's code generation to scaffold entire features in minutes
OpenStates MCP Tools for Windsurf (7)
These 7 tools become available when you connect OpenStates to Windsurf via MCP:
get_bill_details
Get bill details
get_committee_details
Get committee details
get_legislator_details
Get legislator details
list_committees
List committees in a jurisdiction
list_jurisdictions
List all jurisdictions
search_bills
Search for legislative bills
search_legislators
Search for legislators
Example Prompts for OpenStates in Windsurf
Ready-to-use prompts you can give your Windsurf agent to start working with OpenStates immediately.
"Search for education bills in California."
"Who are the members of the New York Senate Finance Committee?"
"Get the latest actions for bill TX HB-500."
Troubleshooting OpenStates MCP Server with Windsurf
Common issues when connecting OpenStates to Windsurf through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.
Server not connecting
OpenStates + Windsurf FAQ
Common questions about integrating OpenStates 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 OpenStates with your favorite client
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Connect OpenStates to Windsurf
Get your token, paste the configuration, and start using 7 tools in under 2 minutes. No API key management needed.