How to Connect Apollo.io to Windsurf

Query your Apollo.io data directly from Windsurf using Sequel’s MCP server. Ask questions in plain English, with no SQL, no dashboards, and no context switching.

Short answer

Connect Apollo.io to Sequel, then add Sequel's MCP server to Windsurf using the config on this page. Windsurf can then query your live Apollo.io data in plain English, with no connector code and no CSV exports. Both steps take a few minutes.

Example prompts

Everything you can ask Windsurf about your Apollo.io data.

Ask in plain English — Sequel translates it into a Apollo.io query, runs it, and Windsurf hands back the answer. No SQL, no dashboards, no CSV exports.

What you can ask Windsurf

Find VPs of Sales at SaaS companies in the US with 50-200 employees.
Which of our Apollo contacts were added in the last 30 days?
Search Apollo for fintech companies in Germany with 11-50 employees.
List our accounts in the 'Negotiation' stage, sorted by last activity.
Find people with the title 'Head of Data' at companies on these domains.

How it works

Three steps to get started

Connect Apollo.io to Sequel

In your Sequel dashboard, go to Connections and add Apollo.io. Sequel handles authentication and schema discovery automatically.

Add Sequel to the agent

Copy the Sequel MCP configuration into Windsurf's settings file (shown below). Swap in your API key from Settings → API Keys.

Ask Windsurf about your data

Restart Windsurf and start asking questions. "Find VPs of Sales at SaaS companies in the US with 50-200 employees." — and get a real answer backed by live Apollo.io data.

Why Windsurf

What Windsurf does with your Apollo.io data

Cascade with real data access

Windsurf's Cascade agent can now include database queries in its multi-step workflows. Ask it to check your schema, pull production data, and use it to guide code generation — all in one flow.

Data-informed development

Stop context-switching to a SQL client when you need to understand your data. Ask Cascade to query your database directly and use the results to write more accurate code and migrations.

Python analysis alongside your code

When you need statistical analysis or visualizations, Cascade can run Python through Sequel's sandbox — pandas, matplotlib, seaborn — and show results inline in the editor.

Configuration

Add Sequel to Windsurf

Place this in ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json and replace sql_your_api_key with a key from Settings → API Keys.

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sequel": {
      "serverUrl": "https://api.sequel.sh/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer sql_your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install

Install Apollo.io MCP in Windsurf

Pick your app and Sequel installs itself: a one-click link where the client supports it, that client’s own few steps where it doesn’t. Every route signs in with your Sequel account over OAuth, so there is no API key to copy and nothing to keep in sync.

Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, Claude Code, Codex, Grok, Muse, dots and any other MCP app

Already have an MCP client?

https://api.sequel.sh/mcp

Add it as a remote (streamable HTTP) server and sign in when prompted. Skills come with it; nothing else to install. Manual setup per client

Choose your app

Claude
One click, opens in the app
Cursor
One click, opens in the app
VS Code
One click, opens in the app
ChatGPT
Turn on developer mode, then add Sequel. About two minutes.
Claude Code
Run one command, then sign in with /mcp.
Codex
Run one command, then sign in.
Gemini CLI
Run one command, then sign in with /mcp auth.
Grok
Add Sequel as a connector and sign in.
Grok Bot
Paste this to the bot. It registers Sequel and asks you to sign in.
Muse
Muse writes its own connector. One message is the whole setup.
dots
Add Sequel in ChatGPT; your dot picks it up with no extra step.
OpenCode
Add Sequel as a remote server from the OpenCode CLI.
Other MCP app
Any client that speaks remote MCP can connect with this URL.

Other AI agents

Connect Apollo.io MCP to any agent

Claude

Use Claude to query your databases, explore schemas, and build analyses — all from one conversation.

Cursor

Query your databases and explore schemas without leaving your code editor.

ChatGPT

Connect ChatGPT to your databases and get data-backed answers in every conversation.

VS Code

Get database access inside VS Code Copilot without leaving your editor.

Windsurf

Give Windsurf's Cascade AI access to your databases — query data without leaving your editor.

Zed

Connect Zed's AI assistant to your databases for real-time data access while you code.

Gemini

Connect Google Gemini to your databases for grounded, data-backed answers.

Claude Code

Query your databases directly from the Claude Code CLI — without leaving your terminal.

Codex

Give OpenAI Codex CLI real-time database access for data-grounded coding sessions.

OpenClaw

Turn your self-hosted OpenClaw agent into a data analyst that queries every source you've connected.

Hermes

Give Nous Research's Hermes agent read access to every database and marketing tool you've connected.

Grok Bot

Tell your Grok bot to add Sequel and it can query every database and marketing tool you've connected.

Muse

Give Meta's Muse one message and it builds its own connector to every source you've put in Sequel.

dots

Add Sequel once in ChatGPT and your dot can answer data questions on its own, day and night.

Other data sources

Connect other sources to Windsurf

PostgreSQL

Query your PostgreSQL database in plain English. No SQL required.

MySQL

Instant insights from your MySQL database. Ask in plain English.

ClickHouse

Real-time analytics on ClickHouse at any scale, in plain English.

BigQuery

Query petabytes of BigQuery data in plain English.

Google Sheets

Query, write, and manage Google Sheets with AI.

Google Analytics 4

Ask your GA4 data anything. No SQL, no dashboards.

Google Search Console

Unlock your SEO data with natural language. No exports, no pivot tables.

MCP Server

Connect any MCP-compatible server and query it with AI in seconds.

Stripe

Ask your Stripe data anything. MRR, churn, refunds — answered in plain English.

Polar

Ask your Polar revenue, subscriptions, and usage data anything — in plain English.

Dodo Payments

Ask questions about payments, subscriptions, refunds and payouts in plain English.

PostHog

Ask your PostHog product data anything — with HogQL under the hood.

Mixpanel

Conversational analytics on your Mixpanel events, funnels, and retention.

Amplitude

Query your Amplitude taxonomy, funnels, and dashboards in plain English.

HubSpot

Your AI analyst for HubSpot contacts, deals, tickets, and pipelines.

Ahrefs

Ask your Ahrefs SEO data anything: backlinks, keywords, and traffic.

Cloudflare D1

Ask your Cloudflare D1 database questions in plain English.

Instagram

Instagram organic analytics — post engagement, reach, and audience insights in plain English.

Frequently asked questions

How do I connect Apollo.io to Windsurf?

You need two things: (1) connect Apollo.io to Sequel in your Sequel dashboard under Connections, and (2) add the Sequel MCP config to Windsurf using the setup shown above. Once both are done, Windsurf can query your Apollo.io data directly.

What Apollo.io data can Windsurf access?

Windsurf can access any data available through your Apollo.io connection in Sequel. Use Sequel's search tool to discover available metrics and dimensions, then execute queries to pull the data you need.

Is my Apollo.io data sent to Windsurf's servers?

Query results are returned to Windsurf as context within your conversation. Only the data you explicitly ask about is retrieved. Sequel never stores your query results permanently — they exist only for the duration of the tool call.

Do I need a Sequel account?

Yes. You need a Sequel account to connect Apollo.io and generate an API key. Sign up free at sequel.sh — no credit card required. Then create a connection to Apollo.io and generate an API key from Settings → API Keys.

Can I connect multiple Apollo.io accounts?

Yes. Sequel supports multiple connections of the same type. If you have multiple Apollo.io accounts or properties, add each as a separate connection in Sequel. Windsurf will be able to query all of them.

Where does the Windsurf MCP config file go?

Place your MCP configuration at ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json. Use the `serverUrl` key (not `url`) as shown in the config above — Windsurf uses a slightly different field name than other clients.

Does this work with both Cascade and Windsurf Chat?

Yes. Sequel tools are available in both Windsurf Chat (single-turn) and Cascade (multi-step agentic flows). Cascade is especially powerful because it can chain multiple Sequel tool calls together.

How do I verify Sequel is connected in Windsurf?

Open Windsurf settings and navigate to the MCP section. You should see 'sequel' listed as a connected server with a green status indicator. If it's red, check that your API key is correct and the URL is reachable.

Can my whole team use this setup?

Each team member should have their own Sequel API key (create them in Settings → API Keys). The MCP config file is personal (in the home directory), so each developer configures it independently.

How do I connect Apollo.io to Sequel?

Create a master API key in Apollo under Settings → Integrations → API → Create New Key, enable master access, then paste the key into Sequel's Apollo connector and click Test. The People and Organization search endpoints require a master key.

Does Sequel consume my Apollo credits?

Only when you search Apollo's global database. The 'Search People' and 'Search Organizations' tools query Apollo's full prospect/company database and consume credits per Apollo's pricing. The 'Search Contacts' and 'Search Accounts' tools read your own saved CRM data and consume no credits.

Can Sequel change anything in Apollo?

No. The connector ships read-only search tools only — it cannot create, update, or delete contacts, accounts, sequences, or any other Apollo record.

Does Apollo's People Search return email addresses?

No. Apollo's people-search endpoint intentionally omits email addresses and phone numbers; obtaining those requires Apollo's separate enrichment endpoints, which this connector does not expose.

Connect Apollo.io to Windsurf today

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