`API key not found` on Linux

[m4rrc0]

Hey. Thanks a lot for this!

I am on Linux (Pop_OS) and getting this error:

Chat completion failed
API key not found. Please login to Windsurf first.

Windsurf has been installed using apt and is running. I can use cascade properly in Windsurf.

Where should I start to try and debug this?
I have had a look at the docs/REVERSE_ENGINEERING.md and tried a few things but I am really not familiar with this so I'm lost...

[rsvedant]

Hey, thanks for trying it out and reporting this! I personally haven't had a chance to test this out on Linux, but here's a couple things you could check :

1. Verify the Codeium config is present

• Confirm ~/.codeium/config.json exists and contains api_key.
• If missing, try logging out/in from Windsurf’s Cascade panel, then reopen the plugin.

2. Check process flags

• Grab the language_server PID (e.g., ps aux | grep language_server).
• Ensure it’s launched with --csrf_token and --extension_server_port flags; the plugin relies on these to discover the API key/port.

3. Confirm port reachability

• Using the PID from above, run lsof -p <PID> | grep LISTEN to see which port the language server is bound to (localhost). The plugin tries the discovered port; if it’s 0/absent, it can’t fetch the key.

4. File permissions

• Make sure ~/.codeium is readable by your user (no root-only perms).

If the config file is missing or empty, logging into Windsurf’s Cascade should regenerate it. If flags/ports look wrong, please paste the ps aux | grep language_server line and the lsof -p <PID> | grep LISTEN output here so I can help further.

[m4rrc0]

Hey. Thanks for the quick reply.

1. I don't have a ~/.codeium/config.json file.

I couldn't find a clean way to log out from Windsurf's cascade panel... 🤷
Exploring my config files I found this:

// ~/.windsurf/argv.json
{
    // ...
    "password-store":"gnome-libsecret"
}

Could this be how Windsurf avoids writing the API key to the config.json file?
Anyway, I tried commenting the line to see what happens. It re-prompted me to log in and I chose "Use weaker secret storage" or something like that to try and avoid gnome-libsecret. Now I get this:

// ~/.windsurf/argv.json
{
    // ...
    "password-store":"basic"
}

... but still no ~/.codeium/config.json file...

2. Here is the language_server process

ps aux | grep language_server yields

marc     1072045  7.4  0.2 2942936 288252 ?      Sl   19:53   0:32 /usr/share/windsurf/resources/app/extensions/windsurf/bin/language_server_linux_x64 --api_server_url https://server.self-serve.windsurf.com --run_child --enable_lsp --extension_server_port 35125 --ide_name windsurf --csrf_token aaaaaaaa-f416-4e01-aaaa-15d489d2426d --server_port 42655 --lsp_port 39863 --inference_api_server_url https://inference.codeium.com --database_dir /home/marc/.codeium/windsurf/database/9c0694567290725d9dcba14ade58eeee --enable_index_service --enable_local_search --search_max_workspace_file_count 5000 --indexed_files_retention_period_days 30 --workspace_id file_home_marc_code_poko_poko_website_builder --sentry_telemetry --sentry_environment stable --codeium_dir .codeium/windsurf --extensions_dir /home/marc/.windsurf/extensions --parent_pipe_path /tmp/server_1f32a3eb674a856c --windsurf_version 1.13.9 --stdin_initial_metadata
marc     1074023  0.0  0.0  19112  2552 pts/4    S+   20:01   0:00 grep --color=auto language_server

3. Language server port

lsof -p 1072045 | grep LISTEN yields

language_ 1072045 marc    4u     IPv4            6438252       0t0      TCP localhost:42655 (LISTEN)
language_ 1072045 marc   13u     IPv4            6437102       0t0      TCP localhost:39863 (LISTEN)

---

Does it help?
I guess the api_key is kept somewhere else?

[joecot]

response.json

I'm on linux and having the same issue. I tried using both the regular windsurf ide on my linux server, and the windsurf server (ssh remote connection from my desktop, how I normally work.

Both have their own copy of language server running, and both have the csrf token right in the command line arguments, along with extension_server_port. But there is no ~/.codeium/config.json

ps aux | grep language_server
joe      3179236  2.2  0.7 2690316 466940 ?      Sl   22:30   0:31 /home/joe/.windsurf-server/bin/a473c86f69ab6b6f98bc47437adc6263df8738d0/extensions/windsurf/bin/language_server_linux_x64 --api_server_url https://server.self-serve.windsurf.com --run_child --enable_lsp --extension_server_port 43161 --ide_name windsurf --csrf_token {csrf} --random_port --inference_api_server_url https://inference.codeium.com --database_dir /home/joe/.codeium/windsurf/database/9c0694567290725d9dcba14ade58e297 --enable_index_service --enable_local_search --search_max_workspace_file_count 5000 --indexed_files_retention_period_days 30 --workspace_id file_home_joe_fru_git --sentry_telemetry --sentry_environment stable --codeium_dir .codeium/windsurf --parent_pipe_path /tmp/server_76ca86a34dc89a0b --windsurf_version 1.13.9 --stdin_initial_metadata
joe      3189637  2.4  0.5 2211840 327232 ?      Sl   22:52   0:03 /usr/share/windsurf/resources/app/extensions/windsurf/bin/language_server_linux_x64 --api_server_url https://server.self-serve.windsurf.com --run_child --enable_lsp --extension_server_port 43403 --ide_name windsurf --csrf_token {csrf} --random_port --inference_api_server_url https://inference.codeium.com --database_dir /home/joe/.codeium/windsurf/database/9c0694567290725d9dcba14ade58e297 --enable_index_service --enable_local_search --search_max_workspace_file_count 5000 --indexed_files_retention_period_days 30 --sentry_telemetry --sentry_environment stable --codeium_dir .codeium/windsurf --extensions_dir /home/joe/.windsurf/extensions --parent_pipe_path /tmp/server_e2b379927d851767 --windsurf_version 1.13.9 --stdin_initial_metadata

language_ 3179236  joe   4u     IPv4           61750332       0t0       TCP localhost:46563 (LISTEN)
language_ 3179236  joe   8u     IPv4           61731315       0t0       TCP localhost:41775 (LISTEN)
language_ 3189637  joe   4u     IPv4           61834835       0t0       TCP localhost:46413 (LISTEN)
language_ 3189637  joe  13u     IPv4           61862892       0t0       TCP localhost:37487 (LISTEN)

It also doesn't start working if I shut down the .windsurf-server version and just run the IDE.

I looked into it further, and the only way I can get the ~/.codeium/config.json to show up with the apiKey is if I install the vim extension. Then it appears. With vim running (and the language server therefore running), opencode says that windsurf isn't running. With vim and windsurf running, there is no error, but there is also no response (well, blank response, attached)

[joecot]

This is what I had to do to get it to work. I'm on ubuntu 25.10 x86_64 but it's probably the same for other linux releases

1. Install/Run vim, then the vim windsurf plugin https://github.com/Exafunction/windsurf.vim (I expect neovim would work just the same, but the VSCode plugin did not.)
2. Login to authenticate
3. This will create the ~/.codeium/config.json this plugin expects with the API key. But it won't put a CSRF token in the language server arguments
4. Also install and run Windsurf
5. Login to Windsurf in the Windsurf IDE
6. Alter this plugin's src/plugin/auth.js (mine was located at ~/node_modules/opencode-windsurf-auth/dist
7. Change the linux language server to language_server_linux_x64 in LANGUAGE_SERVER_PATTERNS linux element
8. Restart opencode

The plugin then found the API key placed by the vim plugin, and the language server with csrf arguments in the Windsurf client

[joecot]

Scratch the vim thing, it's not necessary nor reliable. But more code changes are needed

1. Install and run windsurf
2. Install sqlite3 (ex sudo apt install sqlite3)
3. Alter this plugin's src/plugin/auth.js (mine was located at ~/node_modules/opencode-windsurf-auth/dist
4. Change the linux language server to language_server_linux_x64 in LANGUAGE_SERVER_PATTERNS linux element
5. in getPort change the lsof line to

const lsof = execSync(`lsof -p ${pid} -i -P -n 2>/dev/null | grep language | grep LISTEN`, { encoding: 'utf8', timeout: 15000 });

6. change if (extPort) to if (false && extPort)

You don't need a config.json to get the apiKey, it's stored in the vscode database. The plugin is even made to get it from there, but you have to have sqlite3 installed.

The plugin assumes that the language server port is after the extension port, but language server (at least on Windsurf linux) binds to a random port which is not necessarily after the extension. I changed the lsof to just look for the language server, and pick the first port from it.

[mrdankuta]

Scratch the vim thing, it's not necessary nor reliable. But more code changes are needed

1. Install and run windsurf
2. Install sqlite3 (ex sudo apt install sqlite3)
3. Alter this plugin's src/plugin/auth.js (mine was located at ~/node_modules/opencode-windsurf-auth/dist
4. Change the linux language server to language_server_linux_x64 in LANGUAGE_SERVER_PATTERNS linux element
5. in getPort change the lsof line to

const lsof = execSync(`lsof -p ${pid} -i -P -n 2>/dev/null | grep language | grep LISTEN`, { encoding: 'utf8', timeout: 15000 });

6. change if (extPort) to if (false && extPort)

You don't need a config.json to get the apiKey, it's stored in the vscode database. The plugin is even made to get it from there, but you have to have sqlite3 installed.

The plugin assumes that the language server port is after the extension port, but language server (at least on Windsurf linux) binds to a random port which is not necessarily after the extension. I changed the lsof to just look for the language server, and pick the first port from it.

---

I tried this. Keeps giving me the error: "Connection failed". I use Omarchy.
How did you install the plugin initially?

[Biggy1606]

Hi, this should resolve the "API key not found" and port detection issues reported on Linux. #5
I do not denied that some edge cases may exists.

[mrdankuta]

I would really appreciate some help. I have followed all the steps outlined above and yet I keep getting the "Connection failed" error as a response when I send a prompt.

[rsvedant]

Hey @mrdankuta , can you give some more context? Are you on Linux as well? Do you have Windsurf open? Did none of the fixes above work for you? Can you give me steps to reproduce?

[rsvedant]

Hi, this should resolve the "API key not found" and port detection issues reported on Linux. #5 I do not denied that some edge cases may exists.

Appreciate the PR, could you address the suggestions made in the PR? Thanks @Biggy1606

[Biggy1606]

Hi, this should resolve the "API key not found" and port detection issues reported on Linux. #5 I do not denied that some edge cases may exists.

Appreciate the PR, could you address the suggestions made in the PR? Thanks @Biggy1606

Sure @rsvedant , I take a look and try apply suggestions 💪

[mrdankuta]

I feel so embarrassed right now. I tried everything except logging out of Cascade and logging back in. As soon as I tried that, it worked. Sincere apologies.