Sidekick for

Devin Desktop is the new name of Windsurf. Sidekick runs as an MCP server that Devin Local starts for you.

  1. Get the InDesign plugin

    From Adobe Exchange. 30 days to try, then $9.95 a month, cancel any time.

    Get it on Adobe Exchange

  2. Install Sidekick

    Open the downloaded file and follow the prompts. A Mac asks for your password, Windows for administrator permission.

    Another computer?

  3. Add Sidekick to Devin Desktop

    Add to ~/.config/devin/mcp_config.json (Windows: %APPDATA%\devin\mcp_config.json), keeping any servers already there:

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "indesign-sidekick": {
      "command": "indesign-sidekick",
      "args": ["start"]
    }
  }
}

  4. Check it

    Quit and reopen Devin Desktop, start a new Devin Local session and type /mcp: indesign-sidekick should be listed. Then, with a document open in InDesign, ask: how many pages does my document have?

    No answer from InDesign? Ask sidekick health and send us the reply.

    Devin asks before it uses a tool. Allow every tool on indesign-sidekick, permanently, so it doesn't ask each time.

Other ways

Not working?

Added Sidekick in Windsurf before?
That entry, in ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json, still works: Devin reads it too. Don't add Sidekick again in the new file, or it runs twice.
Your organization blocks it?
On a Devin team, an admin can limit which MCP servers may run. Ask them to allow indesign-sidekick.
On Windows, Sidekick doesn't start (spawn ... ENOENT)?
Some apps can't start a Windows command script directly. Let cmd start it: set "command": "cmd" and put the rest in the arguments, ["/c", "indesign-sidekick", "start"] (npx: ["/c", "npx", "-y", "indesign-sidekick", "start"]).
Your assistant can't find indesign-sidekick?
Restart the assistant after installing, so it sees the updated PATH. Still nothing? Use the full path: /usr/local/bin/indesign-sidekick on macOS, or on Windows run where indesign-sidekick and take the path ending in .cmd.
"npx: command not found" or "spawn npx ENOENT"?
Apps started from the Dock or Start menu don't always see your terminal's PATH, common with nvm or fnm. Use the full path to npx instead: run which npx (Windows: where npx, and take the path ending in .cmd) and put that in as the command.
Slow start on a company network?
If your network blocks the npm registry, add --offline to the npx arguments (npx -y --offline indesign-sidekick start). Sidekick then stops picking up new versions until you remove it.
Using Sidekick in more than one assistant?
Install it once for the whole computer, then add it to each assistant, and only once per assistant: two entries in one assistant start two copies. See Using multiple AI assistants.