Set up SEO Scaler MCP

Connect SEO Scaler MCP to Claude, Codex, and other AI clients.

SEO Scaler MCP lets compatible AI clients call SEO Scaler tools for keyword research, SERP inspection, local business research, competitive search intelligence, domain research, backlink overview, saved keywords, rank tracking, shared project context, and Google Search Console performance and URL inspection.

The hosted MCP server URL is:

https://seo-scaler-preview.vercel.app/mcp

Connect with an API key you create in the app. Name the server seo-scaler in your client and keep the key in the SEO_SCALER_API_KEY environment variable.

No account yet? Try the free SEO tools.

Create an API key

In the SEO Scaler app, open Settings -> API keys, create a key, and copy it when it appears. It won't be shown again.

export SEO_SCALER_API_KEY=oseo_YOUR_KEY

API keys are personal: anything an agent does with your key acts as you in your workspace. Keep the key in your client's secret settings or environment, never in chat or a repository.

Claude Code

Use user scope to make SEO Scaler available across projects. Use local scope for the current repository.

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user seo-scaler https://seo-scaler-preview.vercel.app/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer $SEO_SCALER_API_KEY"

Codex CLI

codex mcp add seo-scaler --url https://seo-scaler-preview.vercel.app/mcp --bearer-token-env-var SEO_SCALER_API_KEY

Cursor

  1. Open Cursor Settings -> Tools & Integrations -> MCP Tools.
  2. Click New MCP Server. Cursor opens mcp.json.
  3. Add:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "seo-scaler": {
      "url": "https://seo-scaler-preview.vercel.app/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer ${env:SEO_SCALER_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Other clients

Any client that supports custom HTTP headers can send Authorization: Bearer <your key> or x-api-key: <your key> to https://seo-scaler-preview.vercel.app/mcp.

Available tools

SEO Scaler MCP exposes tools for SEO research workflows:

  • Research keywords with volume, difficulty, and CPC.
  • Fetch live Google organic SERP results for keywords.
  • Find exact keyword, page, rank, volume, CPC, intent, and traffic rows for a domain or page.
  • Compare SERP competitors across a supplied keyword set.
  • Search local businesses near a coordinate, filtering by rating, review count, or claimed status.
  • Fetch one Maps or Local Finder SERP, and read Google Business Q&A when needed.
  • Audit a Google Business Profile: categories, rating, hours, photos, and claim status.
  • Collect Google reviews (including reviews from other sites) and Google Business posts.
  • Look up valid Google Business category slugs.
  • Check Google Maps rank at each point of a grid around a business.
  • Hydrate keywords with search volume, difficulty, intent, CPC, and trends.
  • List saved keywords from an SEO Scaler project.
  • Save useful keywords back to SEO Scaler.
  • Read rank tracker configs and latest keyword positions.
  • Summarize a domain's organic footprint.
  • Find keywords a domain already ranks for.
  • Check backlink and referring-domain overview data.
  • Explore a prompt in ChatGPT or compare answers and available citations across selected AI models. ChatGPT is the default; uncached answers use credits.
  • Research questions about a keyword with ChatGPT's answers and cited sources (uses credits).
  • Configure AI prompt tracking, preview cost, and start or pause scheduled checks.
  • Read and export saved AI answers, trends, citations, and competitor appearances without using credits.
  • Read first-party Google Search Console performance (clicks, impressions, CTR, position).
  • Inspect index status, crawl, and canonical for specific URLs (up to 10 per call).
  • Read and update a project's shared context: business, goal, positioning, writing preferences, competitors, key pages, and a research log (free, no credits).
  • Save and read HTML reports on a project (free, no credits). New reports are private. On hosted SEO Scaler, explicitly ask the agent to publish with set_report_sharing (public: true) or revoke the link (public: false). get_report returns report.shareUrl for an existing public link, or null when unavailable.
  • List a project's report templates, and save a reusable report brief to the project (free, no credits).

What to do after setup

See the AI Visibility guide for supported engines, research coverage, and costs.

Once SEO Scaler MCP is connected, your agent can use SEO Scaler data. The skills describe the SEO jobs the SEO Scaler agent runs in the app; ask your external agent for the same jobs in plain words.

Start with one focused workflow instead of asking your agent to "do SEO" broadly.

Troubleshooting

If your client cannot connect, check that the server URL is exactly https://seo-scaler-preview.vercel.app/mcp.

If the server rejects your requests, check that SEO_SCALER_API_KEY is set in the environment your client starts from and that the key still exists under Settings -> API keys. Create a new key if needed.

If your agent cannot find a project, ask it to list SEO Scaler projects first and use the returned project ID in later tool calls.