Semrush runs an official remote MCP server at https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp. Its 14 tools reach the SEO API, the Trends API and a read-only view of Projects, and every call spends the same API units as the Semrush API — the part worth planning for, because an agent asks more questions than a person does.
Last updated September 21, 2026. Figures are from Semrush's own documentation. New to the protocol? Start with what MCP is.
What the Semrush MCP server exposes
| Surface | What you get |
|---|---|
| Standard (SEO) API | domain_overview, organic_research, keyword_research, competitors_research, backlinks_research, paid_search_research, shopping_research |
| Trends API | traffic_overview and audience_research — traffic estimates and market data for any domain |
| Projects API v3 | position_tracking, site_audit and projects — read-only, so a model can read your setup but not change it |
| Any other report | get_report_schema and execute_report, for reports without a dedicated tool |
The endpoint is https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp. It speaks streamable HTTP only. You sign in with your Semrush account over OAuth; a client that can only send a header can use an API key instead, as Authorization: Apikey YOUR_API_KEY.
Connecting it
1. Open your client's connector settings
In Claude, go to Settings, then Customize, then Connectors. In ChatGPT, turn on Developer mode under Settings, then Security and login, and add it under Settings, then Plugins. If Semrush is already listed in the client's directory, add it from there instead.
2. Paste the endpoint
Add a custom connector with the URL https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp and leave the advanced fields empty. There is no client ID or secret to enter; the server registers itself when you sign in.
3. Sign in and read the scopes
The consent screen is the one place you see what you are granting. Read it, and choose the narrower scopes wherever you are offered a choice.
4. Confirm the tools arrived
Ask the assistant what the connector can do. An empty list after a successful sign-in means the token is not being accepted: disconnect and reconnect to clear the stale grant.
The exact path for thirteen clients is in the MCP client directory.
What it costs
- SEO data needs Starter ($199 a month, $165.17 billed yearly) or Pro+ ($299, $248.17 yearly), or a legacy SEO Classic Pro or Guru plan. Those include 50,000 MCP API units, refreshed on the renewal date.
- The entry SEO plan ($139) does not qualify. Advanced ($549) includes no MCP units: it needs a separately bought MCP API units package.
- Traffic and market data needs a Trends API subscription, Basic or Premium, priced through sales.
- Units are spent per line returned, at the same rates as the Semrush API. Extra packages of 2M, 5M, 10M or 20M units are sold through sales, with no public price, and unused units expire at renewal.
- The MCP server itself costs nothing extra: your subscription and your units are the price.
What 50,000 units buy
Semrush publishes a per-line rate for every report, so the allowance converts exactly into rows:
| Report | Units per line | Rows for 50,000 units |
|---|---|---|
| Domain organic keywords | 10 | 5,000 |
| Keyword overview | 10 | 5,000 |
| Domain paid keywords | 20 | 2,500 |
| Related keywords | 40 | 1,250 |
| Backlinks | 40 | 1,250 |
| Keyword difficulty | 50 | 1,000 |
Historical data costs 50 units a line where the live figure is 10. A three-competitor workup — top 100 organic keywords and 100 backlinks for each, plus difficulty on 100 terms — spends about 20,000 units, two fifths of the month, on a single question. The full arithmetic, and what happens when the balance hits zero, is in Semrush MCP: costs, limits and alternatives.
Semrush MCP in Claude
Semrush has an official app in Claude’s connector directory, which is the fastest route: search for Semrush under Settings, then Connectors, and sign in with your Semrush account. The same app exists in ChatGPT and Perplexity. For Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Antigravity or Lovable, add https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp as a remote server.
Two habits save units. Ask narrow questions — "top 50 organic keywords for this domain in the US", not "what does this site rank for" — because rows are what you pay for. And ask the assistant how many rows it requested and received: a report that runs low on units can return fewer rows than asked for, and the chat will not say so.
Where to find your Semrush API key
OAuth is the default, so most people never need one. If your client only accepts a header, the key is in the API keys section of your Semrush profile, and it is sent as Authorization: Apikey YOUR_API_KEY. You need a plan with API or MCP access to generate one. Treat it like a password: it spends your units, and anyone holding it can too.
The limits worth knowing
- An agent spends units faster than a person. A person runs one keyword report. An agent asked an open question may run six before it answers. The 50,000 included units are generous for manual work and finite for conversational work, so watch the balance for the first month.
- Projects is read-only by design. You can read position tracking and site audit results; you cannot create or reconfigure a project. It is the right call by Semrush, and it means the server reports rather than manages.
- What answers depends on what you pay for. SEO tools need a qualifying plan and traffic tools need a Trends subscription, so two people sending the same prompt to the same server can get different answers — and nothing in the chat explains why.
- It knows the market, not your account. Semrush data is external. It has never seen your ad spend, your conversions or your CMS, so it cannot tell you whether the keyword it just found is one you are already paying for.
Where it stops for marketing
Semrush answers "what is out there" extremely well and "what should I do about it" not at all, because it cannot see your account. The moment a research answer implies an action — bid on this, write this page, stop paying for that term — you are back to joining the data yourself in a second tool. That second tool is what Sprites is for: an AI marketing agent that reads your Search Console and CMS, researches the keyword, and puts the post in your CMS as a draft for approval, on a plan with no API units.
That is the edge of what one vendor's data can answer, not a flaw in the server. It is why a marketing stack usually runs two or three: this one for what it is good at, and one for the channels that spend money. For the other half: Search Console and your CMS over MCP. If you would rather hand the marketing half to one agent, Sprites runs Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn and SEO behind one connector, with every write staged for your approval.
Before you grant write access
MCP has no built-in approval step: a write tool applies the moment the model calls it, unless the server itself holds the change. Check three things before you connect: which scopes the consent screen asks for, whether writes are staged or applied, and how to revoke access. The rest is in is MCP safe.
Related
- Semrush MCP: costs, limits and alternatives
- Semrush pricing, explained
- Ahrefs MCP
- The best MCP servers for SEO
- Every MCP server worth connecting for marketing
- The Claude connector shortlist
Semrush MCP questions
What is the Semrush MCP endpoint?
https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp, over streamable HTTP only. You sign in with OAuth by default, or send an API key as an Authorization header in the form "Apikey YOUR_API_KEY".
Is the Semrush MCP server free?
The server costs nothing, the data does not. SEO tools need Starter ($199 a month) or Pro+ ($299), or a legacy SEO Classic Pro or Guru plan, which include 50,000 MCP API units. The $139 SEO plan does not qualify. Trends tools need a Trends subscription.
Does Semrush MCP use API units?
Yes. Every call spends units from the same balance as the Semrush API, priced per line returned by report type: 10 units per organic keyword row, 40 per backlink, 50 per keyword difficulty lookup. It is the main thing to budget for, because an agent makes more calls than a person does.
Can an AI agent change my Semrush projects?
No. Projects API access is read-only through the MCP server, so an assistant can read position tracking and site audit data but cannot create or reconfigure anything.
Which Semrush MCP tools are there?
Fourteen: domain_overview, organic_research, keyword_research, competitors_research, backlinks_research, audience_research, traffic_overview, paid_search_research, shopping_research, position_tracking, site_audit and projects, plus get_report_schema and execute_report for any report without a dedicated tool.
Can I use Semrush MCP with Claude and ChatGPT?
Yes. Semrush has official apps in Claude, ChatGPT and Perplexity, and the remote endpoint also works in Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Antigravity, Lovable and any other client that speaks remote MCP.
How many API units does Semrush MCP include?
50,000 a month on qualifying plans, refreshed on the renewal date. At Semrush’s published rates that is 5,000 organic keyword rows, 1,250 backlink rows or 1,000 keyword difficulty lookups.
Where do I find my Semrush API key?
In the API keys section of your Semrush profile. The MCP server uses OAuth by default, so you only need the key for clients that take a header, sent as "Authorization: Apikey YOUR_API_KEY".