DataForSEO MCP Server: Tools, Setup and Security

This profile is part of our MCP server directory, within The MCP Guide. Profiles are checked against each vendor's own documentation. Need a server built? See MCP development.

The DataForSEO MCP server lets an AI app browse DataForSEO's API documentation and make authenticated requests to its SEO APIs, such as SERP and keyword data. DataForSEO publishes it as an open-source TypeScript project and also hosts a remote version. The current release is the v3 server; DataForSEO marks the previous version as deprecated.

Checked against: DataForSEO MCP server on GitHub on 28 October 2026. eSEOspace did not install or test this server.

For how SEO data servers fit everyday work, see MCP for SEO.

Key Takeaways

The hosted server is at https://mcp.dataforseo.com/v3/mcp, with OAuth 2.0 as the default for HTTP.
Locally, it runs with npx dataforseo-mcp-server and your API login and password.
It has four tools: three for docs and one, api_request, that calls any DataForSEO API.
DataForSEO uses pay-as-you-go pricing, so every request the AI makes costs money.
The code is Apache 2.0 licensed; the older v2 server lives in a separate, deprecated repo.

At a glance

Item	Detail
Publisher	DataForSEO
Official?	Yes
Hosting	Both: remote `https://mcp.dataforseo.com/v3/mcp`; local npm package `dataforseo-mcp-server`; Docker image
Transport	stdio (default locally) or Streamable HTTP
Sign-in	OAuth 2.0 (HTTP); API login and password (Basic auth fallback, required for stdio)
Read or write	Calls DataForSEO APIs; no account-changing tools documented
Price	No separate MCP price listed; DataForSEO API pay-as-you-go pricing
Source code	github.com/dataforseo/mcp-server-typescript (Apache 2.0)
Status	v3 is current; previous v2+ server deprecated

What it can do

The README lists four tools:

Tool	What it does
`docs_index`	Fetches the documentation index, optionally filtered by section (24-hour cache)
`docs_list_sections`	Returns the available documentation section names
`docs_search`	Fetches documentation from a docs URL, with optional code examples
`api_request`	Makes an authenticated API request

The design is small on purpose. The AI reads the docs to find the right endpoint, then calls it through api_request. The README says api_request uses .ai paths by default, and you can switch to standard paths with noAiMode.

How to connect it

Hosted server. The README's client config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dataforseo": {
      "url": "https://mcp.dataforseo.com/v3/mcp"
    }
  }
}

The README says "OAuth works out of the box." Clients discover DataForSEO's authorization server through Protected Resource metadata.

Local stdio. OAuth is not used here, so set your credentials:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dataforseo": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["dataforseo-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "DATAFORSEO_LOGIN": "your_api_login",
        "DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD": "your_api_password"
      }
    }
  }
}

You get API credentials from the API Access page in your DataForSEO dashboard. DataForSEO's MCP page also has setup steps for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, Gemini CLI and Docker. Note that this page uses DATAFORSEO_USERNAME, which the README says is accepted as an alias for DATAFORSEO_LOGIN.

Pricing

DataForSEO's MCP page describes a "pay-as-you-go pricing model" and links to per-API pricing pages. It lists no separate MCP fee. Because api_request can reach many APIs, the cost of a session depends on what the AI chooses to call.

Security notes

Prefer OAuth on the hosted server. It avoids storing your API password in a config file.
Your login and password are the keys to your balance. Anyone with them can spend your funds. Keep them in environment variables, not shared files. See MCP secret leakage.
One tool reaches everything. api_request can call any endpoint your account can use. Watch spend after your first sessions. Our guide to MCP excessive permissions explains the trade-off.
Self-hosting behind a proxy. The README says to set TRUST_PROXY=true so OAuth metadata URLs use HTTPS.
Avoid the deprecated server. The README points v2+ users to a separate deprecated repo. Move to v3.

The MCP security hub covers more.

Alternatives

Semrush MCP server: hosted, uses plan API units.
Ahrefs MCP server: hosted, Lite plan and up.

Next step

Pay-as-you-go data suits agencies and tool builders who want SEO data without a seat-based plan. If you are building an SEO agent on top of it, see MCP development or compare options in MCP servers for marketing.

Frequently asked questions

Is the DataForSEO MCP server official?

Yes. It is published in DataForSEO's own GitHub organization and documented on dataforseo.com. The README says it is the new v3 server.

Do I need to install anything?

No, if your client supports remote servers with OAuth. Point it at https://mcp.dataforseo.com/v3/mcp. For local use, you need Node.js and your API login and password.

How much does it cost to use?

DataForSEO lists no separate MCP fee. Requests are billed under its pay-as-you-go API pricing, which varies by API.

Why does it only have four tools?

The server lets the AI read DataForSEO's docs and then call any endpoint through api_request. This keeps the tool list short. DataForSEO's MCP page notes that Cursor supports up to 40 active MCP tools, so a short list matters.

DataForSEO MCP Server: Tools, Setup and Security