Semrush MCP Server: Tools, Setup and Security

The Semrush MCP server lets an AI app pull Semrush SEO, traffic and project data into a chat. You can ask about keywords, competitors or domain traffic without exporting reports. Semrush hosts the server and documents it on its developer site.

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

For how this fits day-to-day search work, see our guide to MCP for SEO.

At a glance

What it can do

Semrush's docs describe coverage by API rather than by tool name:

• SEO API: all endpoints.
• Trends API: all endpoints, depending on your Trends API subscription level.
• Projects API (v3): read-only methods. The docs say you "cannot create projects, change settings, or take other actions."

The docs page does not list individual tool names. Each request consumes units based on report type and data volume. Semrush points to its API reference for per-report estimates.

How to connect it

For Claude Code, Semrush's docs give this command:

claude mcp add semrush https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp -t http

Then run /mcp, select the Semrush server and choose Authenticate.

For Cursor, add this to your MCP settings:

{"mcpServers": {"semrush": {"url": "https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp"}}}

For VS Code, create .vscode/mcp.json:

{"servers": {"semrush": {"url": "https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp", "type": "http"}}}

Semrush also documents connections from the Claude app, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot (through the Microsoft Marketplace, if your organization allows third-party connectors), Perplexity, Lovable and Antigravity. The docs say Gemini CLI support is discontinued.

If your agent cannot do OAuth, send your key in a header: Authorization: Apikey YOUR_API_KEY.

Pricing and eligible plans

The docs list these plans as eligible for the Standard API with 50,000 API units: Semrush One Starter, Semrush One Pro+, SEO Classic Pro and SEO Classic Guru. SEO Classic Business and Semrush One Advanced qualify with an API units package. Any Basic or Premium Trends API plan includes MCP access.

Semrush's pricing page lists "MCP access" on the Starter plan at $199 a month, or $165.17 a month billed annually. The docs say Claude, ChatGPT and Perplexity add no fees of their own; the cost is your Semrush units.

Security notes

• Read-only project data. The AI can read your Semrush projects but not change them.
• Prefer OAuth over the API key. OAuth sends you through the Semrush login page. An API key pasted into a config file can leak.
• Watch unit spend. An agent that loops over many domains can burn units fast. Check usage after your first sessions.
• Third-party data in your chat. SEO results include text from other websites. Treat it as untrusted input, as our guide to MCP prompt injection explains.

See the MCP security hub for a fuller checklist.

Alternatives

• Ahrefs MCP server: hosted Ahrefs data, Lite plan and up.
• DataForSEO MCP server: pay-as-you-go SEO data with an open-source server.
• Similarweb MCP server: competitor traffic and audience data.

Next step

Compare the SEO data servers side by side in our list of MCP servers for marketing. If you want help building Semrush data into your reporting, see Claude Code consulting.

Frequently asked questions