DataForSEO MCP server

The DataForSEO MCP Server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol for DataForSEO, allowing AI assistants like Claude to access SEO data through DataForSEO's APIs. This server enables real-time access to search results, keyword research, on-page SEO metrics, and more through a standardized interface.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• DataForSEO API credentials (API login and password)

Installation

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/dataforseo/mcp-server-typescript
cd mcp-server-typescript
npm install

Set up environment variables:

# Required
export DATAFORSEO_USERNAME=your_username
export DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD=your_password

# Optional: specify which modules to enable (comma-separated)
# If not set, all modules will be enabled
export ENABLED_MODULES="SERP,KEYWORDS_DATA,ONPAGE,DATAFORSEO_LABS"

Running the Server

Build the project:

npm run build

Start the server:

node build/index.js

Available Modules

The server provides access to multiple DataForSEO APIs through the following modules:

• SERP: Retrieve real-time Search Engine Results Page data for Google, Bing, and Yahoo
• KEYWORDS_DATA: Access keyword research and clickstream data, including search volume and cost-per-click metrics
• ONPAGE: Crawl websites to obtain on-page SEO performance metrics
• DATAFORSEO_LABS: Get data on keywords, SERPs, and domains based on DataForSEO's proprietary databases

Configuration

You can control which modules are enabled by setting the ENABLED_MODULES environment variable. If not specified, all modules will be enabled by default.

Example configuration to enable only SERP and KEYWORDS_DATA modules:

export ENABLED_MODULES="SERP,KEYWORDS_DATA"

Using the Server

The MCP server acts as a bridge between AI assistants like Claude and the DataForSEO APIs. Once running, the server provides a standardized interface that Claude can use to request SEO data.

Each module provides various tools that correspond to specific DataForSEO API endpoints. For example, the SERP module provides tools for retrieving search engine results from Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

When Claude makes a request through the MCP protocol, the server processes it, makes the appropriate API call to DataForSEO, and returns the formatted results.

Resources

• Model Context Protocol Documentation
• DataForSEO API Documentation

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "dataforseo" '{"command":"node","args":["build/index.js"]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "dataforseo": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "build/index.js"
            ]
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "dataforseo": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "build/index.js"
            ]
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect