MCP Server
Connect RankParse to Claude, ChatGPT and developer MCP clients. Two endpoints, a full tool catalog, and how to fix common errors.
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets an AI assistant call RankParse as a set of tools: it asks for backlinks, domain authority or your Search Console data, and gets structured results back. RankParse runs two MCP endpoints with different sign-in methods and different toolsets. This page shows how to connect, which tools exist where, and how to fix the errors people hit most.
Connect your AI tool
RankParse's secure MCP endpoint is https://connect.rankparse.com/mcp. Claude and ChatGPT use OAuth: sign in to RankParse and approve access, without placing an API key in a web connector URL.
Secure OAuth is the primary path for Claude and ChatGPT, with 25 read-only tools by default. The API-key setup below (Claude Code, Cursor, and other developer clients) has its own catalog of 23 SEO tools plus GSC, Google Ads, outreach, and Zeekeo. See the full comparison in the docs.
https://connect.rankparse.com/mcpMarketplace review is pending, so this isn't an official Claude directory listing yet, but the link above pre-fills the same OAuth connector, and no API key ever touches the URL. Once you approve access, RankParse's 25 read-only tools appear in Claude automatically.
Marketplace review is pending where an Add to Claude or Add to ChatGPT listing is not yet shown. In the meantime, follow the setup in the tabs above or add the secure endpoint as a custom connector.
Get an API key
Claude Code, Cursor, OpenClaw and any other developer MCP client use https://mcp.rankparse.com/mcp with an API key instead of OAuth. That is the X-API-Key: rp_... header you see in the tabs above once you fill in a real key. To get one:
- Sign in at rankparse.com and open Dashboard, then Keys.
- Click New key, give it a name, then Create.
- Copy the key. It is shown once, starts with
rp_, and RankParse never stores the raw value, so you cannot retrieve it later (create a new one if you lose it).
Put that key wherever the tabs above show rp_your_key_here: as the X-API-Key header value for Claude Code, Cursor, OpenClaw or any other MCP client, pointed at https://mcp.rankparse.com/mcp. Never put this key in a Claude or ChatGPT web connector URL. Those use OAuth instead, per the setup above.
Which endpoint should I use?
The two endpoints are not the same server with different auth. The API-key endpoint exposes a much larger toolset. Pick based on what you need, not just which client you use.
Secure OAuth connector (connect.rankparse.com) | API-key endpoint (mcp.rankparse.com) | |
|---|---|---|
| Auth | OAuth sign-in, no key ever touches the URL | X-API-Key header |
| Typical clients | Claude, ChatGPT (web connectors) | Claude Code, Cursor, other developer MCP clients |
| Tools | 25 read-only tools by default (backlinks, domain authority, tech stack, website health, your websites and inbox proposals, etc.) | 80 tools. Its own catalog of 24 SEO tools plus 4 placeholder tools, rank tracking, Google Search Console, Google Ads, IndexNow, Gmail outreach, LinkedIn (Zeekeo) and approval-inbox tools. See Available tools |
| Use it for | Read-only SEO research from a browser-based AI chat | Anything needing GSC analytics, Ads keyword planning, rank tracking, sending outreach, or LinkedIn messaging, or any client that only supports header-based auth |
The GSC, Google Ads, outreach and Zeekeo tools each require connecting that integration in your RankParse dashboard first. The tool returns a clear error telling you to connect it if you call it beforehand.
The secure OAuth connector does not include any of those tools. It is read-only by default and cannot send email, message LinkedIn contacts or change campaigns. Letting an agent put drafts in your RankParse inbox for your approval is planned but not available yet on the connector. The connector has no LinkedIn or Google Ads tools.
Tool catalog at a glance
| Group | Tools | Secure connector | API-key endpoint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Link graph and domain intelligence | 14 | Yes | Yes |
| Live page and site checks | 5 | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Account and bulk lookups | 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Your websites and inbox proposals (read) | 2 | Yes | Yes |
| Additional SEO tools (schema markup and placeholders) | 5 | No | Yes |
| Rank tracking | 7 | No | Yes |
| Google Search Console | 18 | No | Yes |
| Google Ads | 3 | No | Yes |
| IndexNow | 2 | No | Yes |
| Outreach (Gmail) | 10 | No | Yes |
| LinkedIn (Zeekeo) | 5 | No | Yes |
| Inbox actions | 5 | No | Yes |
| Total | 25 | 80 |
Available tools
Every group below states where it works. Credits are what a successful call costs; "Free" means 0 credits. A failed call charges nothing, and get_domain_authority refunds its credit when the result is incomplete.
Link graph and domain intelligence
Available on: both endpoints. Read from the Common Crawl link graph, a periodic snapshot. get_crawl_history uses the Wayback Machine.
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
get_backlinks | Backlinks for a domain. Optional sort, from_domain, link_type and score | 2 (3 with score) |
get_referring_domains | Unique domains linking to a domain | 2 (3 with score) |
get_outbound_links | Domains that a domain links out to | 2 |
get_anchor_text | Anchor text distribution | 2 |
get_domain_overlap | Domains linking to all of 2 to 5 targets | 5 |
get_link_intersect | Domains linking to A but not B | 5 |
get_competitor_gap | Domains linking to a competitor but not you, ranked as link-building prospects | 5 |
get_link_audit | Backlink health score, risk flags, anchor profile, top and risky backlinks | 8 |
get_domain_authority | Authority score, referring-domain counts, registration date, registrar and popularity rank. A partial: true result means the lookup was incomplete and the credit is refunded | 1 |
get_domain_rank | Inbound edge count and linking-domain stats | 2 |
get_top_pages | Most-linked pages on a domain | 2 |
get_similar_domains | Domains with similar link profiles (competitor discovery). May return partial results | 5 |
get_site_explorer | One-call overview: backlinks, authority, top pages, anchor text | 10 |
get_crawl_history | First and last seen dates and snapshot count (Wayback Machine) | 2 |
Live page and site checks
Available on: both endpoints. These fetch the target live.
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
get_sitemap | Discover and parse a domain's sitemap | 2 |
get_page_seo | On-page SEO audit of a URL: title, meta, canonical, Open Graph, headings, links, word count | 3 |
get_page_performance | Google PageSpeed Insights: Lighthouse scores and Core Web Vitals. strategy is mobile (default) or desktop. 50 per user per day, cached 24 hours | 3 |
get_tech_stack | Detect frameworks, CMS, analytics, CDN, hosting and more | 2 |
get_site_health | HTTPS, HSTS, redirects, security headers, robots.txt | 2 |
Platforms
Available on: both endpoints.
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
get_platform_domains | Domains running a platform (WordPress, Shopify, Wix and others), with authority scores | 1 per result returned |
get_platform_trends | Platforms ranked by indexed domain count | 1 |
Account and bulk lookups
Available on: both endpoints.
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
batch_lookup | Backlink lookups for up to 50 domains at once | 2 per successful domain |
check_credits | Current credit balance | Free |
Your websites and inbox proposals (read)
Available on: both endpoints. These read your own RankParse account and never change anything.
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
list_websites | List your RankParse websites and their site_id values | Free |
list_proposals | List actions waiting in, or decided in, your RankParse inbox, with status | Free |
Additional SEO tools
Available on: API-key endpoint only.
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
get_schema_markup | Extract every JSON-LD block on a URL, including entities in @graph | 2 |
get_internal_links | Placeholder. Returns not_yet_available | Free |
get_link_velocity | Placeholder. Returns not_yet_available | Free |
get_new_links | Placeholder. Returns not_yet_available | Free |
get_lost_links | Placeholder. Returns not_yet_available | Free |
The four placeholders need two crawl releases to compare and will start returning data later.
Rank tracking
Available on: API-key endpoint only. Free. The secure marketplace connector's default catalog stays at 25 read-only tools, unchanged by rank tracking.
These tools read stored Google, Bing and Yandex keyword ranking snapshots that are synced on a schedule. They never run a live SERP check. Bing and Yandex are opt-in per account, so a missing engine in a response means it is not connected, not a zero or bottom rank. A present engine can still report an availability such as provider_limited with null metrics for a given day. That is a data-quality signal, not "not ranking".
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
list_rank_tracking_sites | Websites configured for tracking, with provider freshness | Free |
list_tracked_keywords | Tracked keyword IDs and text for one website | Free |
get_keyword_rankings | Current-versus-previous ranking summaries across engines | Free |
get_keyword_rank_history | Day-by-day history for one keyword on one engine, optionally by device | Free |
list_rank_change_alerts | Recent rank-change alert events for a website (entered or left the top 3 or 10, big moves) | Free |
get_rank_alert_settings | Whether the weekly alert digest is on, its move threshold and email override | Free |
update_rank_alert_settings | Turn the weekly digest on or off, set the threshold (1 to 50) or the email override. Changes a real weekly email | Free |
See Rank tracking and Rank tracking setup.
Google Search Console
Available on: API-key endpoint only. Free. Requires connecting Search Console at Integrations first. Dates are YYYY-MM-DD; site is a property such as https://example.com or sc-domain:example.com.
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
get_gsc_properties | List connected Search Console properties | Free |
get_gsc_top_queries | Top search queries by clicks | Free |
get_gsc_top_pages | Top pages by clicks | Free |
get_gsc_page_queries | Queries driving traffic to one page | Free |
get_gsc_query_pages | Pages ranking for one query | Free |
get_gsc_date_trends | Daily clicks, impressions, CTR and position over a range | Free |
get_gsc_country_breakdown | Traffic by country | Free |
get_gsc_device_breakdown | Traffic by device type | Free |
get_gsc_sitemaps | Submitted sitemaps and their status | Free |
get_gsc_url_inspection | A URL's indexing status in Google | Free |
get_gsc_query_page_pairs | Query-to-page mappings, for spotting keyword cannibalization | Free |
get_gsc_page_trend | One page's daily performance trend | Free |
get_gsc_query_trend | One query's daily ranking and traffic trend | Free |
get_gsc_opportunity_queries | "Quick win" queries ranking around positions 8 to 20 | Free |
get_gsc_low_ctr_queries | High-impression, low-CTR queries | Free |
get_gsc_low_ctr_pages | High-impression, low-CTR pages | Free |
get_gsc_page_segment | Performance for a URL segment such as /blog/ | Free |
get_gsc_search_appearance | Traffic by search result type | Free |
See Google Search Console endpoints.
Google Ads
Available on: API-key endpoint only. Free. Requires connecting Google Ads and selecting an account at Integrations. These return search volume and competition, never rankings. Google Ads has no concept of organic position, so use the Search Console or rank tracking tools for "where do I rank?".
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
get_google_ads_accounts | List accessible Google Ads accounts | Free |
get_google_ads_keyword_ideas | Discover new keyword ideas from seed terms or a URL, with volume, competition and bid ranges | Free |
get_google_ads_keyword_metrics | Volume and competition for an exact list of up to 200 keywords | Free |
See Google Ads endpoints.
IndexNow
Available on: API-key endpoint only. One submission notifies Bing, Yandex, Seznam, Naver and other IndexNow engines.
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
provision_indexnow_key | Get or create the IndexNow key for a host. You must then host the key file at the returned key_location | Free |
submit_indexnow_urls | Submit up to 1000 URLs on one host. Refunded if the submission fails | 1 |
On accounts where the approval inbox is enforced, an agent's submit_indexnow_urls call becomes a request for your approval instead of submitting immediately. See Approval inbox and IndexNow.
Outreach (Gmail)
Available on: API-key endpoint only. Free. Requires connecting Gmail at Integrations first. Emails are sent from that Gmail account. When an agent launches a campaign, for most accounts it goes to your approval inbox and nothing is sent until you approve it. See Outreach.
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
outreach_create_campaign | Create a draft link-building campaign | Free |
outreach_add_contacts | Add contacts with personalized copy (up to 100 per call, 500 per campaign) | Free |
outreach_launch_campaign | Queue reviewed contacts for sending. For most accounts this asks for your approval first | Free |
outreach_get_campaign | Campaign status and delivery counts | Free |
outreach_suggest_prospects | Context for topping up a campaign, including domains to exclude | Free |
outreach_list_campaigns | List campaigns, optionally for one website | Free |
outreach_sending_status | Gmail sending pipeline status | Free |
outreach_configure_sending | Change the daily cap or auto-send. Raising either asks for approval | Free |
outreach_pause_campaign | Pause a campaign's queued sends | Free |
outreach_resume_campaign | Resume a paused campaign | Free |
LinkedIn automation (Zeekeo)
Available on: API-key endpoint only. Free to call. Requires connecting Zeekeo at Integrations first. These tools send real LinkedIn messages, InMail and connection invites, and they do not go through the approval inbox. Confirm with the user before calling.
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
zeekeo_list_campaigns | List LinkedIn automation campaigns | Free |
zeekeo_send_message | Send a real LinkedIn message, InMail or email | Free |
zeekeo_create_template | Create a reusable message template | Free |
zeekeo_create_campaign | Create a connection-and-follow-up campaign | Free |
zeekeo_activate_campaign | Activate a paused campaign, which sends real connection invites | Free |
Inbox actions (API key only)
Available on: API-key endpoint only. Free to call. These tools let an agent ask for your approval and report back. None of them executes anything on its own: a proposal waits in your approval inbox until you approve it in the RankParse web app, and outreach can never run automatically.
| Tool | What it does | Credits |
|---|---|---|
propose_indexnow_submit | Ask you to approve submitting URLs to IndexNow. Costs 1 credit only when it runs | Free to propose |
propose_outreach_send | Ask you to approve outreach emails. Creates or tops up a draft campaign and puts every email in your inbox | Free to propose |
log_activity | Record what the agent did in your activity feed (up to 500 characters) | Free |
get_agent_tasks | Read tasks you queued for the agent | Free |
complete_agent_task | Mark a task done with a plain-text summary (up to 2000 characters) | Free |
These tools are on the API-key endpoint only. The secure OAuth connector does not offer them yet, and the connector's agents can read your websites and proposals but cannot create them.
Example prompts
Link graph and domain intelligence:
- "What are the top backlinks for stripe.com?"
- "Compare the domain authority of site-a.com and site-b.com."
- "Find domains that link to both competitor-a.com and competitor-b.com."
- "Which domains link to competitor.com but not to example.com? Rank them as link-building prospects."
Live page and site checks:
- "What tech stack is vercel.com running?"
- "Audit the on-page SEO of https://example.com/pricing and tell me what to fix."
- "Run PageSpeed on https://example.com for mobile and desktop and compare Core Web Vitals."
Rank tracking:
- "Which of my tracked keywords for example.com dropped the most this month, on Google and Bing?"
- "Show the day-by-day ranking history for 'buy widgets' on Google over the last 60 days."
- "Turn on weekly rank-change alerts for example.com with a threshold of 3 positions."
Google Search Console:
- "Show queries for example.com ranking between positions 8 and 20 with the most impressions."
- "Which pages have lots of impressions but a CTR under 2 percent in the last 28 days?"
- "Is https://example.com/blog/new-post indexed?"
Google Ads:
- "Give me keyword ideas with monthly search volume for 'project management software'."
- "What is the monthly search volume for these 30 keywords?"
IndexNow and outreach:
- "I updated three pages on example.com. Set up IndexNow and ask me to approve a submission."
- "Find 15 sites that link to my competitors but not me, write a short personal email for each, and put them in my inbox for approval."
- "Check how my outreach campaign is doing and how many emails are still queued."
Inbox actions:
- "Check for any tasks I queued for you, work through them, and complete each one with a short summary."
- "List what is still waiting for my approval in the RankParse inbox."