Ahrefs MCP

What does an Ahrefs MCP server do?

The server brings live Ahrefs data into an AI assistant. Ahrefs lists 20 tool groups, from Site Explorer and Keywords Explorer to Rank Tracker, Site Audit, Brand Radar and Web Analytics. You ask in plain language for keyword research, competitor traffic and backlink audits, and the assistant calls the matching tools.

• Search Console data: the gsc group returns keywords, pages, positions and performance history. Google has no server for Search Console, so this is a route to those numbers if you already pay for Ahrefs.
• To use it, connect a Google account that has the Search Console property verified. Ahrefs then imports up to the last 16 months of data.

Is there an official Ahrefs MCP server?

Yes. Ahrefs runs the remote server and documents it on its own docs site. Claude's directory lists Ahrefs Pte. Ltd. as the maker and marks it Anthropic verified, and Ahrefs' MCP page links to its Claude connector and its ChatGPT app.

What is the Ahrefs MCP server URL, and how do you sign in?

The URL is https://api.ahrefs.com/mcp/mcp, over Streamable HTTP. With OAuth, you approve a consent screen and Ahrefs creates an API key tagged with the MCP scope. You can also generate an MCP key by hand under Account Settings, API Keys. Enterprise customers can connect with their API keys.

• Add tools to the URL to load only some groups, such as ?tools=site-explorer-overview,gsc. Without it, all tools are advertised. tools=essentials loads a curated set and can't be combined with other groups.
• Ahrefs doesn't permit calling this endpoint from custom scripts, bridges or standalone clients. It points that work to its public API.

What can an Ahrefs MCP server read and change?

Most groups read SEO data. The management group covers projects, keyword lists, locations and Brand Radar configuration, and Ahrefs' MCP page says you can create, update or delete social media posts. The search tool flags each operation as read_only or destructive, so check those flags before you allow writes.

What it can read

• Research: site-explorer-overview, site-explorer-reports, keywords-explorer and serp-overview.
• Your sites: rank-tracker, site-audit and the web-analytics groups.
• Search Console: gsc, with keywords, pages, clicks, impressions, CTR and position.
• AI visibility: brand-radar-simple and brand-radar-entities.

What it can change

• Social posts: create, update or delete social media posts.
• Management: the management group covers projects and keyword lists. Ahrefs' management API has add, update and delete endpoints, so check which ones your client shows.

How do you set up an Ahrefs MCP server in Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor?

Ahrefs documents Claude and ChatGPT. Claude has a listed connector, and ChatGPT has a listed app plus a custom route. Ahrefs' FAQ names a Cursor guide, but its MCP docs list none, so Cursor takes the generic route. You need Lite or higher.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ahrefs": {
      "url": "https://api.ahrefs.com/mcp/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_MCP_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

What can you ask an Ahrefs MCP server?

Good first prompts name a target, a country and a row limit, because most calls spend API units. These examples fit the tool groups Ahrefs lists. The Search Console prompts use the gsc group, where most endpoints are free. The last prompt writes, so it shows each post first.

• Reads

  From my Ahrefs project, list the pages that lost the most Search Console clicks in the last 28 days against the 28 days before.

  Copy

• Reads

  List my top 20 Search Console keywords by clicks for the last 28 days, with CTR and position.

  Copy

• Spends credits

  Using this list of 10 sites in my niche, tell me which have grown organic search traffic over the past 6 months, in decreasing order.

  Copy

• Spends credits

  Show related keywords for this topic in the US, with volume and difficulty. Stop at 50 rows.

  Copy

• Writes

  Show how my social posts performed last month, then create these three posts. Show me each post before you create it.

  Copy

What are the limits of an Ahrefs MCP server?

Ahrefs sets rows and units by plan. Lite gets 100 rows a request and 200,000 API units a month, Standard 250 and 800,000, and Advanced 500 and 2 million. Keys made through OAuth default to 200,000 units a month, and admins can change that. A request costs at least 50 units.

• One request costs the larger of 50 units, or the per-row cost times the rows returned. Ahrefs' example, 500 backlink rows at 12 units a row, costs 6,000 units.
• Rank Tracker, Management and Public endpoints are among those that don't consume units, and cached requests are free.
• Most gsc endpoints are marked free. anonymous-queries isn't, and three of its fields cost 10 units each.
• Third-party apps draw on the same monthly allowance.

How much does an Ahrefs MCP server cost?

Ahrefs' MCP page lists Lite, Standard, Advanced and Enterprise, so you need a paid plan. Ahrefs lists Lite at $129 a month, Standard at $249, Advanced at $449, and Enterprise from $1,499, excluding tax. Annual payment saves up to 17%. Ahrefs shows no separate MCP fee.

• Ahrefs' $29 Starter plan has no API or MCP allowance.
• Enterprise needs an annual commitment, and Enterprise customers can buy extra units.

What are the alternatives to an Ahrefs MCP server?

Semrush MCP is the closest rival, and it only reads. DataForSEO has its own server over its SERP, keyword and backlink APIs. For Search Console numbers without an Ahrefs plan, the Search Console guide covers the other routes, including Google's BigQuery export.

• Semrush MCP: Read-only keyword, backlink and traffic data from Semrush.
• DataForSEO MCP: SERP, keyword and backlink data from DataForSEO's own server.
• Google Search Console MCP: Other routes to your own Search Console data.

Which skill goes with an Ahrefs MCP server?

Use the free Agent write safety skill before you allow social posts or project changes, because those tools can delete or publish. Use the Marketing context kit to write down your domains, markets and naming rules once, so every prompt starts from the same project and the assistant spends fewer units guessing.

• Agent write safety: Sets approvals before an agent can publish posts or change projects.
• Marketing context kit: Holds your domains, markets and definitions in one folder for every prompt.