Connect SERPtag MCP to your favourite AI assistant in under 5 minutes. Getting started with SERPtag MCP only takes a few minutes. You’ll create an API key, add a small configuration file to your AI assistant, then ask your first SEO question using your live SERPtag data. Estimated setup time: 5 minutes Required plan: Agency or Enterprise

Before You Begin

Before connecting SERPtag MCP, make sure you have:

A SERPtag account on an Agency or Enterprise plan.
Access to Settings → API Keys inside your dashboard.
One of the supported AI assistants installed:
- Cursor
- Claude Desktop
- Claude Code
- VS Code
- Windsurf

Tip Cursor offers the quickest setup because it supports direct HTTP connections.

Step 1 — Create Your API Key

Your AI assistant authenticates using a SERPtag API key.

Sign in to your SERPtag account.
Open Settings → API Keys.
Click Create API Key.
Copy the generated key. It will begin with:

sk_live_your_api_key_here

Important Your full API key is only shown once. Store it somewhere secure before leaving the page.

Step 2 — Connect Your AI Assistant

Choose the setup guide for your preferred AI assistant.

Cursor (Recommended)

Cursor supports direct HTTP connections, so no additional installation is required. Open your Cursor MCP configuration file:

~/.cursor/mcp.json

Replace the contents with:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "serptag": {
      "url": "https://mcp.serptag.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer sk_live_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Save the file and restart Cursor.

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop connects using the SERPtag npm bridge. Open: macOS

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Paste the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "serptag": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "serptag-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SERPTAG_API_KEY": "sk_live_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Save the file, then completely quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

VS Code

Open or create:

.vscode/mcp.json

Paste:

{
  "servers": {
    "serptag": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "serptag-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SERPTAG_API_KEY": "sk_live_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Reload VS Code once you’ve saved the file.

Windsurf

Windsurf supports the same configuration as Cursor. If your version supports Remote HTTP MCP, use the Cursor configuration. Otherwise, use the Claude Desktop npm configuration above.

Step 3 — Verify Your Connection

Restart your AI assistant after saving your configuration. Once it opens again:

Start a new conversation.
Ask SERPtag to list your projects.
Confirm that SERPtag tools appear and the assistant returns live data from your account.

If you’re using Cursor, you should also see SERPtag listed under Settings → MCP with approximately 14 available tools.

Step 4 — Ask Your First Question

Try one of the following prompts.

Show me all my SERPtag projects

Which keywords are ranking in the top 10 across all my projects?

How has the ranking for "best seo tool" changed over the last 30 days?

Show my account usage and plan limits.

If SERPtag returns live ranking data from your account, your MCP connection has been configured successfully.

Connection Details

Setting	Value
Hosted MCP Server	`https://mcp.serptag.com/mcp`
Authorization Header	`Authorization: Bearer sk_live_...`
npm Environment Variable	`SERPTAG_API_KEY`
Dashboard	`https://app.serptag.com`
API Keys	Settings → API Keys

Troubleshooting

If your AI assistant cannot connect:

Verify that your API key is valid.
Make sure you copied the complete configuration exactly as shown.
Restart your AI assistant after making any changes.
Confirm your SERPtag subscription includes MCP access.
Visit the Troubleshooting guide for common connection issues and solutions.

Installation Options

SERPtag MCP can be connected in two ways depending on your AI assistant.

Option 1 — Direct HTTP (Recommended)

Most modern AI assistants, including Cursor, can connect directly to the hosted SERPtag MCP server. Benefits

No installation required
Always uses the latest version
Fastest setup
Recommended for most users

Option 2 — Install with npm

Some AI assistants, such as Claude Desktop and VS Code, require a small local bridge. Install it with:

npm install -g serptag-mcp-server

Or run it automatically without installing globally:

npx -y serptag-mcp-server

The package is available on npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/serptag-mcp-server The npm package simply forwards requests to the hosted SERPtag MCP server, so you always have access to the latest tools and features.

MCP

API

Resources

Installation Options (HTTP vs npm)

Before You Begin

Step 1 — Create Your API Key

Step 2 — Connect Your AI Assistant

Cursor (Recommended)

Claude Desktop

VS Code

Windsurf

Step 3 — Verify Your Connection

Step 4 — Ask Your First Question

Connection Details

Troubleshooting

Installation Options

Option 1 — Direct HTTP (Recommended)

Option 2 — Install with npm

​Before You Begin

​Step 1 — Create Your API Key

​Step 2 — Connect Your AI Assistant

​Cursor (Recommended)

​Claude Desktop

​VS Code

​Windsurf

​Step 3 — Verify Your Connection

​Step 4 — Ask Your First Question

​Connection Details

​Troubleshooting

​Installation Options

​Option 1 — Direct HTTP (Recommended)

​Option 2 — Install with npm

Before You Begin

Step 1 — Create Your API Key

Step 2 — Connect Your AI Assistant

Cursor (Recommended)

Claude Desktop

VS Code

Windsurf

Step 3 — Verify Your Connection

Step 4 — Ask Your First Question

Connection Details

Troubleshooting

Installation Options

Option 1 — Direct HTTP (Recommended)

Option 2 — Install with npm