--- title: "Surfer MCP" description: "Use Surfer's data and tools directly inside Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, and other AI assistants." url: https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12944186-surfer-mcp collection: "MCP" updated: 2026-10-31 language: en alternates: [fr, de] --- # Surfer MCP Use Surfer's data and tools directly inside Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, and other AI assistants. > **Success:** Already know everything about MCP? Head to our official [MCP dev documentation](https://devs.surferseo.com/mcp/overview) and start automating your content workflows with Surfer! ## What is Surfer MCP? Surfer MCP lets you connect Surfer directly to your AI assistant, so you can use Surfer's data and tools right inside a chat with Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT, or any tool that supports MCP (Model Context Protocol). Instead of switching back and forth between your AI assistant and the Surfer app, connect once and let the assistant create, optimize, and score content using your live Surfer data and brand setup. ## MCP walkthrough Most AI SEO work happens across a dozen tabs. With the new Surfer MCP, it happens in one chat. This complete video walkthrough shows how to optimize content, write in your own brand voice, and improve your AI search visibility straight from Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, or Cursor: By the end of this video, you'll know how to: - Connect the Surfer MCP to your AI assistant and see everything it can do - Surface ranked optimization opportunities for your site in seconds - Create a writer-ready content brief and share it as a hosted page - Save your writing style as a reusable Surfer brand voice - Generate a first draft with Surfer's AI writer and fact-check it against primary sources - Raise your SEO & GEO score while keeping your voice and citations intact - Send a finished article to WordPress as a draft without leaving the chat - Analyze AI Tracker data model by model to see why competitors get mentioned - Find the sources AI cites (NBC, Allure, and more) and build your outreach list - Spot on-site content gaps that make your brand easier for AI to cite Give it a watch! ## Requirements To use Surfer MCP, you need: - A Surfer account on **a** [**Pro, Peace of Mind**, **Enterprise**](https://surferseo.com/pricing/)**, or** [**AI Search Analytics**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12944184-ai-search-analytics.md) plan. - An AI tool that supports MCP, such as Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, or ChatGPT. > **Warning:** Your subscription plan limit applies to any actions you take through MCP. For example, you can’t create Content Editors beyond your plan limit. > **Success:** Trialing Surfer? Great! **MCP is also available on a trial account**. Give it a shot! [Learn more about the Surfer trial »](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12944181-how-does-the-surfer-trial-work.md) ## What you can do with Surfer MCP Once connected, Surfer MCP lets your AI assistant work directly with your Surfer account, pulling data, running optimizations, and creating content without you leaving the chat. Here's what it can do today: **Write and optimize content in the Content Editor** - Create and fetch [Content Editors](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/5700347-content-editor-overview.md) (keyword, location, device, secondary keywords, templates, custom voices, custom instructions) - Fetch SEO guidelines and check term, structure, and topic coverage - Fetch only the missing SEO and AI Search guidelines (terms and facts), not just the full set - Fetch [AI Search (AIO) guidelines](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/10717145-facts.md) — source-attributed facts from the SERP and major AI engines (AI Overviews, AI Mode, Gemini, OpenAI, Perplexity) - Manage SERP competitors (include/exclude, load more, recalculate guidelines) - Fetch and regenerate outlines - Generate full [Surfer AI](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/7869670-surfer-ai.md) articles, with optional manual outline review - Add [internal and external links](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/9154320-automated-internal-linking-tool.md) to generated Surfer AI articles - Fetch and update your content in Markdown or HTML - [Re-score content](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/5700365-content-score-in-the-editor-explained.md) for SEO, AI Search, and total score - Run [Auto-Optimize](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/9172781-auto-optimize.md) and track its status - Get shareable permalinks **Track AI visibility with the AI Tracker** - List and fetch your [AI Tracker](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/11667466-ai-tracker.md) projects - Pull visibility summaries — mention rate, position in the answer, and presence score per AI model - View daily visibility trends over time - Review tracked prompts, grouped by topic - See cited sources (by domain or URL, per model, with a brand-mention flag) - List the brands AI answers mention - Fetch your mention gaps **Act on recommendations** - Fetch [Content Audit](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/9182497-content-audit.md) pages to optimize - Fetch [Topical Map](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/9383782-topical-map.md) ideas to write **Manage your workspace and brand** - Create a [workspace](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12944172-workspaces-in-surfer.md) from a brand website URL, then list, fetch, and activate workspaces - Fetch and update [brand knowledge](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12631203-brand-knowledge.md) - Create, fetch, update, and delete [custom voices](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12944177-custom-voice.md) - Create, fetch, update, and delete [content templates](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/8272654-surfer-ai-templates.md) You can also use **built-in skills**, ready-made playbooks that run a full workflow (like writing or optimizing an article) from a single request, pausing when they need your input. List of available skills - **surfer-content-recommendations** — Act on Surfer's site recommendations; picks recommendation-led Write or Optimize work and delegates to the relevant skill below. - **surfer-create-content-brief** — Build a writer-ready brief with SEO + AI Search guidance, SERP/competitor analysis, structure, terms, and questions (no draft written). - **surfer-create-outline** — Generate a SERP-informed article outline without a full draft. - **surfer-manage-content-templates** — Create, inspect, update, choose, or delete reusable content templates. - **surfer-optimize-content** — Improve an existing article's/page's SEO Score and/or AI Search Score. - **surfer-write-article** — Write a brand-new SEO/AI-Search-optimized article or blog post from a keyword or topic. And here you can find a list of raw events: Raw events - **Content Editor** - content\_editor\_\_create - content\_editor\_\_get - content\_editor\_\_list - content\_editor\_\_update - content\_\_get - content\_\_update - content\_score\_\_get - outline\_\_get - outline\_\_regenerate - permalink\_\_list - **SEO Guidelines** - seo\_guidelines\_\_get - seo\_guidelines\_\_get\_terms\_coverage - seo\_guidelines\_\_update\_terms - seo\_guidelines\_\_update\_structure - seo\_guidelines\_\_update\_competitors - seo\_guidelines\_\_update\_topics\_and\_questions - seo\_guidelines\_\_load\_more\_competitors - **AI Search Guidelines** - ai\_search\_guidelines\_\_get - ai\_search\_guidelines\_\_list\_facts - **AI Article** - ai\_article\_\_generate - ai\_article\_\_get - ai\_article\_\_list - ai\_article\_\_get\_outline - ai\_article\_\_submit\_outline - **Auto-Optimize** - auto\_optimize\_\_run - auto\_optimize\_\_get - **AI Tracker** - ai\_tracker\_\_list - ai\_tracker\_\_get - ai\_tracker\_\_get\_summary - ai\_tracker\_\_get\_time\_series - ai\_tracker\_\_list\_prompts - ai\_tracker\_\_list\_sources - ai\_tracker\_\_list\_brands - ai\_tracker\_\_get\_mention\_gap - **Recommendations** - recommendation\_\_list - recommendation\_\_optimize - **Workspace** - workspace\_\_list - workspace\_\_get - workspace\_\_create - workspace\_\_activate - **Brand** - brand\_\_get - brand\_\_update - **Custom Voices** - custom\_voice\_\_list - custom\_voice\_\_get - custom\_voice\_\_create - custom\_voice\_\_update - custom\_voice\_\_delete - **Content Templates** - content\_template\_\_list - content\_template\_\_get - content\_template\_\_create - content\_template\_\_update - content\_template\_\_delete - surfer\_content\_template\_\_list - **Skills** - skill\_\_list - skill\_\_get ## Installing the Surfer MCP in your LLM The Surfer MCP connects Surfer to your favorite AI assistant so it can pull your workspaces, content, and data directly into your conversations. Setup takes a couple of minutes and works the same way across every client: point it at the Surfer MCP server, sign in with your Surfer account, and you're ready. **The server address is:** [https://mcp.surferseo.com/mcp](https://mcp.surferseo.com/mcp) **Setup guides and the server address are also available in the Surfer app → MCP & API section located on the left menu bar:** ![](https://files.gleap.io/pf/gattachments/Y5JFNRC0Se8fCaTo51rAAI04wJeFooIs8fQUFFIZVBCRDMY7NrmRmycolPL15SKXr09GiOdR3YI.png?v=1&k=a&s=api&e=1793966400&sig=oB-Jz9pifV56iMxSx-hQxAYeUpST-SP5LFzaQRB2a5k) Now, pick your client below and follow the steps: > **Success:** For detailed setup steps for each AI client, the full list of available tools, and example prompts, [see Surfer's developer documentation »](https://devs.surferseo.com/mcp/overview) Claude 1. In [claude.ai](https://claude.ai) or the Claude desktop app, open **Customize → Connectors** and click **Add custom connector**. 2. Name it **Surfer**, paste the server URL, and select **Continue**. 3. Keep the detected authentication settings and click **Add**. 4. Click **Connect** next to Surfer and sign in. If you have more than one organization, pick it and select **Authorize**. 5. In a new chat, enable Surfer under **\+ → Connectors**. **Note:** Free Claude plans allow one custom connector. On Team and Enterprise plans, an owner adds it under **Organization settings → Connectors → Add → Custom**, then each member clicks **Connect** on it in **Customize → Connectors**. [Learn more with our full MCP documentation »](https://devs.surferseo.com/mcp/connect/claude) Claude Code 1. Run this in your terminal. Drop `--scope user` to add Surfer to the current project only: ```javascript claude mcp add --transport http --scope user surfer https://mcp.surferseo.com/mcp ``` 2. Start Claude Code, run `/mcp`, select **surfer**, and choose **Authenticate**. Sign in with your Surfer account in the browser. If the browser doesn't open, copy the URL Claude Code prints and open it yourself. [Learn more with our full MCP documentation »](https://devs.surferseo.com/mcp/connect/claude-code) ChatGPT 1. In ChatGPT, open **Settings → Security and login** and turn on **Developer mode**. 2. Go to **chatgpt.com/plugins** and click **+**. Name it **Surfer**, paste the server URL as the server URL, choose **OAuth**, tick **I understand and want to continue**, and click **Create**. 3. On the plugin page, click **Connect**, then **Sign in with Surfer**. If you have more than one organization, pick it and select **Authorize**. 4. In a chat, open the **+** menu, choose **Developer mode**, and select **Surfer**. **Note:** Developer mode works on ChatGPT web for Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu accounts. Availability can depend on your workspace policy. Learn more with our full MCP documentation: \- [ChatGPT Web](https://devs.surferseo.com/mcp/connect/chatgpt-web) \- [ChatGPT Desktop](https://devs.surferseo.com/mcp/connect/chatgpt-desktop) Codex 1. Run this in your terminal and sign in with your Surfer account when the browser opens: ```javascript codex mcp add surfer --url https://mcp.surferseo.com/mcp ``` 2. If the browser doesn't open, sign in with: ```javascript codex mcp login surfer ``` Instead of the command in step 1, you can add this to `~/.codex/config.toml` yourself: ```javascript [mcp_servers.surfer] url = "https://mcp.surferseo.com/mcp" ``` **Note:** The Codex CLI, the Codex IDE extension, and the ChatGPT desktop app share this config file. [Learn more with our full MCP documentation »](https://devs.surferseo.com/mcp/connect/codex) Cursor 1. Add this to `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (all projects) or `.cursor/mcp.json` (this project) and save: json ```json { "mcpServers": { "surfer": { "url": "https://mcp.surferseo.com/mcp" } } } ``` 2. Open **Customize → MCPs**, click **Authenticate** on the **surfer** row, and sign in with your Surfer account. The row reads **Ready** once connected. [Learn more with our full MCP documentation »](https://devs.surferseo.com/mcp/connect/cursor) > **Info:** Trying to connect Surfer to a different MCP-compatible client? Learn how to do it [here »](https://devs.surferseo.com/mcp/connect/other) > **Success:** After completing the setup with any model, ask your assistant to confirm it works by prompting: **List my Surfer workspaces > ** > If the model returns a list, you’re good to go! ## FAQ **Where can I find Surfer official MCP dev documentation?** Head to our [documentation for developers](https://devs.surferseo.com/mcp/overview). You can also find it linked in the Surfer app → MCP & API section (on the left menu bar) → MCP → Scroll down to find the corresponding button that will take you to the docs. **Which subscription plans can use Surfer MCP?** Pro, Peace of Mind, and Enterprise subscription plans. [**Surfer trial**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12944181-how-does-the-surfer-trial-work.md) and [**AI Search Analytics**](https://docs.surferseo.com/en/articles/12944184-ai-search-analytics.md) also come with MCP access. **Which AI tools does it work with?** Any tool that supports MCP, including Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, and ChatGPT. **Do I need to sign in every time?** No. You sign in once, and your session stays connected. You may occasionally be asked to reconnect when we release updates. **Does using MCP count against my plan limits?** Yes. Anything you do through MCP uses your Surfer subscription, just like working in the app. Actions that create or generate content, such as creating a Content Editor, count toward your plan limit, so you can't go over it. Simply viewing or reading data doesn't use up your limit. **Can I share access with someone else?** Yes. Anyone with a Surfer account in an organization with MCP access can connect with their own account. **A request seems to be stuck, is something wrong?** No. Some actions (like creating a Content Editor) run in the background and take a few minutes. Just ask your assistant to check whether it's ready. **It's not connecting. What should I check?** Confirm that: \- the MCP you’re connecting with is **the same as the one available in the Surfer App settings**. \- you're signing in with the right Surfer account and that your plan includes MCP access.  Still stuck? Contact us at [**support@surferseo.com**](mailto:support@surferseo.com).