Our grade: 4 checks
Based on public data, not a full audit. See how we grade. Something changed? Request a re-grade.
Community rating
- 5 6
- 4 7
- 3 6
- 2 1
- 1 0
Trust in production
- Trust it - 30%
- With caveats - 50%
- Wouldn't - 20%
75% would recommend this server
How reviewers scored it
- Setup & docs 3.8
- Auth experience 4.0
- Reliability 3.8
- Maintainer responsiveness 4.3
Why it got a B
Hosted by Semrush over HTTPS with OAuth sign-in by default; an API key in a header is the fallback. It's read-only: SEO and Trends API data plus read-only project data, with no way to change your account. Every call spends Semrush API units, so keep tool approval on for bulk requests. Biggest deduction: no OAuth scopes are documented, and the server is closed source, so maintenance is scored one band lower.
How to connect
// ~/.cursor/mcp.json
{ "mcpServers": { "semrush": { "url": "https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp" } } }// .vscode/mcp.json
{ "servers": { "semrush": { "url": "https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp", "type": "http" } } }claude mcp add semrush https://mcp.semrush.com/v2/mcp -t httpIs Semrush MCP safe?
Is Semrush MCP safe to use?
Semrush MCP grades B (solid, with minor gaps). Login is required, but access is coarse: one sign-in or key covers more than your agent needs, so grant the narrowest account you can. Upkeep is hard to verify (closed source or a single maintainer), so pin the version you tested.
Does Semrush MCP have known vulnerabilities?
Not in our current data: it has no open CVEs or advisories. We re-check as new ones are published.
Does Semrush MCP support authentication?
Yes. It requires a login, so access can be tied to a person or a scoped key.
Alternatives in SEO Data
- A Ahrefs MCPOfficial hosted Ahrefs server for backlinks, keywords, and site metrics, with OAuth sign-in.
- A CrakSEO SEO Tools MCP ServerCrakSEO's hosted, read-only server for live Google and Bing results, keyword volume and difficulty, backlinks, rankings, competitor gaps, site audits, Google Maps ranks and ChatGPT or Perplexity brand mentions, paid from prepaid API credits.
- B AgentSEO MCP ServerHosted or local server with 45 tools for search results, keyword and backlink research, content briefs and rank tracking; paid by credits, API key required.
- B BotSee MCP ServerOfficial hosted server that runs AI-visibility analyses (question sets across personas and models) and returns competitor, keyword and cited-source results; uses paid credits.
- B DataForSEO MCP ServerOfficial DataForSEO server for SERP, keyword, and backlink data via its API, hosted or local.
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[](https://trustedmcp.io/servers/semrush-mcp)<a href="https://trustedmcp.io/servers/semrush-mcp"><img src="https://trustedmcp.io/badge/semrush-mcp.svg" alt="TrustedMCP grade B" height="80"></a>Community reviews
Went back to calling the API directly
It works in a demo, but things got shaky under real use. Nothing to install, I just point the client at the URL. Auth is handled properly, and revoking access later was one click. Not something I would put in production yet.
Used for Spotting traffic drops early
- Setup & docs 3/5
- Auth experience 3/5
- Reliability 2/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 3/5
Does the job, docs could be better
Works well enough for what I need. The OAuth flow worked first time in Claude Code. Recommended, with sensible guardrails.
Used for Keyword research for a content plan
- Setup & docs 3/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 2/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Fine once configured properly
Useful tool, though I would not hand it to a junior unsupervised. Updates land regularly, and nothing broke when I upgraded. For anything real I would look elsewhere.
Used for Backlink audits
- Setup & docs 3/5
- Auth experience 3/5
- Reliability 3/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
OK for read-only work
Some tools are great, a couple feel half finished. Sign-in flow was painless and I never had to paste a key into a config file. The API key sits in the config file, so I made a dedicated key with minimal permissions.
Used for Keyword research for a content plan
- Setup & docs 3/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 3/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Quietly reliable
I use this almost daily. Auth is handled properly, and revoking access later was one click. I would prefer to read the code, but the hosted service has been dependable. I would use it in prod, but only with a human approving writes.
Used for Backlink audits
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 5/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
The Semrush integration I wanted
Hooked Semrush MCP into Claude Code and it worked on the first try. Sign-in flow was painless and I never had to paste a key into a config file. Releases come often and the changelog is clear. Fine in production if you sandbox it.
Used for Backlink audits
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Useful, with a few rough edges
It does the job, but it took some tweaking. I like that access goes through a proper sign-in instead of a long-lived secret on disk. Keep permissions tight and it is a good tool.
Used for Competitor gap analysis
- Setup & docs 3/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 3/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Recommended it to two teams already
Started with it as an experiment, now it is a fixture. Turned on read-only mode on day one, highly recommend doing the same. Auth is handled properly, and revoking access later was one click. Worth it, just do not skip the hardening steps.
Used for Briefing writers with search data
- Setup & docs 3/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Mixed feelings after two weeks
I like it, with reservations. Scoped the token to just what the agent needs and it respected that. Hosted endpoint means no local process to babysit. Worth it, just do not skip the hardening steps.
Used for Weekly ranking checks
- Setup & docs 3/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 3/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Exactly what I needed from Semrush
Tried it on a side project first, then rolled it out at work. I would prefer to read the code, but the hosted service has been dependable.
Used for Briefing writers with search data
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Earned a permanent spot in my config
Started with it as an experiment, now it is a fixture. Nice to use something maintained by Semrush rather than a random fork. Sign-in flow was painless and I never had to paste a key into a config file. Releases come often and the changelog is clear. Fine in production if you sandbox it.
Used for Spotting traffic drops early
- Setup & docs 3/5
- Auth experience 5/5
- Reliability 3/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Our team uses it every day
Simple to set up in Cursor, simple to reason about. The OAuth flow worked first time in Claude Code. It is in our production agent and I sleep fine.
Used for Competitor gap analysis
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Set it up once, forgot about it
Replaced a homegrown script with Semrush MCP and have not looked back. The API key sits in the config file, so I made a dedicated key with minimal permissions. I like that access goes through a proper sign-in instead of a long-lived secret on disk. Would recommend without hesitation.
Used for Competitor gap analysis
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
No complaints after a month
Installed it on a Friday, it was part of my workflow by Monday. I like that access goes through a proper sign-in instead of a long-lived secret on disk. Happy to run it in production.
Used for Spotting traffic drops early
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Clean integration, sensible permissions
Clear tool names, sensible outputs, very few surprises. Scoped the token to just what the agent needs and it respected that. Good choice if you need Semrush in your agent.
Used for Weekly ranking checks
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Trustworthy enough for real work
Of the Semrush integrations I tried, this one is the most predictable. Auth is handled properly, and revoking access later was one click. Being official from Semrush counts for a lot when I pitch it to security. I would use it in prod, but only with a human approving writes.
Used for Weekly ranking checks
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 5/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Good defaults, good docs
Our agents call this dozens of times a day. Scoped the token to just what the agent needs and it respected that. Gave it its own API key so I can revoke it without breaking anything else.
Used for Briefing writers with search data
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 3/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Saves me a context switch every hour
Been running this for about a month now. Hosted endpoint means no local process to babysit. I like that access goes through a proper sign-in instead of a long-lived secret on disk. Keep permissions tight and it is a good tool.
Used for Briefing writers with search data
- Setup & docs 3/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Promising, a bit raw
Took longer to configure than I expected. The API key sits in the config file, so I made a dedicated key with minimal permissions. Nothing to install, I just point the client at the URL. Scoped the token to just what the agent needs and it respected that.
Used for Spotting traffic drops early
- Setup & docs 3/5
- Auth experience 3/5
- Reliability 2/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Easy win for our agent setup
Set this up for our team after comparing a few options. Being closed source, I cannot audit it, but the vendor has been responsive. Recommended, with sensible guardrails.
Used for Keyword research for a content plan
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 3/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
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