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Set up SearchCrew MCP

Connect SearchCrew MCP to Claude, Codex, and other AI clients.

Hosted beta status: The public MCP endpoint, SearchCrew login, and API-key flow are not live yet. The commands below document the intended setup; do not run them until launch status confirms production verification.

SearchCrew MCP lets compatible AI clients call SearchCrew tools for keyword research, SERP inspection, local business research, competitive search intelligence, domain research, backlink overview, saved keywords, rank tracking, shared project context, AI crawler access, and Google Search Console performance and URL inspection.

The planned hosted MCP server URL is:

https://app.searchcrew.ai/mcp

When the beta opens, the first connection will send you through SearchCrew login. After authorization, your MCP client will be able to call SearchCrew tools with the project context and account scopes you approve. For headless environments and CI, the planned alternative is an API key.

Until the hosted app is live, use launch status as the source of truth.

Claude Code

The current SearchCrew plugin installs workflow skills only. When hosted MCP opens, connect it separately with the command below.

Use user scope to make SearchCrew available across projects. Use local scope for the current repository.

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user searchcrew https://app.searchcrew.ai/mcp

After adding the server, approve the SearchCrew login when prompted.

Claude Desktop

  1. Open Settings -> Connectors.
  2. Click Add custom connector.
  3. Paste https://app.searchcrew.ai/mcp.
  4. Approve the SearchCrew login when prompted.

Claude Desktop custom connectors require a Claude plan that supports custom connectors.

Cursor

  1. Open Cursor Settings -> Tools & Integrations -> MCP Tools.
  2. Click New MCP Server. Cursor opens mcp.json.
  3. Add:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "searchcrew": {
      "url": "https://app.searchcrew.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}
  1. Approve the SearchCrew login when prompted.

Codex CLI

The current SearchCrew plugin installs workflow skills only. When hosted MCP opens, connect it separately with the command below.

Run this in your terminal:

codex mcp add searchcrew --url https://app.searchcrew.ai/mcp

Approve the login when prompted.

Codex Desktop

  1. Open Settings -> Integrations & MCP.
  2. Click Add your own.
  3. Paste https://app.searchcrew.ai/mcp.
  4. Approve the SearchCrew login when prompted.

Connect with an API key

Use an API key in headless environments, CI, or clients where OAuth is inconvenient. API keys are personal: anything an agent does with your key acts as you in your workspace.

In the SearchCrew app, open Settings -> API keys, create a key, and copy it when it appears. It won't be shown again.

For Claude Code, run:

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user searchcrew https://app.searchcrew.ai/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer oseo_YOUR_KEY"

For Cursor, add headers to the server entry in mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "searchcrew": {
      "url": "https://app.searchcrew.ai/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer oseo_YOUR_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Codex CLI, put the key in an environment variable and reference it:

export SEARCHCREW_API_KEY=oseo_YOUR_KEY
codex mcp add searchcrew --url https://app.searchcrew.ai/mcp --bearer-token-env-var SEARCHCREW_API_KEY

Any other client that supports custom HTTP headers can send Authorization: Bearer oseo_YOUR_KEY or x-api-key: oseo_YOUR_KEY.

Available tools

SearchCrew MCP exposes tools for SEO research workflows:

  • Research keywords with volume, difficulty, and CPC.
  • Fetch live Google organic SERP results for keywords.
  • Find exact keyword, page, rank, volume, CPC, intent, and traffic rows for a domain or page.
  • Compare SERP competitors across a supplied keyword set.
  • Search local businesses near a coordinate, filtering by rating, review count, or claimed status.
  • Fetch one Maps or Local Finder SERP, and read Google Business Q&A when needed.
  • Audit a Google Business Profile: categories, rating, hours, photos, and claim status.
  • Collect Google reviews (including reviews from other sites) and Google Business posts.
  • Look up valid Google Business category slugs.
  • Check Google Maps rank at each point of a grid around a business.
  • Hydrate keywords with search volume, difficulty, intent, CPC, and trends.
  • List saved keywords from an SearchCrew project.
  • Save useful keywords back to SearchCrew.
  • Read rank tracker configs and latest keyword positions.
  • Summarize a domain's organic footprint.
  • Find keywords a domain already ranks for.
  • Check backlink and referring-domain overview data.
  • Read first-party Google Search Console performance (clicks, impressions, CTR, position).
  • Inspect index status, crawl, and canonical for specific URLs (up to 10 per call).
  • Read and update a project's shared context: business, goal, positioning, writing preferences, competitors, key pages, and a research log (free, no credits).

What to do after setup

Once SearchCrew MCP is connected, set up SearchCrew Agent Skills. MCP gives your agent access to SearchCrew data. Skills are separate SKILL.md files that tell your agent how to use that data for specific SEO jobs.

Start with one focused workflow instead of asking your agent to "do SEO" broadly.

Troubleshooting

If your client cannot connect, check that the server URL is exactly https://app.searchcrew.ai/mcp.

If Codex reports Authorization server response missing required issuer: expected https://app.searchcrew.ai, upgrade Codex CLI or the Codex desktop app to 0.147.0 or later. Codex 0.143 through 0.146 drop the issuer from the OAuth callback. You can also connect with an API key instead of OAuth.

If authorization fails, disconnect the SearchCrew server in your client, add it again, and repeat the login flow.

If your agent cannot find a project, ask it to list SearchCrew projects first and use the returned project ID in later tool calls.