How to integrate Semrush MCP with Claude Code

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Introduction

Manage your Semrush directly from Claude Code with zero worries about OAuth hassles, API-breaking issues, or reliability and security concerns.

You can do this in two different ways:

  1. Via Rube - Direct and easiest approach
  2. Via Composio SDK - Programmatic approach with more control

Why Rube?

Rube is a universal MCP server with access to 850+ SaaS apps. It ensures just-in-time tool loading so Claude can access the tools it needs, a remote workbench for programmatic tool calling and handling large tool responses out of the LLM context window, ensuring the LLM context window remains clean.

Connect Semrush to Claude Code with Rube

1. Get the MCP URL

Copy and paste the below command in Claude Code to add Rube MCP.

Terminal

2. Authenticate Rube

Run /mcp to view Rube

bash
/mcp
Run /mcp to view Rube in Claude Code
Click on Rube to authenticate
Authentication flow complete

3. Ensure it's connected

Run /mcp again to verify the connection. Now, do whatever you want with Claude Code and Semrush.

Rube connected successfully

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Get ad copiesRetrieves unique ad copies semrush has observed for a specified domain from a regional database, detailing ads seen in google's paid search results.
Get anchor textsUse this action to get a csv report of anchor texts for backlinks pointing to a specified, publicly accessible domain, root domain, or url.
Get authority score profileRetrieves the authority score (as) profile for a specified target, showing the count of referring domains that link to the target for each as value from 0 to 100.
Get backlinksFetches backlinks for a specified domain or url as a csv-formatted string, allowing customization of columns, sorting, and filtering; ensure `display limit` surpasses `display offset` when an offset is used, and note the `urlanchor` filter may have limitations for targets with extensive backlinks.
Backlinks overviewProvides a csv-formatted summary of backlinks, including authority score and link type breakdowns, for a specified and publicly accessible domain, root domain, or url.
Batch comparisonCompares backlink profiles for multiple specified targets (domains, subdomains, or urls) to analyze and compare link-building efforts.
Batch keyword overviewFetches a keyword overview report from a semrush regional database for up to 100 keywords, providing metrics like search volume, cpc, and keyword difficulty.
Broad match keywordFetches broad match keywords for a given phrase; `display sort` and `display filter` parameters are defined but currently not utilized by the api call.
Get categoriesRetrieves categories and their 0-1 confidence ratings for a specified domain, subdomain, or url, with results sorted by rating.
Get categories profileRetrieves a profile of content categories from referring domains for a specified target, analyzing its first 10,000 referring domains and sorting results by domain count.
Get competitor dataRetrieves a customizable csv report of competitors for a specified target (root domain, domain, or url) based on shared backlinks or referring domains, ensuring the target is valid and its type is correctly specified.
Get competitors in organic searchUse to get a domain's organic search competitors from semrush as a semicolon-separated string; `display date` requires 'yyyymm15' format if used.
Get competitors in paid searchRetrieves a list of a domain's competitors in paid search results from a specified regional database.
Get domain ad historyRetrieves a domain's 12-month advertising history from semrush (keywords bid on, ad positions, ad copy) for ppc strategy and competitor analysis; most effective when the domain has ad history in the selected database.
Get domain organic pagesFetches a report on a domain's unique organic pages ranking in google's top 100 search results, with options for specifying database, date, columns, sorting, and filtering.
Get domain organic search keywordsRetrieves organic search keywords for a domain from a specified semrush regional database; `display positions` must be set if `display daily=1` for daily updates.
Get domain organic subdomainsRetrieves a report on subdomains of a given domain that rank in google's top 100 organic search results for a specified regional database.
Get domain paid search keywordsFetches keywords driving paid search traffic to a specified, existing domain using a supported semrush regional database.
Get PLA search keywords for a domainRetrieves product listing ad (pla) search keywords for a specified domain from a semrush regional database.
Compare domainsAnalyzes keyword rankings by comparing up to five domains to find common, unique, or gap keywords, using specified organic/paid types and comparison logic in the `domains` string.
Get historical dataRetrieves monthly historical backlink and referring domain data for a specified root domain, returned as a time series string with newest records first.
Get indexed pagesRetrieves a list of indexed pages from semrush for a specified `target` (root domain, domain, or url) and `target type`, ensuring `target` is publicly accessible, semrush-analyzable, and correctly matches `target type`.
Get keyword difficultyDetermines the keyword difficulty (kd) score (0-100, higher means greater difficulty) for a given phrase in a specific semrush regional database to assess its seo competitiveness.
Keyword overview all databasesFetches a keyword overview from semrush for a specified phrase, including metrics like search volume, cpc, and competition.
Get keyword overview for one databaseFetches a keyword summary for a specified phrase from a chosen regional database.
Get keywords ads historyFetches a historical report (last 12 months) of domains advertising on a specified keyword in google ads, optionally for a specific month ('yyyymm15') or the most recent period, returning raw csv-like data.
Get organic resultsRetrieves up to 100,000 domains and urls from google's top 100 organic search results for a keyword and region, returning a raw string; use `display date` in 'yyyymm15' format (day must be '15') for historical data.
Get paid search resultsFetches domains ranking in google's paid search results (adwords) for a specified keyword and regional database.
Phrase questionsFetches question-format keywords semantically related to a given query phrase for a specified regional database, aiding in understanding user search intent and discovering content ideas.
Get PLA competitorsRetrieves domains competing with a specified domain in google's product listing ads (pla) from a given semrush regional database.
Get PLA copiesFetches product listing ad (pla) copies that semrush observed for a domain in google's paid search results.
Get referring domainsRetrieves a report as a text string (e.
Get referring domains by countryGenerates a csv report detailing the geographic distribution of referring domains (by country, determined via ip address) for a specified, publicly accessible target.
Referring i psFetches ip addresses that are sources of backlinks for a specified target domain, root domain, or url.
Find related keywordsCall this to find related keywords (including synonyms and variations) for a target phrase in a specific regional database; `display date` (if used for historical data) must be 'yyyymm15' for a past month.
Get TLD distributionFetches a report on the top-level domain (tld) distribution of referring domains for a specified target, useful for analyzing geographic or categorical backlink diversity.

What is the Semrush MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Semrush MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Semrush account. It provides structured and secure access to your SEO, keyword, and advertising analytics, so your agent can perform actions like keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink audits, and ad copy retrieval automatically on your behalf.

  • Comprehensive keyword research and reporting: Let your agent fetch broad match keywords, generate batch keyword overviews, and analyze key SEO metrics like search volume and difficulty in real time.
  • Competitor and backlink analysis: Ask your agent to pull backlink profiles, perform batch comparisons of domains, and summarize backlink authority and link types for competitive intelligence.
  • Ad campaign and copy insights: Have the agent retrieve unique Google Ads copies for any domain, helping you benchmark and optimize your own ad strategies based on real competitor data.
  • Content and category profiling: Enable your agent to analyze and categorize domains or URLs, surfacing topic strengths and audience focus areas for smarter content planning.
  • Anchor text and authority monitoring: Direct your agent to report on anchor text distributions and authority score profiles, giving you actionable insights for improving link-building efforts.

Connecting Semrush via Tool Router

Tool Router is the underlying tech that powers Rube. It's a universal gateway that does everything Rube does but with much more programmatic control. You can programmatically generate an MCP URL with the app you need (here Semrush) for even more tool search precision. It's secure and reliable.

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Claude Pro, Max, or API billing enabled Anthropic account
  • Composio API Key
  • A Semrush account
  • Basic knowledge of Python or TypeScript

Install Claude Code

bash
# macOS, Linux, WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

# Windows CMD
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd

To install Claude Code, use one of the following methods based on your operating system:

Set up Claude Code

bash
cd your-project-folder
claude

Open a terminal, go to your project folder, and start Claude Code:

  • Claude Code will open in your terminal
  • Follow the prompts to sign in with your Anthropic account
  • Complete the authentication flow
  • Once authenticated, you can start using Claude Code
Claude Code initial setup showing sign-in prompt
Claude Code terminal after successful login

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here

Create a .env file in your project root with the following variables:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio (get it from Composio dashboard)
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management (use any unique identifier)

Install Composio library

pip install composio-core python-dotenv

Install the Composio Python library to create MCP sessions.

  • composio-core provides the core Composio functionality
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables from your .env file

Generate Composio MCP URL

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["semrush"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http semrush-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Create a script to generate a Composio MCP URL for Semrush. This URL will be used to connect Claude Code to Semrush.

What's happening:

  • We import the Composio client and load environment variables
  • Create a Composio instance with your API key
  • Call create() to create a Tool Router session for Semrush
  • The returned mcp.url is the MCP server URL that Claude Code will use
  • The script prints this URL so you can copy it

Run the script and copy the MCP URL

python generate_mcp_url.py

Run your Python script to generate the MCP URL.

  • The script connects to Composio and creates a Tool Router session
  • It prints the MCP URL and the exact command you need to run
  • Copy the entire claude mcp add command from the output

Add Semrush MCP to Claude Code

bash
claude mcp add --transport http semrush-composio "YOUR_MCP_URL_HERE" --headers "X-API-Key:YOUR_COMPOSIO_API_KEY"

# Then restart Claude Code
exit
claude

In your terminal, add the MCP server using the command from the previous step. The command format is:

  • claude mcp add registers a new MCP server with Claude Code
  • --transport http specifies that this is an HTTP-based MCP server
  • The server name (semrush-composio) is how you'll reference it
  • The URL points to your Composio Tool Router session
  • --headers includes your Composio API key for authentication

After running the command, close the current Claude Code session and start a new one for the changes to take effect.

Verify the installation

bash
claude mcp list

Check that your Semrush MCP server is properly configured.

  • This command lists all MCP servers registered with Claude Code
  • You should see your semrush-composio entry in the list
  • This confirms that Claude Code can now access Semrush tools

If everything is wired up, you should see your semrush-composio entry listed:

Claude Code MCP list showing the toolkit MCP server

Authenticate Semrush

The first time you try to use Semrush tools, you'll be prompted to authenticate.

  • Claude Code will detect that you need to authenticate with Semrush
  • It will show you an authentication link
  • Open the link in your browser (or copy/paste it)
  • Complete the Semrush authorization flow
  • Return to the terminal and start using Semrush through Claude Code

Once authenticated, you can ask Claude Code to perform Semrush operations in natural language. For example:

  • "Show top anchor texts for example.com"
  • "Compare backlink profiles for three domains"
  • "Get keyword overview for 'organic coffee'"

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Semrush and Claude Code:

import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

COMPOSIO_API_KEY = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
USER_ID = os.getenv("USER_ID")

composio_client = Composio(api_key=COMPOSIO_API_KEY)

composio_session = composio_client.create(
    user_id=USER_ID,
    toolkits=["semrush"],
)

COMPOSIO_MCP_URL = composio_session.mcp.url

print(f"MCP URL: {COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}")
print(f"\nUse this command to add to Claude Code:")
print(f'claude mcp add --transport http semrush-composio "{COMPOSIO_MCP_URL}" --headers "X-API-Key:{COMPOSIO_API_KEY}"')

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated Semrush with Claude Code using Composio's MCP server. Now you can interact with Semrush directly from your terminal using natural language commands.

Key features of this setup:

  • Terminal-native experience without switching contexts
  • Natural language commands for Semrush operations
  • Secure authentication through Composio's managed MCP
  • Tool Router for dynamic tool discovery and execution

Next steps:

  • Try asking Claude Code to perform various Semrush operations
  • Add more toolkits to your Tool Router session for multi-app workflows
  • Integrate this setup into your development workflow for increased productivity

You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom workflows, or building automation scripts that leverage Claude Code's capabilities.

How to build Semrush MCP Agent with another framework

FAQ

What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Semrush MCP?

With a standalone Semrush MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Semrush tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Semrush and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Code?

Yes, you can. Claude Code fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Semrush tools.

Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Semrush while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Semrush scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Semrush data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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