How to integrate Semrush MCP with Codex

Codex is one of the most popular coding harnesses out there. And MCP makes the experience even better. With Semrush MCP integration, you can draft, triage, summarise emails, and much more, all without leaving the terminal or app, whichever you prefer.

Composio removes the Authentication handling completely from you. We handle the entire integration lifecycle, and all you need to do is just copy the URL below, authenticate inside Codex, and start using it.

Why use Composio?

Apart from a managed and hosted MCP server, you will get:

• CodeAct: A dedicated workbench that allows GPT to write its code to handle complex tool chaining. Reduces to-and-fro with LLMs for frequent tool calling.
• Large tool responses: Handle them to minimise context rot.
• Dynamic just-in-time access to 20,000 tools across 870+ other Apps for cross-app workflows. It loads the tools you need, so GPTs aren't overwhelmed by tools you don't need.

How to install Semrush MCP in Codex

Codex CLI

Run the command in your terminal.

This will auto-redirect you to the Rube authentication page.

Once you're authenticated, you will be able to access the tools.

Verify the installation by running:

codex mcp list

If you otherwise prefer to use config.toml, add the following URL to it. You can get the bearer token from rube.app → Use Rube → MCP URL → Generate token

[projects."/home/user/composio"]
trust_level = "untrusted"

[mcp_servers.rube]
bearer_token_env_var = "your bearer token"
enabled = true
url = "https://rube.app/mcp"

Codex in VS Code

If you have installed Codex in VS Code.

Then: ⚙️ → MCP Settings → + Add servers → Streamable HTTP:

Add the Rube MCP URL: https://rube.app/mcp and the bearer token.

To verify, click on the Open config.toml

Make sure it's there:

[mcp_servers.composio_rube]
bearer_token_env_var = "your bearer token"
enabled = true
url = "https://rube.app/mcp"

Codex App

Codex App follows the same approach as VS Code.

1. Click ⚙️ on the bottom left → MCP Servers → + Add servers → Streamable HTTP:

2. Restart and verify if it's there in .codex/config.toml

[mcp_servers.composio_rube]
bearer_token_env_var = "your bearer token"
enabled = true
url = "https://rube.app/mcp"

3. Save, restart the extension, and start working.

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.

Conclusion

You've successfully integrated Semrush with Codex using Composio's Rube MCP server. Now you can interact with Semrush directly from your terminal, VS Code, or the Codex App using natural language commands.

Key benefits of this setup:

• Seamless integration across CLI, VS Code, and standalone app
• Natural language commands for Semrush operations
• Managed authentication through Composio's Rube
• Access to 20,000+ tools across 870+ apps for cross-app workflows
• CodeAct workbench for complex tool chaining

Next steps:

• Try asking Codex to perform various Semrush operations
• Explore cross-app workflows by connecting more toolkits
• Build automation scripts that leverage Codex's AI capabilities