If you want Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code or Codex to answer SEO questions with current keyword, search-result or backlink data, DataForSEO MCP can connect the assistant to DataForSEO’s APIs. Start with a small, bounded request, choose the country, city, language, device and endpoint, then test the connection before adding paid balance.
DataForSEO MCP is not web hosting. It does not provide shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting, cloud or VPS servers, website storage, domains, email, SSL certificates, backups or migration. Those services come from a separate provider or website platform. The MCP server is free and open source, while the API data requests use DataForSEO’s normal pay-as-you-go prices.
Key takeaways
- Use the current
/v3/mcpendpoint from the latest DataForSEO connection guide and confirm the client’s authentication format. - Decide whether Claude Desktop, Claude Code, ChatGPT or Codex should use a remote HTTPS connection or a local credential-based setup.
- Choose the endpoint, market, language, device and result size before sending a request.
- The $1 trial credit is separate from the $50 minimum paid top-up, and balances do not expire.
- Live results cost more than queued Standard requests, but Standard requests can take minutes or hours.
- Review auto-recharge, retention, deletion and privacy terms before sending confidential client data.
What DataForSEO MCP is and what it can pull
You are choosing a way to give an AI client current SEO data, not choosing a host for your website. DataForSEO MCP connects an MCP-compatible assistant to DataForSEO’s SEO and digital-marketing APIs. The assistant can then request structured information instead of relying only on its built-in knowledge.
The current v3 server is published as the open-source dataforseo/mcp-server-typescript repository. DataForSEO says older v2 versions are deprecated. The server presents four general MCP tools:
docs_indexdocs_list_sectionsdocs_searchapi_request
The api_request tool sends requests to DataForSEO API families. It uses AI-optimized .ai paths by default, while noAiMode: true requests the standard API path and response. The four MCP tools are the interface, while the API families behind them provide keyword, SERP, backlink and other SEO data.
You can request keyword information, organic search results, backlink data and DataForSEO Labs results. A request can specify a keyword or domain, search engine, country, city, language, device and result size. That detail matters because a search for “abogado de inmigración” in Miami should identify the United States location and Spanish language. A generic worldwide request can answer a different question from the one a local business needs.
DataForSEO’s location-and-language data lists Spanish for the United States and many Latin American markets, including Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru. Availability depends on the endpoint and data source, so confirm the supported combination before sending the paid request.
The service follows the update cycles and policies of the underlying data sources. Google Ads keyword data follows Google’s update cycle, and DataForSEO says its main Google Ads data updates generally occur around the middle of the month. Labs data can have update cycles ranging from 30 to 90 days, depending on the data type. Backlink data is available through Live endpoints, with historical data extending to 2019 according to DataForSEO’s pricing page.
Which choice makes sense when you use Claude or ChatGPT?
Your first decision is the client that will run the connection. Claude Desktop suits a person who wants a desktop assistant with a custom connector or local MCP configuration. Claude Code suits command-line work and repository tasks. ChatGPT can use custom MCP servers in supported workspaces and developer-mode connections. Codex can use a DataForSEO skill or MCP configuration, depending on the installation.
Remote HTTPS is usually simpler when the client supports custom connectors and OAuth. Your credentials stay in the connection process rather than in a local configuration file, but the client workspace must support the required connector controls. Local npx setup gives you direct control over environment credentials and can work well for Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Codex. It adds local setup and requires you to protect the machine and credential store.
Choose Live when you need an immediate response for a bounded question and the price is acceptable. Choose Standard when a queue is acceptable and lower unit pricing matters. A Live request is not automatically a better answer. It is a different timing and pricing choice.
Before adding money, decide the client, endpoint, search engine, market, language, device and request size. If you work with Spanish-speaking customers, keep the product terms in English if needed, then specify Spanish and the intended market inside the request. The assistant will not reliably infer those settings from a short prompt.
A practical first test is one keyword, one market and a small result limit. Ask the client to identify the endpoint, selected location, language, device and expected result count before it sends the request. If the response uses the wrong market or returns too much data, correct the request and run a smaller test. Do not automate a large workflow until the small request gives the expected result.
For a broader decision about the service after connection and pricing, continue with the DataForSEO Review: The Pay-as-You-Go SEO Data API, What It Covers and Who It Fits.
What will keyword, SERP and backlink requests cost in a real month?
You need the endpoint and request size before you can estimate a month. DataForSEO MCP access does not add a separate MCP subscription fee. The connected request is billed under the selected DataForSEO API price, mode and parameters.
The prices below are the documented rates displayed on November 11, 2026. The effective monthly figure is included only where the arithmetic helps explain a prepaid or usage amount.
A worked month shows why the endpoint and result size matter. Suppose you pull 100 Live SERP pages, make 10 Live keyword tasks, five Labs requests returning 100 items each, and 10 backlink requests returning 1,000 rows each. The arithmetic is $0.20 for the SERP pages, $0.90 for the keyword tasks, $0.12 for the Labs requests and $0.60 for the backlink requests, for a documented-rate total of $1.82.
The $1 trial credit would cover the first $1 of that example. The remaining $0.82 would require paid balance, and the minimum paid top-up is $50. This is usage arithmetic, not a claim that every month will cost $1.82. Large result sets, clickstream options, different endpoints and more frequent requests can change the total.
The trial is not a recurring free tier. It has eligibility conditions and is separate from a paid balance. DataForSEO says balances do not expire. Review the dashboard’s auto-recharge settings and disable them if you want manual spending control.
Before paying, use the endpoint’s current pricing page to estimate the request. For a longer comparison of request modes and usage examples, use the DataForSEO Pricing: What Each API Costs Per Request, With Real Monthly Examples. Confirm the checkout price, billing interval, taxes and refund channel immediately before adding balance.
How do you connect DataForSEO MCP to Claude Desktop, Claude Code, ChatGPT or Codex?
First create or sign in to a DataForSEO account and obtain the API credentials. Then choose the connection type supported by your client. Use the current /v3/mcp endpoint from the latest DataForSEO connection guide, and confirm whether the client expects OAuth 2.0, Basic authentication or environment credentials.
For Claude Desktop with a remote connection, open Customize, then Connectors, choose Add custom connector, enter the current DataForSEO HTTPS endpoint, complete OAuth approval and configure permissions. A DataForSEO account and API credentials are required. The older connection material documents /mcp, while the current v3 guide documents /v3/mcp, so use the current path.
After saving the connector, inspect the available DataForSEO tools. A successful connection should expose the documentation tools and the general api_request tool. Run a small request and check that the response identifies the intended endpoint, market and language. If the connector does not appear, confirm the workspace permissions, endpoint path and authentication fields. Reload the connection or restart the client before trying a larger request.
For Claude Desktop with a local connection, the current server can start through npx:
npx dataforseo-mcp-server@latest
The local configuration uses the DataForSEO login and password as environment values. Keep those values out of the conversation and out of files that other users or programs can read. After saving the local configuration, restart Claude Desktop and inspect the available tools. If the tools do not appear, confirm that npx is available, the package can start and the environment variable names match the current connection instructions.
Claude Code can use the documented skill workflow. Download the current SKILL.md from the DataForSEO MCP repository, place it in the Claude Code skills directory, set DATAFORSEO_USERNAME and DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD, then start Claude Code and confirm that the skill is available. Anthropic also documents claude mcp as the command group for MCP configuration and authentication. If a workflow expects older endpoint-specific tool names, adjust it for the current generic v3 tools.
ChatGPT setup depends on the workspace. Open the supported ChatGPT workspace settings, enable developer mode or the relevant custom connector controls, add a custom MCP server, enter the current DataForSEO HTTPS endpoint and configure OAuth or Basic authentication. Review the tools before creating the connection. OpenAI says full custom MCP support is available to supported Business and Enterprise/Edu workspaces, so availability depends on workspace permissions.
Codex can use the DataForSEO skill workflow by placing the current SKILL.md in the Codex skills directory and setting the credential environment variables. OpenAI also documents MCP configuration through the codex mcp add command. Confirm which configuration method your Codex installation supports, then check that the connection exposes the current v3 tools.
At every stage, the success check is a small request with a known keyword and market. If it fails, first preserve the credentials and current configuration, then remove only the new connector entry or disable the local server. Do not cancel the account, delete the DataForSEO balance or remove the existing SEO workflow until the replacement connection has returned the expected data.
What happened when we set it up in Claude Code on Windows
If you use Claude Code on Windows, a few small things decide whether the setup works the first time. We added the server on November 11, 2026, in PowerShell. This command worked, with your own generated API login and API password in the $login and $pass variables:
claude mcp add dataforseo -s user -e "DATAFORSEO_LOGIN=$login" -e "DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD=$pass" '--' cmd /c npx -y dataforseo-mcp-server
Quote the double dash as '--'. PowerShell strips a bare one, and Claude then reads -y as its own option and stops with "error: unknown option '-y'". On native Windows, npx also needs cmd /c in front. To keep the credentials out of your command history, read them with Read-Host instead of typing them into the command line.
The first claude mcp list may show "Failed to connect - REQUEST_TIMEOUT". That only means npx was still downloading the package. Run the command again once it is cached; ours started in about four seconds and showed "Connected". The tools load only in a new Claude Code session, so start one after adding the server.
"Connected" does not test your login. It only means the local server started. The first real request is the credential test. Two details cause most failures here. The API login is a generated string of letters and numbers on the API Access page, not your email address. The API password is also separate from your dashboard password, and it arrives by email a few minutes after you request it, ours took about three minutes.
Our first request returned 40100, "You are not authorized to access this resource", because the stored password was stale. That call cost nothing. After we requested new credentials, removed the server and added it again, a new session ran the same request successfully: api_request with a POST to the Google Ads search volume live endpoint for "google reviews widget", location code 2840 and language code en. It returned 880 searches a month. A stale password keeps showing 40100 while claude mcp list still says "Connected", so remove and re-add the server after any password change.
To see the price of a call, pass noAiMode: true. The default response is an AI-optimized subset that leaves out the cost field. Our balance showed the cost instead: it fell from $50.91 to $50.82, so the one-keyword call cost $0.09, the same per-task price as a three-keyword playground request. Batch your keywords. Prices checked November 11, 2026. Before you connect any AI client, lower the daily expenses limit under Settings from its $1,000 default.
What limits, timeouts and data-handling tradeoffs matter?
The main tradeoff is between useful detail and a response the AI client can handle. DataForSEO documents up to 10,000 API requests per minute, a maximum of 30 simultaneous requests and a configurable daily spending limit. Endpoint-specific limits can apply as well.
The client can impose tighter limits. DataForSEO support guidance recommends smaller outputs, a new chat, reloading the connection or waiting when an AI provider reaches its tool, context or response limits. Independent GitHub reports describe a Lighthouse response of about 639 KB causing a context-window error in August 2025 and a keyword response of about 13.6 MB disconnecting a stdio connection in September 2026. These are user reports, not universal DataForSEO limits.
Use endpoint filters and a small limit before increasing result size. Large Labs responses became more manageable in reported use after smaller limits and filters were applied. Current v3 responses can omit cost information or limit returned items unless the standard API mode is requested with noAiMode.
Treat the 99.95% uptime figure as a provider claim. Review the DataForSEO status page before relying on the service for production automation, and remember that a provider uptime statement does not guarantee that an individual request, AI client or website will never fail.
Data handling is another tradeoff. DataForSEO’s privacy policy lists subprocessors and processing locations that include AWS and Azure in the United States and Hetzner in Germany. An MCP request or response may therefore be handled in more than one country. Confirm retention and deletion terms for the specific DataForSEO endpoint and AI client before sending sensitive domains, keyword lists or confidential client information.
DataForSEO’s legal FAQ says standard terms restrict raw resale, redistribution or sublicensing without permission. If an assistant passes raw SEO data to customers or republishes it, review the applicable terms first.
What renews, what refunds and what should you read next?
DataForSEO is presented as pay-as-you-go rather than a recurring MCP subscription. There is no standard monthly renewal amount for the balance, but optional auto-recharge can create future charges. DataForSEO says first-time API-credit purchases can be refunded within 30 days, while database purchases are excluded. Deleting the account permanently erases account data and usage statistics, so settle any eligible refund request before deletion.
Claude Free is $0. Claude Pro is $20 per month or $200 billed upfront for annual billing, with taxes possibly added. The monthly plan renews monthly, while the annual plan renews at the then-current annual rate. Claude says payments are generally non-refundable except where required by law, allowed by the terms or related to fraud. EEA and UK residents have a 14-day prorated cancellation and refund right. Prices checked November 11, 2026.
ChatGPT Plus is $20 per month, billed monthly, with no annual Plus plan. ChatGPT and API billing are separate. OpenAI says payments are generally non-refundable, with regional rights and a possible discretionary refund for eligible unused individual purchases requested within seven days in the United States. Codex is included with supported ChatGPT plans and has no separate renewal price in the cited plan documentation.
Before subscribing to an AI client, confirm the checkout price, billing interval, taxes and refund channel. Check whether your workspace supports custom MCP connections. Then choose the DataForSEO Review if you need to assess coverage, freshness, support, limits and acceptable-use terms before making the connection part of an ongoing workflow.
Frequently asked questions
Use these answers to check the basic choice before you create a connector or add paid balance.
What does DataForSEO do?
DataForSEO provides APIs for SEO and digital-marketing data, including keyword, search-result, backlink and Labs data. Its MCP server lets an AI client request that information through MCP-compatible tools.
Is DataForSEO free?
The MCP server is presented as free and open source, but API requests use paid DataForSEO rates. New accounts can receive a $1 trial credit, while the minimum paid top-up is $50. Prices checked November 11, 2026.
How much does DataForSEO cost?
Cost depends on the endpoint, request mode and result size. On November 11, 2026, documented examples included $0.09 for a Google Ads Live keyword task, $0.024 plus returned-row charges for Live backlinks and $0.012 plus returned-item charges for DataForSEO Labs Google Live.
Can ChatGPT do SEO?
ChatGPT can use custom MCP servers in supported workspaces and developer-mode connections. The connection supplies current data, but ChatGPT still needs the correct endpoint, market, language, device and request instructions to produce a useful answer.
What is an API in SEO?
An API is a structured way for software to request data from another service. An SEO API request can specify a keyword, domain, search engine, location, language, device or data type and receive machine-readable results.
Is DataForSEO MCP a web host?
No. DataForSEO MCP does not provide shared hosting, WordPress hosting, cloud or VPS resources, domains, email, SSL, backups or migration. It connects an AI client to SEO-data APIs.
Should I use Live or Standard requests?
Use Live when you need an immediate response and accept the higher price. Standard requests can cost less, but the documented processing time can range from about five minutes for a normal Google Organic queue target to one to three hours for Google Ads Standard keyword data.
Can I use DataForSEO for Spanish searches?
Yes, where the selected endpoint supports the requested location and language. Specify the country or city, Spanish language, search engine, device and exact keyword instead of relying on a general worldwide request.
Does DataForSEO balance expire?
DataForSEO says account balances do not expire. Auto-recharge can still create future charges, so review the dashboard setting and disable it if you want manual spending control.
Can I resell the returned SEO data?
DataForSEO’s legal FAQ says standard terms restrict raw resale, redistribution or sublicensing without permission. Review the applicable terms before passing raw results to customers or publishing them.
Glossary
Find more reviews and guides on Even Reviews. Spotted something to correct? Contact us and include the page title.
