🧪 Search Atlas MCP Server

Camilo Aponte

Camilo Aponte

Last updated on Sep 30, 2026

The Search Atlas MCP Server (Model Context Protocol) allows AI tools to connect directly to Search Atlas and access its full suite of SEO, content, and marketing capabilities.

Through MCP, your AI assistant can:

  • Access real data from your Search Atlas account
  • Execute actions across multiple products
  • Automate SEO workflows
  • Help diagnose issues using real platform signals

MCP acts as the bridge between AI tools and Search Atlas, enabling faster, smarter, and more automated workflows.

⚙️ Available Services

Search Atlas MCP provides access to a wide range of product areas:

Service Status Description
OTTO SEO ✅ Available Full SEO automation, audits, fixes, indexing, link building
Keywords ✅ Available Rank tracking, SERP analysis, competitor tracking
Content Genius ✅ Available AI content creation, topical maps, grading, publishing
Site Explorer ✅ Available Backlinks, keyword research, competitive analysis
Local SEO ✅ Available GBP management, citations, heatmaps
OTTO PPC ✅ Available Google Ads automation, campaign management
Digital PR ✅ Available PR campaign workflows and opportunity discovery
LLM Visibility ✅ Available AI/LLM brand monitoring
Social Hub ✅ Available Social account management and scheduling
LinkLab ✅ Available Link building marketplace
Website Studio ✅ Available Website and landing page creation
Press Release ✅ Available PR creation and distribution
Cloud Stack ✅ Available Content distribution across platforms
Brand Vault ✅ Available Brand assets and knowledge graph management
Report Builder 🔄 In Development AI-powered reporting and summaries

👉 Availability depends on your subscription and permissions.

🎯 What you can do with MCP

With MCP, your AI tool can:

🔍 Analyze and audit

  • Run SEO audits
  • Review site health and performance
  • Identify issues and opportunities

🛠️ Optimize and execute

  • Generate SEO recommendations
  • Create and edit content
  • Apply fixes in bulk

📊 Manage workflows

  • Track projects and performance
  • Monitor keyword rankings
  • Manage campaigns and assets

🧠 Smarter answers with real data

MCP enables AI assistants to respond using real account signals, not just generic responses.

Example:

“Why isn’t my rank tracker updating?”

Your AI assistant can check:

  • tracking status
  • API/provider issues
  • quota limits
  • project configuration

This allows faster and more accurate answers — often without needing support.

📚 Example Use Cases

OTTO SEO

  • “Start a new project for example.com and run a full audit.”
  • “List my top projects by SEO health score.”
  • “Generate title tag suggestions for my top pages.”

Keywords

  • “Show me ranking changes this week.”
  • “Add these keywords to tracking.”

Content Genius

  • “Grade this article for SEO.”
  • “Regenerate this article in a more conversational tone.”

Local SEO

  • “Show GBP heatmap performance.”
  • “Check citation status.”

PPC

  • “Audit my Google Ads account.”
  • “Show wasted spend.”

🔌 Supported AI tools

Search Atlas MCP can be used with:

  • Claude (browser & desktop)
  • Claude Code (CLI & desktop)
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Warp
  • Custom applications via HTTP API

🔑 Getting Access

To use MCP:

  1. Open the Account Menu → Settings → API Keys
  2. Copy your API key
  3. Configure your AI client using the MCP endpoint

🌐 MCP Endpoints

Full access

https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/

Namespace-specific access

https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/{namespace}/

Examples:

  • /mcp/otto/
  • /mcp/keywords/
  • /mcp/content-genius/

👉 Namespace endpoints allow you to limit tools to a specific product.

🔐 Authentication

Authentication is handled via API key:

X-API-KEY: your_searchatlas_api_key_here

Depending on the client, OAuth-based authentication may also be supported.

📈 Usage and Limits

  • No additional cost for MCP itself
  • Usage is tied to your Search Atlas plan
  • Tool limits (keywords, content, audits, etc.) still apply

Rate limit

  • 40 requests per minute per user account

  • Exceeding this returns:

    • 429 Too Many Requests

⚠️ Important Notes

  1. AI responses may not always be fully accurate — always review before applying changes

  2. Some tools require confirmation before execution

  3. Not all features may be available in every client

  4. Tool availability depends on:

    • subscription
    • permissions
    • integration scope

🚧 Current Limitations

While MCP provides powerful automation and diagnostics, keep in mind:

  • AI responses may not always surface all account details in a single response — breaking complex queries into smaller steps improves accuracy
  • Some tools require explicit user confirmation before executing destructive or financial actions (e.g., bulk deletions, credit purchases)
  • Not all tools are available in every namespace endpoint — use the full /mcp/ endpoint if a tool is missing from a namespace-specific one
  • Tool availability depends on your subscription, permissions, and integration scope

🌐 Community Edition (Testing)

https://mcp.searchatlas.com/api/v1/mcp/community

Key differences:

  • No authentication required
  • Strict rate limits
  • Limited tools
  • Not recommended for production

⚙️ Client Setup (Summary)

Use the MCP endpoint below when connecting SearchAtlas to supported clients:

URL:https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with the key copied from Account Menu → Settings → API Keys.

🤖 Claude (Browser & Desktop)

Step 1

Go to Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector

Step 2

Set the URL to:

https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/

Step 3

Add the X-API-KEY header with your API key

Step 4

Save

💻 Claude Code (CLI)

Run:

claude mcp add --transport http searchatlas https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/ --header "X-API-KEY: [REDACTED]"

Then run claude in your terminal.

🖥️ Claude Code (Desktop)

In Settings → Developer → Edit Config → claude_desktop_config.json:

{  
 "mcpServers": {  
 "searchatlas": {  
 "command": "npx",  
 "args": [  
 "mcp-remote",  
 "https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/",  
 "--header",  
 "X-API-KEY: ${X_API_KEY}"  
 ],  
 "env": {  
 "X_API_KEY": "[REDACTED]"  
 }  
 }  
 }  
}

🧭 Cursor

In Settings → Cursor Settings → MCP & Integrations:

{  
 "mcpServers": {  
 "searchatlas": {  
 "url": "https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/",  
 "headers": {  
 "X-API-KEY": "[REDACTED]"  
 }  
 }  
 }  
}

🧩 VS Code

Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your workspace:

{  
 "mcpServers": {  
 "searchatlas": {  
 "url": "https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/",  
 "headers": {  
 "X-API-KEY": "[REDACTED]"  
 }  
 }  
 }  
}

🚀 Warp

In Settings → AI → Manage MCP Servers → Add:

{  
 "searchatlas": {  
 "command": "npx",  
 "args": [  
 "mcp-remote",  
 "https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/",  
 "--header",  
 "X-API-KEY: ${X_API_KEY}"  
 ],  
 "env": {  
 "X_API_KEY": "[REDACTED]"  
 },  
 "working_directory": null  
 }  
}

This setup allows supported clients to connect to the SearchAtlas MCP endpoint using your API key. Make sure you replace the placeholder value with the key copied from Account Menu → Settings → API Keys before saving your configuration.

🔧 Direct API Integration

List tools

curl -X POST "https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/" \  
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \  
-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \  
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","method":"tools/list","id":1}'

Call a tool

curl -X POST "https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/" \  
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \  
-H "X-API-KEY: YOUR_API_KEY" \  
-d '{   
"jsonrpc":"2.0",  
"method":"tools/call",  
"params":{"name":"otto_find_project_by_hostname","arguments":{"hostname":"example.com"}},  
"id":1  
}'

🧠 Troubleshooting

Authentication issues

  • Check API key
  • Confirm header format (X-API-KEY)
  • Verify subscription

Connection issues

  • Confirm endpoint:
    ​https://mcp.searchatlas.com/mcp/
  • Check client configuration

Rate limit errors

  • Wait and retry
  • Avoid repeated rapid calls

Missing tools

  • Check subscription access
  • Verify permissions
  • Confirm namespace

Common errors

Code Meaning Action
401 Unauthorized Check API key
403 Forbidden Check permissions
429 Rate limit Wait and retry
-32601 Method not found Check tool name
-32602 Invalid params Verify inputs

💡 Pro Tip

Use MCP together with the Search Atlas dashboard to maintain full visibility over:

  • performance
  • reports
  • live results

The Search Atlas MCP Server connects AI tools directly to Search Atlas.

It enables you to:

  • automate SEO, content, and marketing workflows
  • access real account data through AI
  • execute actions across multiple product areas
  • work faster without switching platforms

MCP is the foundation that connects AI-driven workflows with real Search Atlas capabilities.