How to connect Semrush MCP with VS Code

How to connect Semrush MCP with VS Code VS Code is the most popular code editor out there. With its recent AI makeover, it can do more than just help you write code. You can connect your applications to it and let LLMs automate many of the mundane tasks in your workflow. In this guide, I will explain how to connect Semrush with VS Code in the most secure and robust way possible via Composio.

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Semrush is a leading SEO tool suite for keyword research, competitor analysis, and campaign tracking. It empowers marketers to improve search rankings and optimize online visibility.

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How to connect Semrush MCP with VS Code

VS Code is the most popular code editor out there. With its recent AI makeover, it can do more than just help you write code. You can connect your applications to it and let LLMs automate many of the mundane tasks in your workflow.

In this guide, I will explain how to connect Semrush with VS Code in the most secure and robust way possible via Composio.

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Why use Composio?

Composio provides:

  • Access to 1,000+ managed apps from a single MCP endpoint. This makes it convenient for agents to run cross-app workflows.
  • Programmatic tool calling. Allows LLMs to write its code in a remote workbench to handle complex tool chaining. Reduces to-and-fro with LLMs for frequent tool calling.
  • Large tool response handling outside the LLM context. This minimizes context bloat from large tool responses.
  • Dynamic just-in-time access to thousands of tools across hundreds of apps. Composio loads the tools your agent needs, so LLMs are not overwhelmed by tools they do not need.

Integrate Semrush MCP with VS Code

1. Install with one click

Click the button below to add Composio to VS Code. You will be prompted to authorize. This requires VS Code 1.99+ with GitHub Copilot.

+Install in VS Code

2. Or add manually

Open or create .vscode/mcp.json in your project root and add the following configuration:

bash
{
  "servers": {
    "composio": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://connect.composio.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

3. Authorize

Click the install button to authorize VS Code to connect to Composio. VS Code will detect OAuth and prompt you to sign in.

VS Code MCP server install screen for Composio

A browser window will open to authorize.

Composio authorization browser window

4. Authenticate Semrush and start working

Back in VS Code chat, ask the agent to connect to Semrush or give it any Semrush-related task.

For example, ask it to:

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

It will prompt you to authenticate and authorize access to Semrush.

That is it. Composio tools are now available in VS Code, and your Semrush account is ready to use.

Way Forward

Now that Semrush is connected, extend your setup by connecting the other apps you already use every day, so your agent can run true cross-app workflows end to end.

  • Connect Calendar to turn threads into scheduled meetings automatically.
  • Connect Slack or Teams to post summaries, approvals, and alerts where your team works.
  • Connect Notion, Linear, Jira, or Asana to convert requests into tickets, tasks, and docs.
  • Connect Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive to fetch, file, and share attachments without manual steps.
  • Connect HubSpot or Salesforce to log customer context, update records, and draft follow-ups.

Start with one workflow you do repeatedly, then keep adding apps as you find new handoffs. With everything behind a single MCP endpoint, your agent can coordinate multiple tools safely and reliably in one conversation.

TOOLS

Supported Tools

Every Semrush action and event your agent gets out of the box.

Check Semrush account units balance

Tool to fetch the remaining Semrush Standard API units for the authenticated account.

Get ad copies

Retrieves 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 texts

Use 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 profile

Retrieves 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 backlinks

Fetches backlinks for a specified domain or URL as a semicolon-delimited CSV string (parse with `sep=';'`); allows customization of columns, sorting, and filtering.

Backlinks overview

Provides a semicolon-delimited (sep=';') CSV summary of backlinks, including Authority Score and link type breakdowns, for a specified and publicly accessible domain, root domain, or URL.

Batch comparison

Compares backlink profiles for multiple specified targets (domains, subdomains, or URLs) to analyze and compare link-building efforts.

Batch keyword overview

Fetches 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 keyword

Fetches broad match keywords for a given phrase.

Get categories

Retrieves categories and their 0-1 confidence ratings for a specified domain, subdomain, or URL, with results sorted by rating.

Get categories profile

Retrieves 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 data

Retrieves a CSV-formatted report of competitors for a specified target (root domain, domain, or URL) based on shared backlinks or referring domains.

Get competitors in organic search

Use 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 search

Retrieves a list of a domain's competitors in paid search results from a specified regional database.

Get domain ad history

Retrieves 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 pages

Fetches 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 keywords

Retrieves 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 subdomains

Retrieves 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 keywords

Fetches keywords driving paid search traffic to a specified, existing domain using a supported Semrush regional database.

Get PLA search keywords for a domain

Retrieves Product Listing Ad (PLA) search keywords for a specified domain from a Semrush regional database.

Compare domains

Analyzes 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 data

Retrieves monthly historical backlink and referring domain data for a specified root domain, returned as a time series string with newest records first.

Get indexed pages

Retrieves 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 difficulty

Determines 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 databases

Fetches a keyword overview from Semrush for a specified phrase, including metrics like search volume, CPC, and competition.

Get keyword overview for one database

Fetches a keyword summary for a specified phrase from a chosen regional database.

Get keywords ads history

Fetches 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 results

Retrieves 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 results

Fetches domains ranking in Google's paid search results (AdWords) for a specified keyword and regional database.

Phrase questions

Fetches 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 competitors

Retrieves domains competing with a specified domain in Google's Product Listing Ads (PLA) from a given Semrush regional database.

Get PLA copies

Fetches Product Listing Ad (PLA) copies that Semrush observed for a domain in Google's paid search results.

Get referring domains

Retrieves a semicolon-delimited text report listing domains that link to a target, with options to filter by type (not value).

Get referring domains by country

Generates a CSV report detailing the geographic distribution of referring domains (by country, determined via IP address) for a specified, publicly accessible target.

Referring i ps

Fetches IP addresses that are sources of backlinks for a specified target domain, root domain, or URL.

Find related keywords

Call 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 distribution

Fetches a report on the Top-Level Domain (TLD) distribution of referring domains for a specified target, useful for analyzing geographic or categorical backlink diversity.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

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.

Yes, you can. VS 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.

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.

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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