Ahrefs MCP

A Model Context Protocol server to connect Claude desktop and other compatible AI assistants to Ahrefs.

Installation

npm commands need to be executed in a terminal:

• macOS: open the Terminal from your Applications folder
• Windows: press Windows + R, type cmd, and press Enter

Install Node.js and npm

1. Download Node.js from nodejs.org
2. Follow the installation instructions for your operating system
3. Verify installation by running:

npm -v

4. A version number will be printed if installation was successful

Install Ahrefs MCP Server

npm install --prefix=~/.global-node-modules @ahrefs/mcp -g

Upgrading versions

If you've installed our MCP server before, and just want to upgrade, run this command:

npm install --prefix=~/.global-node-modules @ahrefs/mcp@latest -g

Configuration

You can now add the Ahrefs MCP to your favourite AI assistant app by adding the ahrefs part to your app's configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "ahrefs": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "--prefix=~/.global-node-modules",
                "@ahrefs/mcp"
            ],
            "env": {
                "API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY_HERE"
            }
        }
    }
}

To learn more about creating or controlling API keys, refer to the official documentation.

Where to find the configuration file

Claude Desktop

If you have not used any MCP servers before, please start by following the official documentation. You will then be able to find the MCP configuration file at:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Cursor

Cursor supports configurations that are either project-specific or global: the MCP configuration file will be at .cursor/mcp.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json respectively. For more details, read the official documentation.