# DataForSEO MCP: an MCP server by Scalably

Canonical: https://scalably.io/mcp/dataforseo-mcp
Source: https://github.com/scalably-io/dataforseo-mcp
Registry: https://registry.modelcontextprotocol.io/v0.1/servers/io.scalably%2Fdataforseo-mcp/versions/1.0.1
Provenance: derived from `container/tools/dataforseo-proxy` at `ef174fc3` (2026-08-31) in the private ScalablyAI repository
Integrity: sha256 of the raw README served at https://scalably.io/mcp/dataforseo-mcp.md is 2eefa787c8b2bc1df4045e45441789eef47a8dd500e1a3cc1910ac95c1629a7c. Verify: curl -s https://scalably.io/mcp/dataforseo-mcp.md | shasum -a 256
This is the machine-readable representation of the page at the canonical URL. Same facts, denser format.

## Direct answer
DataForSEO MCP wrapper: searchable API docs plus normalized calls to the official server. 4 tools.

Keyword volume, SERP and backlink data behind the SEO skills, with searchable API docs.

## Install
- Claude Code: `claude mcp add dataforseo -e DATAFORSEO_USERNAME=your-login -e DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD=your-password -- npx -y @scalably-io/dataforseo-mcp`
- Codex: `codex mcp add dataforseo --env DATAFORSEO_USERNAME=your-login --env DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD=your-password -- npx -y @scalably-io/dataforseo-mcp`
- Claude Desktop: this wrapper ships on npm only (its upstream dependency makes a desktop bundle over 100 MB). Install DataForSEO's own server from https://github.com/dataforseo/mcp-server-typescript instead; the docs-search tools are the only thing you lose.

## Environment
| Variable | Required | Secret | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| `DATAFORSEO_USERNAME` | yes | yes | DataForSEO account login (email) from the dashboard |
| `DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD` | yes | yes | DataForSEO account API password from the dashboard |
| `DATAFORSEO_PROXY_TEST_CHILD` | no | no | Test suite only, with NODE_ENV=test: path of a fake child to spawn instead of the upstream server. Never set it in normal use |

## Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| `docs_index` | Fetch the DataForSEO API documentation index (llms.txt), optionally filtered by section. |
| `docs_list_sections` | Return available DataForSEO API documentation section names. |
| `docs_search` | Fetch DataForSEO API documentation from a documentation URL. |
| `api_request` | Make an authenticated request to the DataForSEO API. |

## Setup
1. Create or open a DataForSEO account at dataforseo.com.
2. Read the API login (an email address) and API password from the dashboard.
3. `api_request` calls the live DataForSEO API and can incur cost per DataForSEO's own pricing; the three `docs_*` tools are free documentation lookups.

## Limits
`api_request` is a real, billable call to the DataForSEO API; DataForSEO's own account balance and rate limits apply. A failed call to a paid endpoint is reported with an `ambiguous_paid_request` error when the outcome could not be confirmed, since retrying blind could double the charge.

## Reply shape
Every tool returns plain JSON with `status` (`succeeded`, `partial`, `no_op`), `operation`, `summary`, `target`, `result`, `proof`, `warnings`, `recovery`. Failures surface as a tool error whose text is `<code>: <message> <hint>`. `api_request` normalizes DataForSEO's per-task status codes (pending tasks, no-result tasks, partial failures, and vendor error codes) into that shape instead of returning DataForSEO's raw task envelope unexamined.

## Reliability
- CI: https://github.com/scalably-io/dataforseo-mcp/actions/workflows/validate.yml
- Release 1.0.1
- Verified 2026-08-31
- Each of ours started as an internal ScalablyAI MCP server. We stripped the internal envelope, the auth wrapper and client dispatch that only make sense inside our own platform, and kept the tool surface. Every release runs through a clean-install CI job, publishes under the io.scalably namespace with trusted publishing so no long-lived token ever leaves our CI, and registers on the official MCP registry.

## Related
- Used by these skills: [internal-linking](https://scalably.io/skills/internal-linking)
- Also in seo: [Google Search Console MCP](https://scalably.io/mcp/gsc-mcp), [DataForSEO MCP Server](https://scalably.io/mcp/dataforseo-mcp-server)
- Read more: [AI agents for SEO: 5,329 tasks at 98% over four months](https://scalably.io/blog/ai-agents-for-seo), [How to build an MCP server in TypeScript (the right way)](https://scalably.io/blog/mcp-server-typescript)