@cite42/mcp

MCP server for Cite42, the AI search visibility, SEO keyword & trends API: market research tools for your AI agent.

Once connected, Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex CLI, or Cursor can:

• Query AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Google AI Overviews) and see each model's answer and the sources it cites
• Track brand visibility in AI answers: rankings, head-to-head comparisons, and sentiment
• Schedule weekly or monthly trackers: one measurement — rankings, comparisons, citations, or sentiment — over a list of prompts, with setup confirmation and a useful email after every run, then ask your agent for stored history
• Pull SEO data: keyword search volume, CPC, competition, and Google Trends
• Mine Reddit and YouTube for audience questions, pain points, and rising content
• Run full research workflows: content gaps, topic demand, AI prompt maps, competitor analysis, and content briefs in a single call

Requirements

• A Cite42 account, free to create at cite42.dev
• Node.js 18 or newer and a Cite42 API key for Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Cursor

Installation

Claude Desktop connects to Cite42 through the hosted remote MCP URL and OAuth. Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Cursor run this package on demand with npx -y @cite42/mcp.

Step 1: Get your API key for local clients

Skip this step for Claude Desktop; its hosted connector authorizes through sign-in.

1. Sign in at cite42.dev
2. Open Dashboard → API Keys: www.cite42.dev/app/keys
3. Create a key and copy it (it looks like cite42_live_...)

Step 2: Add the server to your client

Pick one of the clients below. For Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Cursor, replace cite42_live_your_key_here with your real key.

Claude Code

claude mcp add cite42 -e CITE42_API_KEY=cite42_live_your_key_here -- npx -y @cite42/mcp

Claude Desktop

1. Open Settings → Connectors and click Add.
2. Select Add custom connector.
3. Enter Cite42 for the name and paste this remote MCP URL:

https://mcp.cite42.dev

4. Click Connect and complete the Cite42 sign-in. No API key is required.

The same hosted-connector steps apply in Claude.ai.

Codex CLI

codex mcp add cite42 --env CITE42_API_KEY=cite42_live_your_key_here -- npx -y @cite42/mcp

Cursor

Add this under Settings → MCP, or save it to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cite42": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@cite42/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "CITE42_API_KEY": "cite42_live_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart so the server loads

Local MCP servers are started by the client, so their config is only picked up on a fresh start. The Claude Desktop connector is ready after sign-in.

• Claude Code / Codex CLI: exit the current session and open a new terminal (or start a new claude / codex session)
• Cursor: fully quit and reopen the app

You do not need to keep npx -y @cite42/mcp running in a separate terminal. Local MCP clients start it automatically when the session needs tools.

Step 4: Verify it's running

• Claude Code: run claude mcp list and check that cite42 shows as ✔ connected. Or type /mcp inside a session.
• Claude Desktop: open Settings → Connectors and confirm Cite42 is connected.
• Codex CLI: run codex mcp list.
• Cursor: look for cite42 in the MCP/tools indicator. 26 tools should be listed.

If it doesn't appear, see Troubleshooting.

Try it: example prompts

After connecting or restarting, just ask in plain language. Your agent picks the right Cite42 tool automatically.

• "Use Cite42 to check which brands AI models recommend for 'best project management software'."
• "Which sources do AI models cite when asked about CRM tools for startups? Is mycompany.com among them?"
• "Get search volume, CPC, and related keywords for 'ai seo tools'."
• "What are people on Reddit complaining about regarding email marketing tools?"
• "Run a content brief for the topic 'ai website builder'."
• "Map the prompts worth tracking for our category, then create a weekly Cite42 rankings tracker for the best five. Show me the estimated credits per run before activating it."

Example: what a session looks like

You ask:

Use Cite42 to find AI-cited competitors for "best invoicing software for freelancers".

Your agent calls cite42_citations and answers something like:

Across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini, the most-cited sources are:

1. freshbooks.com (cited by 3/3 models)
2. wave.com (cited by 2/3 models)
3. zoho.com/invoice (cited by 2/3 models)
4. bonsai.com (cited by 1/3 models)

Your domain wasn't cited by any model. FreshBooks is cited mainly via comparison/"best of" listicles. A citation-gap analysis (cite42_find_ai_citation_gaps) can show which queries you're missing from.

That is the three default surfaces; ask for fullSweep to add Claude and Google AI Overviews. The exact brands and sources change by query and model. A good result should show the tool used, model/source evidence, and a short summary you can act on.

Tools

Cite42 exposes 26 MCP tools: 3 free account tools, 9 data tools, 6 research workflows, and 8 tracker tools.

Account & pricing (free)

• cite42_credits: check the connected account's remaining Cite42 credit balance.
• cite42_pricing: get current per-tool prices and estimate a planned set of calls.
• cite42_usage: read recent call status and cost together with the remaining balance.

AI search visibility

• cite42_search: run a query against ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews. Returns each model's answer plus cited sources.
• cite42_citations: aggregate which URLs the AI models cite for a query. Can also check whether a specific URL is cited.
• cite42_rankings: measure how brands rank in AI answers, including mention rate, average position, and per-model breakdown.
• cite42_compare: compare one brand against competitors in AI answers.
• cite42_sentiment: score positive, neutral, and negative sentiment for a brand, with supporting phrases.

SEO & trend data

• cite42_keywords: get seed search volume, CPC, and competition, with optional related keyword ideas.
• cite42_trends: get Google Trends interest over time, related and rising queries, and a trend label.
• cite42_reddit_trends: find Reddit audience questions, pain points, rising threads, and product mentions.
• cite42_youtube_trends: find YouTube rising videos, creator angles, title patterns, and opportunities.

Research workflows (multi-source, one call)

• cite42_find_content_opportunities: find content gaps across AI search, keywords, trends, Reddit, YouTube, and citations.
• cite42_analyze_topic_demand: combine keyword data, trends, AI answers, and audience conversations for a topic.
• cite42_map_ai_prompts: discover and cluster buyer prompts worth tracking in AI search. Its prompts are what cite42_tracker_create takes, so the two chain naturally.
• cite42_analyze_competitor_content: analyze AI rankings, comparisons, citations, and topic coverage for competitors.
• cite42_find_ai_citation_gaps: find queries where AI answers cite competitors but not your brand, domain, or URL.
• cite42_generate_content_brief: collect AI answers, citations, keyword demand, and social signals into brief-ready data.

Trackers

• cite42_tracker_create: create a draft weekly or monthly tracker — one measurement applied to a list of prompts. No prompt list yet? Run cite42_map_ai_prompts first. Creating a draft is free and does not schedule calls.
• cite42_tracker_update: replace the whole tracker definition — name, cadence, measurement, prompts and configuration. A tracker read returns the same shape, so read it, change what you need, and send it back. Updating is free.
• cite42_tracker_activate: activate or resume recurring runs. You must pass the exact estimatedCostMicroPerRun from the latest tracker record as maxCostMicroPerRun; activation authorizes billed scheduled runs until the tracker is paused. The response carries the balance, the cost per run and runsDryAt — the date the balance stops covering your active trackers — and activation is refused when the balance cannot cover even the next run. When tracker emails are on, activation also sends a setup summary.
• cite42_tracker_pause: stop future scheduled runs while preserving configuration and history. Pausing is free.
• cite42_tracker_delete: permanently delete a draft or paused tracker and its run history. Active trackers must be paused first, and deletion is rejected while a run is queued or running. Financial usage records remain available.
• cite42_tracker_run: queue one manual run of every saved prompt. Each prompt is billed as its own tool call at the normal rate, and completion sends the same current-results email as a scheduled run—even for a baseline or an unchanged result.
• cite42_trackers: list trackers, schedules, statuses, cost estimates, and last/next run times. Reading the list is free.
• cite42_tracker_report: read bounded stored run history with results, changes, status, sampled time, and costs (latest 8 by default, up to 20). Reading stored reports is free.

Configuration

• CITE42_API_KEY: required. Your API key from www.cite42.dev/app/keys.
• CITE42_API_BASE: optional. Defaults to https://www.cite42.dev/api/v1.

You can also pass these as CLI flags instead of environment variables:

npx -y @cite42/mcp --api-key=cite42_live_your_key_here --api-base=https://www.cite42.dev/api/v1

Billing

Tool and workflow calls consume Cite42 credits from your account. Tracker management and stored-history reads are free; every scheduled or manual tracker run bills one call per saved prompt at the normal rate. Activating or resuming a tracker requires explicit confirmation of the current maximum credits per run and authorizes recurring billed calls until you pause it. Calls fail with a clear error if the API key is missing or credits run out. See www.cite42.dev/pricing.

Troubleshooting

• Server not listed after setup: make sure you fully restarted the client (new terminal for CLI clients, full quit for desktop apps).
• command not found: npx: install Node.js 18+ from nodejs.org, then restart your terminal.
• Tool calls fail with an auth error: check the key was passed correctly (CITE42_API_KEY, no quotes or trailing spaces) and is active at www.cite42.dev/app/keys.
• Tool calls fail with a credits error: top up credits at www.cite42.dev/app.

Links

• Website: Cite42 MCP: AI search visibility, brand rankings, SEO keywords & trends
• API keys: Create a Cite42 API key
• Docs: Cite42 API & MCP documentation
• Pricing: Cite42 pay-per-call pricing