Our grade: 4 checks
Based on public data, not a full audit. See how we grade. Something changed? Request a re-grade.
Community rating
- 5 9
- 4 9
- 3 2
- 2 0
- 1 0
Trust in production
- Trust it - 80%
- With caveats - 20%
- Wouldn't - 0%
95% would recommend this server
How reviewers scored it
- Setup & docs 4.5
- Auth experience 4.3
- Reliability 4.3
- Maintainer responsiveness 4.3
Why it got an A
Hosted by Ahrefs over HTTPS for Lite plans and up. OAuth sign-in creates a dedicated, MCP-scoped key in your account, capped by default at 200,000 API units a month, so a runaway agent can't drain your whole balance. The old local npm server is archived; use the hosted one. Biggest deduction: the server is closed source, so its update cadence can't be checked and we scored maintenance one band lower.
How to connect
claude mcp add ahrefs https://api.ahrefs.com/mcp/mcp -t http// claude_desktop_config.json (Method 2, MCP key; Method 1 is Customize > Connectors > Ahrefs > Connect)
{
"mcpServers": {
"Ahrefs": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://api.ahrefs.com/mcp/mcp",
"--header",
"Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"
],
"env": {
"AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer $MCP Key"
}
}
}
}Is Ahrefs MCP safe?
Is Ahrefs MCP safe to use?
Ahrefs MCP grades A (strong public trust signals). Upkeep is hard to verify (closed source or a single maintainer), so pin the version you tested.
Does Ahrefs MCP have known vulnerabilities?
Not in our current data: it has no open CVEs or advisories. We re-check as new ones are published.
Does Ahrefs MCP support authentication?
Yes. It requires a login, so access can be tied to a person or a scoped key.
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Embed this badge
[](https://trustedmcp.io/servers/ahrefs-mcp)<a href="https://trustedmcp.io/servers/ahrefs-mcp"><img src="https://trustedmcp.io/badge/ahrefs-mcp.svg" alt="TrustedMCP grade A" height="80"></a>Community reviews
Our team uses it every day
Of the Ahrefs integrations I tried, this one is the most predictable. Releases come often and the changelog is clear. I like that access goes through a proper sign-in instead of a long-lived secret on disk. Nothing to install, I just point the client at the URL. Easy recommendation.
Used for Keyword research for a content plan
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 3/5
Worth the five minutes to set up
I use this almost daily. Auth is handled properly, and revoking access later was one click. The OAuth flow worked first time in Claude Code. Hosted endpoint means no local process to babysit. Keep permissions tight and it is a good tool.
Used for Briefing writers with search data
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 3/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
No complaints after a month
Clear tool names, sensible outputs, very few surprises. Sign-in flow was painless and I never had to paste a key into a config file. Happy to run it in production.
Used for Weekly ranking checks
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 5/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Easy win for our agent setup
Set this up for our team after comparing a few options. I like that access goes through a proper sign-in instead of a long-lived secret on disk. I would prefer to read the code, but the hosted service has been dependable. Happy to run it in production.
Used for Weekly ranking checks
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 5/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Decent, not set-and-forget
Some tools are great, a couple feel half finished. Being official from Ahrefs counts for a lot when I pitch it to security.
Used for Briefing writers with search data
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 3/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Quietly reliable
Installed it on a Friday, it was part of my workflow by Monday. Sign-in flow was painless and I never had to paste a key into a config file. Would recommend without hesitation.
Used for Backlink audits
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Set it up once, forgot about it
Set this up for our team after comparing a few options. I like that access goes through a proper sign-in instead of a long-lived secret on disk. I would use it in prod, but only with a human approving writes.
Used for Keyword research for a content plan
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Better than the DIY script it replaced
Installed it on a Friday, it was part of my workflow by Monday. Auth is handled properly, and revoking access later was one click. Hosted endpoint means no local process to babysit.
Used for Spotting traffic drops early
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 5/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Clean integration, sensible permissions
Been running this for about a month now. You can tell it is actively maintained, the rough edges keep getting fixed. It is in our production agent and I sleep fine.
Used for Weekly ranking checks
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 5/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Good defaults, good docs
Replaced a homegrown script with Ahrefs MCP and have not looked back. Scoped the token to just what the agent needs and it respected that. You can tell it is actively maintained, the rough edges keep getting fixed. Happy to run it in production.
Used for Backlink audits
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Saves me a context switch every hour
I use this almost daily. Nice to use something maintained by Ahrefs rather than a random fork. Would recommend without hesitation.
Used for Spotting traffic drops early
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Does what it says, no drama
Simple to set up in Cursor, simple to reason about. Updates land regularly, and nothing broke when I upgraded. Nothing to install, I just point the client at the URL. Easy recommendation.
Used for Spotting traffic drops early
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 5/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
The Ahrefs integration I wanted
Started with it as an experiment, now it is a fixture. Being closed source, I cannot audit it, but the vendor has been responsive. Releases come often and the changelog is clear.
Used for Briefing writers with search data
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 3/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 3/5
Recommended it to two teams already
Simple to set up in Cursor, simple to reason about. Sign-in flow was painless and I never had to paste a key into a config file. Narrowing the scopes took ten minutes and made me much happier running it. Updates land regularly, and nothing broke when I upgraded. Would recommend without hesitation.
Used for Competitor gap analysis
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Solid and well behaved
Our agents call this dozens of times a day. Sign-in flow was painless and I never had to paste a key into a config file. Good choice if you need Ahrefs in your agent.
Used for Competitor gap analysis
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 5/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Exactly what I needed from Ahrefs
Hooked Ahrefs MCP into Claude Code and it worked on the first try. Auth is handled properly, and revoking access later was one click. Releases come often and the changelog is clear.
Used for Backlink audits
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 5/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
Capable but needs guardrails
Mostly reliable, with the odd timeout. Releases come often and the changelog is clear.
Used for Competitor gap analysis
- Setup & docs 3/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 4/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 3/5
Earned a permanent spot in my config
Tried it on a side project first, then rolled it out at work. The OAuth flow worked first time in Claude Code. Easy recommendation.
Used for Briefing writers with search data
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 3/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Surprisingly polished
Replaced a homegrown script with Ahrefs MCP and have not looked back. You can tell it is actively maintained, the rough edges keep getting fixed. The scope options are worth reading carefully, the defaults are broader than I wanted. It is in our production agent and I sleep fine.
Used for Backlink audits
- Setup & docs 5/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 5/5
Trustworthy enough for real work
Of the Ahrefs integrations I tried, this one is the most predictable. Filed an issue and got a reply within two days. The OAuth flow worked first time in Claude Code. Good choice if you need Ahrefs in your agent.
Used for Keyword research for a content plan
- Setup & docs 4/5
- Auth experience 4/5
- Reliability 5/5
- Maintainer responsiveness 4/5
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