External MCPs

Connect external MCP servers to enhance Suparank capabilities

How It Works

External MCPs are registered in your credentials file. Suparank discovers them at startup and announces their tools to the AI during workflows.

Configuration

Add external MCPs to your credentials file at ~/.suparank/credentials.json:

~/.suparank/credentials.jsonjson

{
  "external_mcps": [
    {
      "name": "seo-research-mcp",
      "description": "Real keyword data from SEO APIs",
      "available_tools": ["get_keyword_data", "analyze_serp", "get_backlinks"]
    },
    {
      "name": "firecrawl-mcp",
      "description": "Web scraping for competitor analysis",
      "available_tools": ["scrape_url", "crawl_site", "extract_content"]
    }
  ]
}

Configuration Fields

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
name	`string`	Required	—	Unique identifier for the MCP server (e.g., 'seo-research-mcp')
description	`string`	Optional	—	Human-readable description of what this MCP provides
available_tools	`string[]`	Required	—	List of tool names available from this MCP server

How It Works

Discovery

At startup, Suparank reads external MCP configurations from your credentials file.

Integration

Available tools are listed in workflow planning instructions sent to the AI.

Execution

The AI can call external MCP tools alongside Suparank tools in the same workflow.

Composition

Tool responses include hints for chaining with external MCPs based on your composition rules.

Example: SEO Research MCP

Connect an SEO research MCP to get real keyword data from APIs like Ahrefs or Semrush:

{
  "external_mcps": [
    {
      "name": "seo-research-mcp",
      "description": "Provides real keyword data from Ahrefs/Semrush APIs",
      "available_tools": [
        "get_keyword_data",
        "analyze_serp",
        "get_backlinks",
        "check_rankings"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Workflow Benefits

With this configured, the AI can:

Call get_keyword_data for real search volumes
Use data to inform Suparank's keyword_research tool
Create content optimized for actual keyword opportunities

Example: Firecrawl MCP

Connect a web scraping MCP for competitor analysis:

{
  "external_mcps": [
    {
      "name": "firecrawl-mcp",
      "description": "Web scraping for competitor analysis",
      "available_tools": [
        "scrape_url",
        "crawl_site",
        "extract_content"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

This enables workflows like scraping competitor pages, analyzing their structure, and feeding insights into content_write for better content.

Workflow Integration

External MCPs are announced to the AI during workflow planning:

Available External MCPs:
- seo-research-mcp: Real keyword data from SEO APIs
  Tools: get_keyword_data, analyze_serp, get_backlinks

Consider using external MCP tools when:
- You need real search volume data (use seo-research-mcp)
- You want to analyze competitor content (use firecrawl-mcp)

Best Practices

Clear Naming

Use descriptive names that indicate purpose (e.g., "seo-research-mcp" not "mcp1")

Document Tools

List all available tools so the AI knows what's available

Add Descriptions

Help the AI understand when to use each MCP in workflows

Test Integration

Verify tools work correctly before adding to production workflows