Cite42

Cite42: AI visibility and SEO data MCP server

Cite42 is an MCP server for AI visibility, also called generative engine optimization (GEO), and SEO data. It works in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Claude Desktop and ChatGPT. Your agent can ask the AI models behind ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini, plus Google AI Overviews, a buyer question and see whether the answers mention your brand and which sources they cite. It can also capture the answer from the ChatGPT app itself, measure from a chosen country, check where a site ranks in Google, and pull keyword search volume, Google Trends, Reddit and YouTube data.

You pay per call from a prepaid USD balance. There is no subscription, and new accounts get $1 of free credit. See pricing.

What you can do with it

Check whether AI answers mention your brand

Ask a buyer question such as "best invoicing software for freelancers" and see which brands each AI model names, in what order, and how often (cite42_rankings). Compare your brand with named competitors (cite42_compare), or see how the answers describe it (cite42_sentiment).

Measure the ChatGPT app itself, from any country

The default chatgpt surface is the OpenAI API with web search. Add chatgpt_app to models and Cite42 also asks the question in the ChatGPT app itself and returns what that interface answered. It is opt-in and never part of the defaults or a full sweep, because one capture can take up to two minutes. A single tool call waits 30 seconds for it and then returns the OpenAI API answer in its place, marked fallback on the result; trackers wait the full time. The app costs $0.05 per prompt, or $0.07 for sentiment.

Pass country (for example "gb") to any AI-model tool to measure from that market. OpenAI, Claude and Perplexity search with it as an approximate location, and Google AI Overviews and the ChatGPT app are read from that country, in its main language or the language you pass. Gemini's API has no country setting, so it runs without one. Each surface's measurement entry says what it actually used.

See which sources AI answers cite

cite42_citations lists the URLs the AI models cited for a question and can check whether your page or domain is among them. For the full text, cite42_search returns each model's answer with its sources. cite42_recommendations then compares your page with up to two of the cited pages.

Keyword search volume, CPC and competition

cite42_keywords returns monthly search volume, CPC and competition for a keyword, with optional related keyword ideas. cite42_keywords_batch checks up to 50 keywords in one call.

Where a site ranks in Google

cite42_keyword_rankings checks Google's top 100 organic results for one to five keywords in one of 40 countries, on desktop or mobile. For each keyword it returns your site's position and ranking page, up to five competitors' positions, the top 10, and whether the AI Overview cites your site. It costs $0.09 per keyword checked, and a keyword that fails is free.

Google Trends

cite42_trends returns Google Trends interest over time, related and rising queries, and a trend label.

Reddit and YouTube research

cite42_reddit_trends finds relevant Reddit discussions with cited summaries. cite42_youtube_trends finds rising videos, creator angles and title patterns.

Track prompts weekly or monthly

A tracker reruns up to 30 prompts every week or month and keeps the history, so you can see when AI answers start or stop naming your brand. A tracker can include the ChatGPT app and measure every prompt from one country. A keyword rankings tracker checks up to 100 keywords for one site on the same schedule.

Run research workflows in one call

Six workflows combine the tools above: content opportunities, topic demand, AI prompt maps, competitor content, AI citation gaps and content briefs.

Requirements

• A Cite42 account, free to create at cite42.dev
• For the API-key setup only: Node.js 22.13 or newer and a Cite42 API key

Installation

Most clients connect to the hosted server at https://mcp.cite42.dev and sign in with your Cite42 account in the browser. There is no API key to create or paste, and nothing to install locally. For CI, servers, or machines without a browser, run this package with an API key instead; see API key setup.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user cite42 https://mcp.cite42.dev && claude mcp login cite42

Your browser opens to sign in. Then start Claude Code, or restart it if it was already open, and check with /mcp.

Or install Cite42 as a plugin from inside Claude Code:

/plugin install cite42 --marketplace Cite42/mcp

Claude Code versions before 2.1.275 need two steps: /plugin marketplace add Cite42/mcp, then /plugin install cite42@cite42. Then open /mcp, pick the Cite42 server and sign in.

Codex CLI

codex mcp add cite42 --url https://mcp.cite42.dev

Codex opens your browser to sign in. If it doesn't, run codex mcp login cite42. Then start a new session.

Cursor

Add to Cursor, or add this under Settings → MCP, or in ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{

"mcpServers": { "cite42": { "url": "https://mcp.cite42.dev" } } }

Sign in with your Cite42 account when Cursor asks.

Claude Desktop and Claude.ai

Add to Claude opens the connector dialog with Cite42 filled in. Or open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, name it Cite42, and paste https://mcp.cite42.dev. Click Connect and sign in. The connector appears in both Claude Desktop and Claude.ai.

ChatGPT and Codex Desktop

Turn on Developer mode in Settings → Security and login, then add a plugin under Settings → Plugins with the MCP server URL https://mcp.cite42.dev and OAuth.

API key setup (CI, servers, no browser)

Create a key at www.cite42.dev/app/keys (it looks like cite42_live_... and is shown once), then replace cite42_live_your_key_here below. The client starts this package on demand; you don't need to keep it running.

# Claude Code

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

Codex CLI

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

For Cursor, save this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{

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

Restart the client afterwards: a new terminal or claude/codex session, or fully quit and reopen Cursor.

Verify it's running

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

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?"*
• *"Check which brands the ChatGPT app itself names for 'best CRM for startups', measured from Germany."*
• *"Get search volume, CPC, and related keywords for 'ai seo tools'."*
• *"Where does mycompany.com rank in Google for 'ai seo tools' and 'geo tools' in the UK, on mobile?"*
• *"Is interest in 'ai seo' rising on Google Trends? Show the related rising queries."*
• *"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 cost in USD 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, or name chatgpt_app to add the ChatGPT app itself. 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.

FAQ

Is there an MCP server for AI visibility?

Yes. AI visibility is how often AI assistants name or cite your brand when people ask about your category, and Cite42 is an MCP server that measures it. Connect it to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude.ai or ChatGPT, and your agent can ask the AI models behind ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini, plus Google AI Overviews, the questions your buyers ask and see which brands and sources come back.

How can I track my brand's visibility in ChatGPT and other AI search engines?

Connect Cite42 and ask something like "Use Cite42 to check which brands AI models recommend for 'best CRM for startups'." Your agent calls cite42_rankings, which reports which brands each answer names, in what order and how often. It checks ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini by default; ask for a full sweep to add Claude and Google AI Overviews. To follow it over time, a tracker reruns up to 30 prompts every week or month and keeps the history.

Does Cite42 read the real ChatGPT app or the OpenAI API?

Both. The default chatgpt surface asks the OpenAI API with web search enabled, which is fast and cheap. The opt-in chatgpt_app surface asks the question in the ChatGPT app itself and returns what that interface answered, so you can compare the two. It costs $0.05 per prompt and is never part of the