How do I find my Ahrefs API v3 Token?

Log in to Ahrefs as a workspace owner or admin, navigate to **Account settings** > **API keys**, and create a new key. Note that API v3 is the current standard; v2 is deprecated.

Does this integration consume Ahrefs API units?

Yes! Ahrefs uses a unit-based system. Every request costs at least 50 units, and the total cost depends on the number of rows and fields retrieved.

Can I analyze competitor domains?

Absolutely. You can provide any domain or URL to the Site Explorer tools to retrieve their backlink profiles, Domain Rating, and organic traffic data.

Ahrefs MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 10 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: Ahrefs
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/mcp-servers

Built by Vinkius GDPR 10 Tools IDE

GitHub Copilot in VS Code is the most widely adopted AI coding assistant, embedded directly into the world's most popular code editor. With MCP support in Agent mode, Copilot can access external data and APIs to generate context-aware code grounded in real-time information.

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Classic Setup·json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ahrefs": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure

About Ahrefs MCP Server

Connect your Ahrefs account to your AI agent to unlock the world's most powerful SEO data platform. From auditing domain ratings and backlink profiles to researching keyword difficulty and monitoring SERP rankings, your agent handles your organic growth strategy through natural conversation.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Ahrefs data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 10 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.

What you can do

Site Explorer — List and audit backlinks, broken links, and referring domains for any website
Keyword Research — Retrieve keyword metrics (volume, difficulty, CPC) and generate related keyword ideas
Organic Traffic Auditing — List top-performing pages and the organic keywords a domain ranks for
SERP Analysis — Retrieve real-time search results for any keyword across different countries
SEO Health Monitoring — Quickly retrieve Domain Rating (DR) and Ahrefs Rank to monitor authority trends

The Ahrefs MCP Server exposes 10 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to VS Code Copilot in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect Ahrefs to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the Ahrefs MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Create MCP config

Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root

Add the server config

Paste the JSON configuration above

Enable Agent mode

Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown

Start using Ahrefs

Ask Copilot: "Using Ahrefs, help me...". 10 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the Ahrefs MCP Server

GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with Ahrefs through the Model Context Protocol.

VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor

Project-scoped MCP configs (`.vscode/mcp.json`) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access

Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop

GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services

Ahrefs + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the Ahrefs MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Live API integration: Copilot can query an MCP server, inspect the response schema, and generate typed API client code in the same step

DevSecOps workflows: security teams can give developers access to domain intelligence tools directly in their editor for real-time vulnerability assessment during code review

Data pipeline development: Copilot fetches sample data via MCP and generates transformation scripts, validators, and test fixtures from actual API responses

Documentation generation: Copilot queries available tools and auto-generates README sections, API reference docs, and usage examples

Ahrefs MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (10)

These 10 tools become available when you connect Ahrefs to VS Code Copilot via MCP:

get_backlinks_stats

Get backlink summary

get_domain_overview

Get domain SEO metrics

get_keyword_overview

Get keyword metrics

get_keyword_volume_history

Get historical search volume

get_serp_overview

Analyze search results

list_backlinks

List website backlinks

list_broken_backlinks

Identify 404 broken links

list_keyword_ideas

Generate keyword ideas

list_organic_keywords

List ranking keywords

list_top_pages

List top performing pages

Example Prompts for Ahrefs in VS Code Copilot

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your VS Code Copilot agent to start working with Ahrefs immediately.

"Show me the domain overview for 'ahrefs.com'."

"List 10 backlinks for 'example.com' with the highest Domain Rating."

"Check keyword metrics for 'best SEO tools' in the US."

Troubleshooting Ahrefs MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting Ahrefs to VS Code Copilot through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MCP tools not available

Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.

Ahrefs + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating Ahrefs MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Which VS Code version supports MCP?

MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.

How do I switch to Agent mode?

Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.

Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?

Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.

Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?

Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.