The MCP server

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets an AI assistant connect to outside tools and act through them. RankYak hosts an MCP server, so an assistant you already use, such as Claude, may read and manage your RankYak sites from its own chat: looking up keywords, scheduling articles, or publishing changes, without you opening the app.

Connecting a client

The server is available at https://rankyak.com/mcp. Any MCP-capable client may connect; add the URL wherever your client configures remote MCP servers, typically under connectors or integrations in its settings. The URL is all RankYak needs. You may also find these instructions on the MCP page in your site settings.

The first time the client connects, it opens a RankYak page in your browser. Sign in if you are not already, review the request, and click Authorize; the window closes on its own and the client is connected. There is no API key to create or paste. The authorization is granted to that specific client, and you may repeat the flow on as many clients as you like.

ChatGPT

Open Settings, then Connectors, and enable Developer mode under the advanced settings; custom connectors require a paid ChatGPT plan. Then click Create, name the connector RankYak, paste the server URL, and save it. ChatGPT opens the authorization page the first time it connects.

Claude

Open Settings, then Connectors, on the claude.ai website or in the desktop app, and click Add custom connector. Name it RankYak, paste the server URL, and click Add; the authorization page opens once the connector is added.

Claude Code

Run the following command in your terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http rankyak https://rankyak.com/mcp

Then run /mcp inside Claude Code and pick RankYak to authorize the connection.

Cursor

Open Cursor Settings, then MCP, and click Add new MCP server. Alternatively, add the server to your mcp.json file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "rankyak": {
            "url": "https://rankyak.com/mcp"
        }
    }
}

Cursor asks you to authorize the connection the first time it connects.

Other clients

Any client that supports remote MCP servers may connect the same way: add the server URL where the client configures connectors or integrations, and authorize when the RankYak page opens. If the client asks for a transport type, you should choose HTTP.

What a connected assistant may do

A connected assistant receives the same core tool set as the copilot inside the app, so it works with your account through the same actions. A few abilities remain copilot-only, such as proposing article edits and searching your past copilot conversations.

The same mechanics apply as in the app. Every article comes off the content plan and is written in the early morning of its scheduled date, so an assistant asked for an article will add the keyword and put it on the first free day; asked for one sooner, it moves the item to an earlier day rather than writing outside the calendar. An assistant may also review a finished keyword research run once you have seen what it found: rejecting the clusters that do not fit your site, then approving the rest. Shopify, Wix, and WordPress.com connect through their own sign-in flows, so those integrations may only be set up in the RankYak app.

What stays in the app

Billing and subscriptions, including adding Site Guard to a site, are handled only in the RankYak app, as is deleting sites, organizations, or members. A connected assistant knows this and will direct you to the right page rather than attempt it.

Editing article content also stays in the app. Content edits are reviewed and accepted inline in the article editor, so a connected assistant may read articles and restore revisions, but not change their text; in the app, the copilot may propose edits for you to review.

Access and expiry

An authorization is tied to your user account, so a connected assistant sees exactly the organizations and sites you may access yourself. While the client is in regular use, its access renews automatically. An authorization that goes unused for thirty days expires, and the client will ask you to authorize again the next time it connects. To disconnect an assistant sooner, remove the RankYak server from the assistant's own settings; RankYak does not currently list connected assistants in the app.

If you would like to build your own integration rather than connect an assistant, see the API.