MCP server · Updated October 16, 2026
The link building MCP server
Connect BacklinkGenie to the AI assistant you already use. Your assistant can review pitches, draft replies to editors, import posts you want to be in and report which links went live, using the same safety rules as the dashboard.
https://app.backlinkgenie.com/mcp
Claude and ChatGPT: paste the URL as a connector and sign in. Everything else: send an API key from Settings → MCP as
Authorization: Bearer bg_live_…. Included on the Growth and Agency plans.
Safety rules every client gets
- Nothing is approved or sent until you confirm the exact email.
- Edits and replies pass the quality check: recipient lock, links only to your site, no paid-link offers.
- Sending stays inside each mailbox's daily limit and the bounce and opt-out rules.
- Keys are per person, shown once, and can be revoked in one click.
Connect your client
| Client | How it connects | Auth | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude | Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, paste the URL | Sign in | Claude setup |
| ChatGPT | Settings → Connectors, add a custom connector with the URL | Sign in | ChatGPT setup |
| Claude Code | claude mcp add --transport http … | API key | Claude Code setup |
| Cursor | Entry in ~/.cursor/mcp.json | API key | Cursor setup |
| Codex | codex mcp add … --bearer-token-env-var | API key | Codex setup |
| Gemini CLI | gemini mcp add --transport http … | API key | Gemini CLI setup |
| Windsurf | Entry in ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json | API key | Windsurf setup |
| n8n | MCP Client Tool node on an AI Agent | API key | n8n setup |
Cursor
{
"mcpServers": {
"backlinkgenie": {
"url": "https://app.backlinkgenie.com/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer bg_live_your_key" }
}
}
}Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http backlinkgenie https://app.backlinkgenie.com/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer bg_live_your_key"Codex
export BACKLINKGENIE_API_KEY="bg_live_your_key"Any client or script (JSON-RPC over HTTP)
POST https://app.backlinkgenie.com/mcp
Authorization: Bearer bg_live_your_key
Content-Type: application/json
{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}All 22 tools
Read tools are free and safe to run any time. Tools marked "changes things" send, approve, edit or write new pitches, and your assistant should confirm with you first.
| Tool | What it does | Type |
|---|---|---|
list_workspaces |
Lists your sites with their ids, review status and headline numbers. | Read only |
get_overview |
Prospects found, pitches sent, replies, reply rate, links won and mailbox ramp for one site. | Read only |
run_agent |
Starts a run that finds new posts in your niche and drafts pitches. Pitches count toward your monthly emails. | Changes things |
list_drafts |
Pitches waiting for your approval, with the post, contact and why it fits. | Read only |
edit_draft |
Changes a pitch's subject or body. Edits go through the quality check before they're saved. | Changes things |
approve_draft |
Queues one pitch for sending. Your assistant is told to ask you first. | Changes things |
discard_draft |
Throws a pitch away and skips that site. | Changes things |
list_replies |
Conversations where an editor answered, filterable by hot, warm, paid offer, neutral, cold or closed. | Read only |
get_conversation |
The full thread for one conversation. | Read only |
generate_reply |
Drafts your next reply: the exact page, the anchor text and a sentence the editor can paste. Doesn't send. | Read only |
send_reply |
Sends a reply you've confirmed. Passes the same quality check as the dashboard. | Changes things |
list_links |
Links you've won and whether each one is still live and followed. | Read only |
import_posts |
Gives the agent specific post URLs to pitch. It qualifies them, finds the contact and drafts. | Changes things |
get_prospect_report |
Every prospect with its Domain Rating, Google ranking, contact status and why it fits. | Read only |
skip_prospect |
Skips a prospect so it's never pitched. | Changes things |
add_to_blocklist |
Adds domains the agent must never contact. | Changes things |
mark_link_won |
Records a link an editor added, so it's monitored from then on. | Changes things |
check_link |
Re-checks a won link now: live, removed or nofollow. | Read only |
get_billing |
Your plan, outreach emails left this month and renewal date. | Read only |
create_workspace |
Adds a new site. It's reviewed and profiled from its homepage. | Changes things |
update_workspace_profile |
Edits a site's product description, competitors or audiences. | Changes things |
start_free_report |
Builds the free prospect report for a new site. | Changes things |
Why run outreach from an assistant?
Link outreach is a queue of small decisions: is this post a fit, is this pitch good enough, how do I answer this editor. Doing that from the chat you already have open is faster than switching to another dashboard, and your assistant can pull context from your own docs, changelog or notes while it works. The research, contact lookup, sending, follow-ups and link checks still run inside BacklinkGenie, so nothing depends on your assistant being open.
What the assistant can't do
- Send to an address other than the contact BacklinkGenie found for that site (or another address on the same domain).
- Add links to sites other than yours, or offer payment for a link. The quality check rejects both.
- Go over a mailbox's daily limit or skip the ramp on a new mailbox.
- Act on a site that failed our review, or for a plan that doesn't include MCP access.
Prefer to work without an assistant? Everything here is also in the dashboard. See how it works or compare plans.
Questions people ask
What is the BacklinkGenie MCP server?
It's a remote Model Context Protocol server at https://app.backlinkgenie.com/mcp. Any MCP client, such as Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or n8n, can connect to it and use 22 tools to run your link outreach: list and approve pitches, read and answer replies, import target posts and check won links.
Can my assistant send emails without asking me?
Sending tools (approve_draft and send_reply) carry instructions that tell the assistant to show you the exact email and wait for your explicit go-ahead. Anything the assistant writes or edits also passes BacklinkGenie's quality check, which blocks wrong recipients, links to other sites and paid-link offers.
How do I authenticate?
Claude and ChatGPT connectors use the URL and a sign-in step. Clients that can't do sign-in, like Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, n8n or your own scripts, send an API key as a Bearer token. Create keys under Settings → MCP; they start with bg_live_ and can be revoked any time.
Which plan includes MCP?
MCP access is included on the Growth and Agency plans. Starter and the free prospect report don't include it.
Does using tools cost extra?
No. MCP access is part of the Growth and Agency plans. Pitches and follow-ups written through your assistant count toward the same monthly emails as the dashboard; reading data and drafting replies are included.
Which MCP versions are supported?
The server speaks Streamable HTTP and answers both the current stateless protocol (server/discover) and older clients that start with initialize, so current and older MCP clients both work.
Related
What you can ask your agent
Copy-paste prompts for pitching, replies and reporting.
Integrations
Step-by-step setup for Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude Code and n8n.
Pricing
MCP access comes with the Growth and Agency plans.
How BacklinkGenie works
What the agent does between your approvals.
Outreach email checker
The same kind of checks the quality gate runs on every pitch.
Compare outreach tools
How BacklinkGenie stacks up against Pitchbox, BuzzStream and others.
Start with a free prospect report
See the posts in your niche worth a link. Upgrade to Growth when you want your assistant to run the outreach.
