Connect Rankd to your AI agent

1. Get an API key

API keys live in your Rankd account settings and require an active subscription.

1. Open Settings → API Keys.
2. Click Create API Key, give it a name (e.g. "My laptop"), and copy the key.
3. Save it somewhere safe — the key is shown once.

2. Add the server to your client

Pick your client below and paste the snippet into its MCP config. Restart the client after saving.

Cursor

Edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (per-project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rankd": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@rankd/mcp"],
      "env": { "RANKD_API_KEY": "rkd_v1_live_PASTE_YOUR_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop

Edit your config file (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows). Same shape as Cursor, under mcpServers. Quit Claude Desktop completely (Cmd+Q on macOS) and reopen.

Claude Code

claude mcp add-json rankd '{
  "command": "npx",
  "args": ["-y", "@rankd/mcp"],
  "env": { "RANKD_API_KEY": "rkd_v1_live_PASTE_YOUR_KEY" }
}'

Verify with claude mcp get rankd — it should show Status: ✓ Connected.

Cline / Continue / Zed

Same JSON shape (command + args + env). Paste into your client's MCP config — check the client's docs for the file location.

3. Try a prompt

Open a new chat in your client and ask:

• — "What apps am I tracking in rankd?"
• — "Show me the keyword rankings for [app name] over the last 30 days."
• — "Compare my ASO health score to my top competitor."
• — "Which of my tracked keywords have high opportunity but aren't ranked yet?"

The agent picks the right tool, fetches your data, and summarizes.

What the agent can do

The MCP server is read-only in v1. Available tools:

• search_apps — search the App Store.
• get_app_report — free ASO health report for any app.
• list_tracked_apps — apps you're tracking.
• list_keywords — tracked keywords with rank, popularity, difficulty, opportunity.
• get_rank_history — daily rank history (default 30 days, max 90).
• get_competitors — competitor list with metadata and recent updates.
• get_popular_keywords — trending keywords by country, platform, genre.

To add apps, track keywords, or pin competitors, use the dashboard.

Troubleshooting

"Failed to connect" on first launch

The first npx -y @rankd/mcp has to download the package, which can exceed your client's MCP startup timeout. If this keeps happening, install the server globally so npx skips the download:

npm install -g @rankd/mcp

"RANKD_API_KEY is required"

The env var didn't reach the server. Check for trailing commas in JSON, that the key is a plain string, and that you restarted the client after editing config.

"rankd API key is invalid or revoked"

Create a fresh key in Settings → API Keys and update your config.

Tools don't appear

Most clients only read MCP config at startup. Restart the client after editing config or adding the server.