# Research Tools Mcp (`halilc4/research-tools-mcp`) Actor

All-in-one MCP server for research. See how AI describes your brand. Track citations across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini & Perplexity in real-time. Plus 30+ tools for SEO, keyword research, SERP analysis, trends, social listening & ad intelligence. Token-efficient MCP server. Pay only for what you use.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/halilc4/research-tools-mcp.md
- **Developed by:** [Igor Halilovic](https://apify.com/halilc4) (community)
- **Categories:** SEO tools, MCP servers, AI
- **Features:** Limited permissions, Single-tenant, Server interface
- **Stats:** 120 total users, 17 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 6 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 1.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $0.01 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Research Tools MCP

**37 SEO & Marketing Research Tools in One MCP** - LLM Visibility, Social Listening, Ad Intelligence.

Track your brand visibility in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini & Perplexity. Plus keyword research, SERP analysis, trends, and competitive intelligence.

***

### Table of Contents

- [Quick Start](#-quick-start)
- [Why Research Tools MCP?](#-why-research-tools-mcp)
- [Use Cases](#-use-cases)
- [Compatibility](#-compatibility)
- [LLM Visibility & AI Tracking](#-llm-visibility--ai-tracking)
- [Complete Research Toolkit](#-complete-research-toolkit)
- [Pricing](#-pricing)
- [All Tools Reference](#-all-tools-reference)
- [FAQ](#-faq)
- [Support](#-support)

***

### 🚀 Quick Start

Add to your MCP client config:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rt-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=halilc4/research-tools-mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

**MCP Server URL:** `https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=halilc4/research-tools-mcp`

**Try it:**

```
rt_llm_track query="best typescript framework"
```

All API costs included in per-call pricing. No additional keys needed.

***

### 💡 Why Research Tools MCP?

The only MCP server for SEO that combines traditional research with AI visibility tracking:

- **LLM Visibility** - Track citations in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity (no other tool does this)
- **Social Listening** - Reddit, Hacker News, YouTube, Dev.to monitoring in one place
- **Ad Intelligence** - Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit ad libraries
- **Pay-per-use** - $0.005-0.03 per call, no $99/mo subscription
- **Token-optimized** - Compact mode saves 50-80% tokens per response

***

### 🏆 Why Not Semrush or Ahrefs?

| Feature | Semrush/Ahrefs | Research Tools MCP |
|---------|----------------|-------------------|
| Keyword Research | ✅ | ✅ Autocomplete, PAA, Related, Trends |
| SERP Analysis | ✅ | ✅ Google SERP, Rank, AI Mode |
| **LLM Visibility** | ❌ | ✅ ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini |
| **Social Listening** | ❌ | ✅ Reddit, HN, YouTube, Dev.to |
| **Ad Intelligence** | ❌ | ✅ Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit |
| **Trend Monitoring** | Limited | ✅ Interest, Topics, Geo, News |
| Pricing | $99-449/mo | **Pay-per-use** ($0.005-$0.03/call) |
| MCP Integration | ❌ | ✅ Native MCP Server |

***

### 📋 Use Cases

#### 🎯 Brand Visibility Check

You're launching a SaaS product. Before spending $10k on ads, find out if AI assistants even mention you when users ask for recommendations.

```
rt_llm_brand domain="yourproduct.com" keywords="crm software,sales automation"
rt_llm_audit domain="yourproduct.com"
```

→ Discover your visibility score across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity

***

#### 🔍 Competitive Intelligence

Your competitor just raised $50M. Time to understand their positioning—what Reddit says about them, how LLMs compare you, and what ads they're running.

```
rt_social_reddit subreddits="saas,startups" sort="top"
rt_llm_compare domain="yourproduct.com" competitor="competitor.com" keywords="crm software"
rt_ads_meta query="crm software" country="us"
```

→ Full competitive picture: community sentiment, AI perception, ad messaging

***

#### 📈 Content Strategy

Planning next quarter's content. Find trending topics in your space, discover what questions people actually ask, and see what sources LLMs cite.

```
rt_trends_interest query="ai automation"
rt_keywords_paa query="sales automation software"
rt_llm_track query="best sales automation tools"
```

→ Data-driven content ideas based on real search behavior and AI citations

***

### 🔗 Compatibility

| Client | Status |
|--------|--------|
| Claude Desktop | ✅ Full support |
| Claude Code | ✅ Full support |
| VS Code (Copilot) | ✅ Full support |
| Cursor | ✅ Full support |
| Any MCP client | ✅ Works |

***

### 🔍 LLM Visibility & AI Tracking

> LLM Visibility MCP | GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) | AEO | AI SEO | LLMO

When users ask ChatGPT "what's the best \[your category]?", do you appear? Traditional SEO tools can't answer this.

#### Supported AI Engines

| Engine | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| **Perplexity** | Citation-heavy, web-connected answers |
| **ChatGPT (GPT-4o)** | 100M+ weekly active users |
| **Google Gemini** | Integrated with Google Search |
| **Claude** | Popular with developers and enterprises |
| **Google AI Mode** | AI-powered search results in Google |

#### LLM Tools

| Tool | What it does | Price |
|------|--------------|-------|
| `rt_llm_track` | See which sources LLMs cite for any query | $0.015/engine |
| `rt_llm_brand` | Monitor your brand visibility across keywords | $0.02/engine |
| `rt_llm_compare` | Head-to-head comparison vs competitor | $0.03/engine |
| `rt_llm_competitors` | Discover alternatives LLMs mention alongside you | $0.03/engine |
| `rt_llm_benchmark` | Compare how different LLM models rank products | $0.03/model |
| `rt_llm_audit` | 7-question brand knowledge assessment | $0.21 |

***

### 🛠️ Complete Research Toolkit

#### 🔑 Keyword Research (4 tools)

MCP keyword research tools - discover queries that matter for SEO and AI visibility.

| Tool | What it does |
|------|--------------|
| `rt_keywords_autocomplete` | Google autocomplete suggestions |
| `rt_keywords_paa` | "People Also Ask" questions |
| `rt_keywords_related` | Related search queries |
| `rt_keywords_trends_related` | Trending related queries |

#### 📊 SERP Analysis (4 tools)

Compare LLM citations against actual search rankings.

| Tool | What it does |
|------|--------------|
| `rt_serp_google` | Full SERP results (positions, titles, domains) |
| `rt_serp_rank` | Track keyword rankings (up to 100 results) |
| `rt_serp_ai_mode` | Google AI Overview extraction |
| `rt_serp_competitor` | SERP + competitor ads + AI overview |

#### 📈 Trend Monitoring (4 tools)

Find emerging topics before competitors.

| Tool | What it does |
|------|--------------|
| `rt_trends_interest` | Topic popularity over time (up to 5 queries) |
| `rt_trends_topics` | Related/rising topics |
| `rt_trends_geo` | Geographic distribution |
| `rt_trends_news` | Google News search |

#### 💬 Social Listening (12 tools)

Social listening MCP tools - monitor Reddit, Hacker News, YouTube, and Dev.to. These are the sources LLMs reference and learn from.

| Tool | What it does |
|------|--------------|
| `rt_social_reddit` | Subreddit posts (hot/new/rising/top) |
| `rt_social_youtube_search` | YouTube video search |
| `rt_social_youtube_channel` | Channel video monitoring |
| `rt_social_hn_top` | Hacker News top stories |
| `rt_social_hn_new` | Hacker News newest |
| `rt_social_hn_best` | Hacker News all-time best |
| `rt_social_hn_ask` | Ask HN posts |
| `rt_social_hn_show` | Show HN posts |
| `rt_social_hn_search` | Hacker News search |
| `rt_social_devto_trending` | Dev.to trending posts |
| `rt_social_devto_tags` | Dev.to tag analysis |
| `rt_social_devto_authors` | Dev.to top authors |

#### 📺 Ad Intelligence (6 tools)

See how competitors describe themselves in ads.

| Tool | What it does |
|------|--------------|
| `rt_ads_transparency` | All ads a domain runs on Google/YouTube |
| `rt_ads_meta` | Meta Ad Library (Facebook/Instagram) |
| `rt_ads_tiktok` | TikTok Ads Library |
| `rt_ads_linkedin` | LinkedIn Ad Library |
| `rt_ads_reddit` | Reddit Ads |
| `rt_ads_competitor` | Competitors advertising for a query |

***

### 💰 Pricing

Pay only for what you use. No subscriptions.

| Tier | Price/call | Tools |
|------|------------|-------|
| **Free** | $0.005 | Hacker News (6), Dev.to (3) |
| **Standard** | $0.01 | Keywords (4), SERP (4), Trends (4), Reddit, YouTube, Ads (6) |
| **LLM Basic** | $0.015 | rt_llm_track |
| **LLM Brand** | $0.02 | rt_llm_brand |
| **LLM Compare** | $0.03 | rt_llm_compare, benchmark, competitors, audit |

*LLM tools charge per successful engine/model response.*

#### Example Costs

| Task | Cost |
|------|------|
| Full keyword research (4 tools) | $0.04 |
| LLM track (3 engines) | $0.045 |
| LLM brand check (3 engines) | $0.06 |
| LLM audit (7 questions) | $0.21 |
| Monthly brand monitoring (100 calls) | $1-5 |

***

### 📚 All Tools Reference

<details>
<summary><b>LLM Visibility (6 tools)</b></summary>

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `rt_llm_track` | Track LLM citations for a query |
| `rt_llm_brand` | Monitor brand visibility across keywords |
| `rt_llm_compare` | Compare domain vs competitor |
| `rt_llm_competitors` | Discover alternatives mentioned by LLMs |
| `rt_llm_benchmark` | Multi-model comparison |
| `rt_llm_audit` | Brand knowledge assessment (7 questions) |

</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Keyword Research (4 tools)</b></summary>

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `rt_keywords_autocomplete` | Google autocomplete suggestions |
| `rt_keywords_paa` | People Also Ask questions |
| `rt_keywords_related` | Related search queries |
| `rt_keywords_trends_related` | Trending related queries |

</details>

<details>
<summary><b>SERP Analysis (4 tools)</b></summary>

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `rt_serp_google` | Full SERP results |
| `rt_serp_rank` | Track keyword rankings |
| `rt_serp_ai_mode` | AI Overview extraction |
| `rt_serp_competitor` | Competitor SERP analysis |

</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Trend Monitoring (4 tools)</b></summary>

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `rt_trends_interest` | Interest over time |
| `rt_trends_topics` | Related topics |
| `rt_trends_geo` | Geographic distribution |
| `rt_trends_news` | News article search |

</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Social Listening (12 tools)</b></summary>

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `rt_social_reddit` | Reddit subreddit monitoring |
| `rt_social_youtube_search` | YouTube video search |
| `rt_social_youtube_channel` | Channel video analysis |
| `rt_social_hn_top` | Hacker News top stories |
| `rt_social_hn_new` | Hacker News new stories |
| `rt_social_hn_best` | Hacker News best stories |
| `rt_social_hn_ask` | Ask HN posts |
| `rt_social_hn_show` | Show HN posts |
| `rt_social_hn_search` | Hacker News search |
| `rt_social_devto_trending` | Dev.to trending posts |
| `rt_social_devto_tags` | Dev.to tag analysis |
| `rt_social_devto_authors` | Dev.to top authors |

</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Ad Intelligence (6 tools)</b></summary>

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `rt_ads_transparency` | Google Ads Transparency Center |
| `rt_ads_meta` | Meta Ad Library |
| `rt_ads_tiktok` | TikTok Ad Library |
| `rt_ads_linkedin` | LinkedIn Ad Library |
| `rt_ads_reddit` | Reddit Ads |
| `rt_ads_competitor` | Competitor ad analysis |

</details>

<details>
<summary><b>Feedback (1 tool)</b></summary>

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `rt_feedback_submit` | Send feedback to developers |

</details>

***

### ❓ FAQ

**Do I need API keys?**
No. All API costs are included in per-call pricing.

**What data sources do you use?**
Google data via SearchAPI.io, social platforms via public APIs, and LLM tracking via Perplexity, OpenAI, Google Gemini, and Anthropic Claude.

**How accurate is LLM visibility tracking?**
Results reflect real-time LLM responses. Each engine is queried independently with your exact query.

**How is this different from Semrush or Ahrefs?**
Pay-per-use pricing (no $99-449/mo subscription), LLM visibility tracking they don't offer, social listening across Reddit/HN/YouTube/Dev.to, ad intelligence for 5 platforms, plus native MCP integration for AI agents.

***

### 🤝 Support

- **Feedback tool:** `rt_feedback_submit type="suggestion" message="Your idea here"`
- **Issues:** [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/halilc4/research-tools/issues)

***

**Token-Efficient Output:** All responses use compact mode by default (filters verbose fields). Use `full=true` for complete data.

# Actor input Schema

## Actor input object example

```json
{}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `mcpEndpoint` (type: `string`):

Add this URL to your MCP client configuration

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("halilc4/research-tools-mcp").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("halilc4/research-tools-mcp").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call halilc4/research-tools-mcp --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,halilc4/research-tools-mcp"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/TlVLaCwtEDzO0Nxps/builds/s5iGA5JTOkSIfchCO/openapi.json