LOCAL MCP FOR LINK EXCHANGES

Use LinkBunny from your coding agent with MCP

LinkBunny gives the coding agent you already use, such as Codex or Claude Code, a backlink-acquisition workflow through its local MCP server. Your agent can manage site profiles, request and review contextual nofollow assignments, and report or reject placements. LinkBunny is not a backlink-analysis API or a paid publisher catalog. Publishing a link does not guarantee a direct link back from that same site. Incoming placements depend on eligible marketplace supply and matches.

Open setup guide

Only need to check one published backlink? Use the free hosted checker. No LinkBunny account needed.

TWO JOBS, TWO SERVERS

Pick the MCP for your task

The local marketplace MCP handles link exchanges for your sites. The hosted Placement Checker only inspects one published backlink. They are separate servers, and you can use either or both.

FREE FIRST EXCHANGE · LOCAL STDIO

Exchange contextual nofollow links

Your agent adds site profiles, checks in for link requests, and reports or rejects placements. Site edits and publishing stay in your normal workflow.

1. Get access

A LinkBunny account. The first exchange is free for one site; the $20/month plan covers up to 10 sites. See Pricing.
An API token from Account, saved as LINKBUNNY_API_TOKEN in a private, Git-ignored file such as .env.linkbunny. Keep it out of chat, prompts and source code.
Node.js 22 or later on the machine running your agent.
New sites are reviewed manually before they get link requests.

2. Install the pinned package

Review the command or config before you run or merge it. Replace the example path with the absolute path to your private token file. The --token-file loader reads only LINKBUNNY_API_TOKEN, so the token never goes into configuration.

Claude Code (project scope, writes .mcp.json)

claude mcp add --transport stdio --scope project linkbunny -- \
  npx -y @linkbunny/mcp@0.1.7 --token-file /absolute/project/.env.linkbunny

Codex (merge into .codex/config.toml)

[mcp_servers.linkbunny]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@linkbunny/mcp@0.1.7", "--token-file", "/absolute/project/.env.linkbunny"]

VS Code, removal and upgrades are in the MCP setup guide.

Using Claude Code? You can skip the token and Node.js: connect the hosted exchange connector at https://mcp.getlinkbunny.com/exchange and sign in to LinkBunny in your browser. Hosted connector steps.

3. Verify the setup

Codex reads project config only in a trusted project, and Claude Code asks you to approve a project server. Approve it, restart the client, start a fresh session in the project, and check the server with /mcp. Then ask your agent:

Verification prompt

Initialize the LinkBunny MCP server, list its tools and resources, and read linkbunny://guidance/skill. Then call get_status once and nothing else. Tell me the server version, the tool names, whether my subscription is active and how many sites I have.

Success means server version 0.1.7, exactly the six tools below, the bundled guidance text and a get_status result. get_status is read-only: it proves LinkBunny accepts the token and shows the subscription and site review state without reserving anything. Never call check_in to test setup; it can reserve a link request.

FREE · HOSTED

Check one published backlink

The Placement Checker runs at https://mcp.getlinkbunny.com/mcp over remote Streamable HTTP. It has one tool, inspect_placement. No LinkBunny account, subscription or API token is needed; your client's own account and plan requirements still apply.

1. Connect

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http linkbunny-checker https://mcp.getlinkbunny.com/mcp

Codex

codex mcp add linkbunny-checker --url https://mcp.getlinkbunny.com/mcp

Claude Code plugin (2.1.275 or later)

/plugin install linkbunny-placement-checker --marketplace hboon/linkbunny-placement-checker-cursor

Gemini CLI extension

gemini extensions install https://github.com/hboon/linkbunny-placement-checker-cursor

In the Claude app, add LinkBunny Placement Checker from Claude's connector directory, or add the URL as a custom connector and choose No sign in. Claude connector steps. In Cursor, Add to Cursor adds the hosted MCP server after Cursor asks; it doesn't install a Cursor plugin. Other clients take the same URL in their remote MCP settings.

The Claude Code plugin comes from LinkBunny's own marketplace on GitHub, not Anthropic's plugin directory. Older Claude Code versions and Gemini CLI notes are in the checker install steps.

2. Try an example check

Example check

Use inspect_placement to check https://getlinkbunny.com/articles/launch-directories for a backlink to https://klibon.com/. Report the outcome, anchor text, rel values, nofollow status and limitations.

Then swap in your own published page and the URL it should link to.

3. Read the output

found: the fetched HTML has a matching link. Check its anchor text, rel values and nofollow.
not_found: the page HTML loaded, but it had no matching link.
indeterminate: the page could not be inspected, for example because it was blocked, timed out, returned a non-success HTTP status or was not HTML.

The checker reads fetched HTML only. It doesn't run JavaScript, and it doesn't judge SEO value, indexing or rankings. It cannot exchange links or report assignments. Prefer a browser? Use the web checker.

BACKLINK MCP SERVERS BY JOB

Backlink MCP tools for Codex and Claude Code, by job

Several backlink tools offer MCP servers, and they do different jobs. Pick the server that does the job in front of you. LinkBunny has no backlink index, so backlink and competitor research needs an SEO data provider's MCP.

Backlink MCP servers by job
Job	MCP server	What it needs and does
Research backlinks and competitors	Ahrefs MCP or DataForSEO MCP	Ahrefs hosts a remote MCP server for paid Ahrefs plans, Lite and up, and each call uses your plan's API units. DataForSEO's open-source server runs with npx or from a hosted URL, uses your DataForSEO API login and password, and bills API usage pay-as-you-go. Both return backlink data alongside keyword and other SEO data.
Check one published backlink	LinkBunny Placement Checker (free, hosted)	No LinkBunny account needed. It fetches one page's HTML and reports whether the expected link is there, with its anchor text and rel values.
Get new contextual nofollow links	LinkBunny MCP (local)	Needs an API token, or browser sign-in through the hosted connector in Claude Code. The first exchange is free for one site; the $20/month plan covers up to 10 sites. Your agent checks in for one link request at a time, and you approve each placement before it is published or reported. Placements depend on matches in the network, and publishing a link does not guarantee one back from that site.

Ahrefs and DataForSEO details are from their official pages, checked October 16, 2026. Ahrefs lists Claude Code among its setup guides; DataForSEO has Claude Code and Codex CLI guides. Check the Ahrefs MCP docs, the DataForSEO MCP page and its setup guide for current plans and setup.

SIX TOOLS FOR SITES AND LINK REQUESTS

Add sites and handle link requests

`get_status`

Read-only. Show whether the subscription is active, each site's review state and any link request already waiting. Safe to run any time; it changes nothing.

`create_profile`

Add one site to LinkBunny. Free accounts get one site for their free exchange. Save the profile ID, then wait for review instead of repeatedly checking.

`update_profile`

Update all LinkBunny settings for a site you own. Changing the target or inventory URL sends the site through review again.

`check_in`

Check for one link request when the owner asks or gives the agent a limited check-in task. LinkBunny may return the existing request or reserve a new one.

`report_assignment`

After a link is published, confirm it is live with nofollow, then report the page and anchor text to LinkBunny when the owner asks.

`reject_assignment`

When the owner asks, reject a link request that does not fit using a supported reason. This does not change the site; rejecting it means excluding that URL from future matches and making the target available to another site.

PROMPTS TO TRY

Paste this to your agent

Add a site

Add our site to LinkBunny. Suggest for me the URL prefix, where links may be added, anchor text, and category.

Check for a link request

Check in

Report a published link

Check that the published page is inside the site's inventory area and the link is live with nofollow. Show me the report before sending it.

SITE CHANGES

Keep site changes in your normal workflow

Your agent runs a LinkBunny tool when you ask or give it a task with clear limits. A link request never changes or publishes your site. Site edits, publishing, and live checks stay in your normal workflow.

After publishing and before using report_assignment, the Backlink Placement Checker can inspect the returned HTML for the expected link and its nofollow attribute. This website check does not call an MCP tool or report the assignment.

TOKENS AND LIMITS

Keep the API token out of prompts and source code

Load the API token from the private source described in the setup guide. The server does not poll, retry on its own, or chain tools. It needs Node.js 22 or later. Some actions also need an approved site, an unused free exchange or an active subscription. Installing the package does not guarantee a link request or an SEO result.

GUIDANCE AND CHECKS

MCP includes the workflow guidance

Read the bundled guidance

The released MCP serves linkbunny://guidance/skill, with the workflow rules captured for that package version. Your agent should read it before using a tool.

The API checks marketplace state

LinkBunny's API checks site ownership, subscriptions, site review, and inventory boundaries. It records the final status of each link request.

SETUP GUIDE

Use the Docs for setup

The Docs have the current setup for Codex, Claude Code, and VS Code, including loading the token, checking the setup, upgrading, and removing the server. If your agent does not support MCP, use the standalone LinkBunny Skill instead.

For client-specific configuration, follow the OpenCode, GitHub Copilot, or Cursor setup guide.

Open setup guide