Sequel

How to Connect Ahrefs to VS Code

Query your Ahrefs data directly from VS Code using Sequel’s MCP server. Ask questions in plain English, with no SQL, no dashboards, and no context switching.

Short answer

Connect Ahrefs to Sequel, then add Sequel's MCP server to VS Code using the config on this page. VS Code can then query your live Ahrefs data in plain English, with no connector code and no CSV exports. Both steps take a few minutes.

Example prompts

Everything you can ask VS Code about your Ahrefs data.

Ask in plain English — Sequel translates it into a Ahrefs query, runs it, and VS Code hands back the answer. No SQL, no dashboards, no CSV exports.

What you can ask VS Code
  • What's the domain rating and organic traffic for ahrefs.com?
  • Show the top 50 referring domains for competitor.com.
  • Which organic keywords does example.com rank for in the US top 10?
  • What's the search volume and difficulty for 'text to sql'?
  • List example.com's top pages by organic traffic.

How it works

Three steps to get started

1

Connect Ahrefs to Sequel

In your Sequel dashboard, go to Connections and add Ahrefs. Sequel handles authentication and schema discovery automatically.

2

Add Sequel to the agent

Copy the Sequel MCP configuration into VS Code's settings file (shown below). Swap in your API key from Settings → API Keys.

3

Ask VS Code about your data

Restart VS Code and start asking questions. "What's the domain rating and organic traffic for ahrefs.com?" — and get a real answer backed by live Ahrefs data.

Why VS Code

What VS Code does with your Ahrefs data

Database access in Copilot Chat

Once configured, GitHub Copilot Chat can call Sequel tools to answer questions about your data. Ask about your schema, query examples, or check metrics — right in the Chat panel.

Team-wide setup with one commit

Commit .vscode/mcp.json to your repo and every developer on the team gets Sequel MCP configured automatically. Each team member provides their own API key.

Schema-aware code generation

Copilot can pull your actual database schema through Sequel and use it to generate more accurate SQL queries, migration files, and ORM models — based on what's really in your database.

Configuration

Add Sequel to VS Code

Place this in .vscode/mcp.json and replace sql_your_api_key with a key from Settings → API Keys.

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "sequel": {
      "url": "https://api.sequel.sh/mcp",
      "type": "http",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer sql_your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Install

Install Ahrefs MCP in VS Code

Pick your app and Sequel installs itself: a one-click link where the client supports it, that client’s own few steps where it doesn’t. Every route signs in with your Sequel account over OAuth, so there is no API key to copy and nothing to keep in sync.

Already have an MCP client?

https://api.sequel.sh/mcp

Add it as a remote (streamable HTTP) server and sign in when prompted. Skills come with it; nothing else to install. Manual setup per client

Add Sequel to VS Code

One click: the button above opens VS Code with Sequel pre-filled, and VS Code signs you in with your Sequel account. There is no key to paste.

Other AI agents

Connect Ahrefs MCP to any agent

Claude

Use Claude to query your databases, explore schemas, and build analyses — all from one conversation.

Cursor

Query your databases and explore schemas without leaving your code editor.

ChatGPT

Connect ChatGPT to your databases and get data-backed answers in every conversation.

VS Code

Get database access inside VS Code Copilot without leaving your editor.

Windsurf

Give Windsurf's Cascade AI access to your databases — query data without leaving your editor.

Zed

Connect Zed's AI assistant to your databases for real-time data access while you code.

Gemini

Connect Google Gemini to your databases for grounded, data-backed answers.

Claude Code

Query your databases directly from the Claude Code CLI — without leaving your terminal.

Codex

Give OpenAI Codex CLI real-time database access for data-grounded coding sessions.

OpenClaw

Turn your self-hosted OpenClaw agent into a data analyst that queries every source you've connected.

Hermes

Give Nous Research's Hermes agent read access to every database and marketing tool you've connected.

Grok Bot

Tell your Grok bot to add Sequel and it can query every database and marketing tool you've connected.

Muse

Give Meta's Muse one message and it builds its own connector to every source you've put in Sequel.

dots

Add Sequel once in ChatGPT and your dot can answer data questions on its own, day and night.

Other data sources

Connect other sources to VS Code

PostgreSQL

Query your PostgreSQL database in plain English. No SQL required.

MySQL

Instant insights from your MySQL database. Ask in plain English.

ClickHouse

Real-time analytics on ClickHouse at any scale, in plain English.

BigQuery

Query petabytes of BigQuery data in plain English.

Google Sheets

Query, write, and manage Google Sheets with AI.

Google Analytics 4

Ask your GA4 data anything. No SQL, no dashboards.

Google Search Console

Unlock your SEO data with natural language. No exports, no pivot tables.

MCP Server

Connect any MCP-compatible server and query it with AI in seconds.

Stripe

Ask your Stripe data anything. MRR, churn, refunds — answered in plain English.

Polar

Ask your Polar revenue, subscriptions, and usage data anything — in plain English.

Dodo Payments

Ask questions about payments, subscriptions, refunds and payouts in plain English.

PostHog

Ask your PostHog product data anything — with HogQL under the hood.

Mixpanel

Conversational analytics on your Mixpanel events, funnels, and retention.

Amplitude

Query your Amplitude taxonomy, funnels, and dashboards in plain English.

HubSpot

Your AI analyst for HubSpot contacts, deals, tickets, and pipelines.

Apollo.io

Ask your Apollo.io prospects, contacts, and accounts anything, in plain English.

Cloudflare D1

Ask your Cloudflare D1 database questions in plain English.

Instagram

Instagram organic analytics — post engagement, reach, and audience insights in plain English.

Frequently asked questions

How do I connect Ahrefs to VS Code?

You need two things: (1) connect Ahrefs to Sequel in your Sequel dashboard under Connections, and (2) add the Sequel MCP config to VS Code using the setup shown above. Once both are done, VS Code can query your Ahrefs data directly.

What Ahrefs data can VS Code access?

VS Code can access any data available through your Ahrefs connection in Sequel. Use Sequel's search tool to discover available metrics and dimensions, then execute queries to pull the data you need.

Is my Ahrefs data sent to VS Code's servers?

Query results are returned to VS Code as context within your conversation. Only the data you explicitly ask about is retrieved. Sequel never stores your query results permanently — they exist only for the duration of the tool call.

Do I need a Sequel account?

Yes. You need a Sequel account to connect Ahrefs and generate an API key. Sign up free at sequel.sh — no credit card required. Then create a connection to Ahrefs and generate an API key from Settings → API Keys.

Can I connect multiple Ahrefs accounts?

Yes. Sequel supports multiple connections of the same type. If you have multiple Ahrefs accounts or properties, add each as a separate connection in Sequel. VS Code will be able to query all of them.

Does this work with GitHub Copilot in VS Code?

Yes. VS Code's MCP support is available in GitHub Copilot Chat (VS Code 1.99+). Create .vscode/mcp.json in your project root with the config above, and Sequel tools will appear in Copilot Chat.

Do I need the GitHub Copilot subscription?

VS Code MCP requires GitHub Copilot Chat (Individual, Business, or Enterprise plan). The MCP configuration itself is free; you only need a Sequel API key and a Copilot subscription.

Can I configure this globally instead of per-project?

Yes. Add the server configuration to your VS Code user settings.json under the `mcp.servers` key for global access across all projects.

Is the .vscode/mcp.json file safe to commit?

The config file is safe to commit — but never commit your actual API key in it. Use an environment variable reference or instruct team members to replace the placeholder with their own key.

How do I connect Ahrefs to Sequel?

Create an API key in Ahrefs under Account settings → API keys (workspace owners and admins only), paste it into Sequel, and click Test. The key is sent to the Ahrefs API v3 as a Bearer token.

Do I need a specific Ahrefs plan?

The Ahrefs API is available on eligible paid plans. On other plans you still get a limited set of free test queries. See Ahrefs' pricing page for current API eligibility.

Can Sequel change anything in my Ahrefs account?

No. The connector only ships read-only reports (domain overview, backlinks, referring domains, organic keywords, top pages, keyword research). It cannot modify your Ahrefs projects or settings.

Will queries consume my Ahrefs API units?

Most reports cost Ahrefs API units (minimum 50 per request), billed against your plan's allowance. Validating your key is free. Use specific targets and small row limits to keep usage low.

Connect Ahrefs to VS Code today

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