Editor setup - Stobo MCP

Stobo MCP works with any MCP-compatible AI editor. This guide shows you how to configure it in the most popular tools.

Prerequisites

Before setting up Stobo MCP, ensure you have:

UV runtime installed

Install uv for the uvx command:

pip install uv

brew install uv

Stobo API key (optional)

Get a free API key at trystobo.com.Only needed for paid tools (generate_llms_txt, extract_tone, rewrite_article).

You can use Stobo MCP without an API key to access all free tools (audits, robots.txt, sitemap, freshness code).

Setup by editor

Claude Desktop
Claude Code (CLI)
Cursor
VS Code (Copilot)
Windsurf

Claude Desktop (macOS/Windows)

Claude Desktop is the most popular MCP client. Configuration is done via a JSON config file.

macOS

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stobo": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--native-tls", "stobo-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STOBO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows

Edit %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stobo": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--native-tls", "stobo-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STOBO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Without an API key

Remove the env block entirely:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stobo": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--native-tls", "stobo-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop

Close Claude Desktop completely and reopen it. The Stobo MCP server will start automatically.

Verify setup

Ask Claude:

What Stobo tools are available?

You should see the full list of 10 tools.

Claude Code (CLI)

Claude Code is the official CLI for Claude with built-in MCP support.

Add Stobo MCP

claude mcp add stobo -- uvx --native-tls stobo-mcp

Set your API key

Export the key in your shell:

export STOBO_API_KEY="your-api-key"

Add this to your ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.config/fish/config.fish to persist it.

Without an API key

Skip the export step. Free tools will work without a key.

Verify setup

Start a conversation:

claude

Then ask:

What Stobo tools do you have?

Cursor

Cursor is a VS Code fork with built-in AI and MCP support.

Add Stobo MCP

Open Settings (Cmd+, or Ctrl+,)
Navigate to MCP Servers > Add Server
Paste this config:

{
  "stobo": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["--native-tls", "stobo-mcp"],
    "env": {
      "STOBO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
    }
  }
}

Without an API key

Remove the env block:

{
  "stobo": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["--native-tls", "stobo-mcp"]
  }
}

Restart Cursor

Close and reopen Cursor for the changes to take effect.

Verify setup

Open the AI chat panel (Cmd+K or Ctrl+K) and ask:

List Stobo tools

VS Code with GitHub Copilot

VS Code with Copilot supports MCP via a workspace-level config file.

Add Stobo MCP

Create .vscode/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "servers": {
    "stobo": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--native-tls", "stobo-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STOBO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Without an API key

Remove the env block:

{
  "servers": {
    "stobo": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--native-tls", "stobo-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Reload VS Code

Run Developer: Reload Window (Cmd+Shift+P or Ctrl+Shift+P).

Verify setup

Open Copilot Chat and ask:

What Stobo tools are available?

Windsurf

Windsurf is an AI-first code editor by Codeium with native MCP support.

Add Stobo MCP

Edit ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stobo": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--native-tls", "stobo-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STOBO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Without an API key

Remove the env block:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stobo": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--native-tls", "stobo-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Windsurf

Close and reopen Windsurf.

Verify setup

Open the AI panel and ask:

Show me Stobo tools

Advanced configuration

Using a different base URL

If you’re using a self-hosted Stobo API or a custom endpoint, set STOBO_BASE_URL:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stobo": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--native-tls", "stobo-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "STOBO_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
        "STOBO_BASE_URL": "https://custom-api.example.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

Only change STOBO_BASE_URL if told to by Stobo support. The default (https://api.trystobo.com) works for 99% of users.

Installing stobo-mcp globally (alternative to uvx)

If you prefer not to use uvx, install the package globally:

pip install stobo-mcp

Then update your config to use the installed command:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stobo": {
      "command": "stobo-mcp",
      "env": {
        "STOBO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

We recommend uvx because it auto-installs and updates the package. With a global install, you need to manually run pip install --upgrade stobo-mcp to get updates.

Troubleshooting

Tools not showing up in my editor

Symptoms: Your AI assistant doesn’t recognize Stobo tools.Fixes:

Restart your editor — MCP servers only load on startup
Check your config file path — Ensure you edited the correct file:
- Claude Desktop (macOS): ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Claude Desktop (Windows): %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
- Cursor: Settings > MCP Servers
- VS Code: .vscode/mcp.json in your project
- Windsurf: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
Verify uvx is installed:
```
uvx --version
```
If not found, install it:
```
pip install uv
```
Test manually:
```
uvx --native-tls stobo-mcp
```
It should start without errors. Press Ctrl+C to stop.

No API key configured error

Symptoms: You see “No API key configured” when using a paid tool.Fixes:

Sign up at trystobo.com and generate an API key

Add the key to your config:

"env": {
  "STOBO_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}

Restart your editor

Note: Free tools (audit_site, audit_article, generate_robots_txt, etc.) work without a key. Only paid tools require authentication.

API key is invalid or expired

Symptoms: You see “Your API key is invalid or expired.”Fixes:

Log in to trystobo.com
Go to Settings > API Keys
Delete your old key and create a new one
Update your MCP config with the new key
Restart your editor

Connection refused or timeout

Symptoms: Tools fail with “connection refused” or “timeout” errors.Fixes:

Check your internet connection
Run the diagnostics tool: Ask your AI assistant:
```
Check if Stobo is working
```
This runs check_connection and shows:
- Whether the API is reachable
- Your base URL
- Whether you have an API key configured
Verify STOBO_BASE_URL is not set (unless you’re using a custom endpoint)
Try again in a few minutes — the API may be temporarily down

Rate limit reached

Symptoms: You see “Rate limit reached. Please wait a moment and try again.”Fixes:

Wait a few seconds and retry — rate limits reset quickly
Use caching — Don’t re-run the same audit unnecessarily (results are cached 24h)
Batch requests — Instead of 10 separate prompts, ask “Audit these 10 URLs” so the AI runs them in parallel

Note: Normal conversational use stays well within rate limits. This error usually means you’re running tools in a tight loop.

Out of credits

Symptoms: You see “You’ve run out of credits.”Fixes:

Log in to trystobo.com
Go to Settings > Billing
Purchase credits or upgrade your plan
Continue using paid tools — credits are added instantly

Note: Free tools (audit_site, audit_article, etc.) continue to work even with zero credits.

Testing your setup

Once configured, test that Stobo MCP is working:

Ask for the tool list

What Stobo tools do you have?

You should see 10 tools listed in two groups: “Free — no setup needed” and “Requires API key”.

Run a free audit

Audit https://example.com

This runs audit_site (free, no key needed). You should get a combined SEO + AEO score.

Test a paid tool (if you have an API key)

How many credits do I have left?

This runs get_credits and shows your balance. If you see your plan and usage, your API key is working.

Generate a free fix

Generate a robots.txt for https://example.com

This runs generate_robots_txt (free). You should get a ready-to-deploy robots.txt file.

If all four steps work, your setup is complete.

Next steps

Learn common workflows

See step-by-step guides for auditing, fixing, and optimizing your site.

Understand pricing

Learn which tools are free and how credits work.

Explore all tools

Browse the full tool reference with parameters and examples.

Get help

Report issues or ask questions on GitHub.

Get Started

Tools Reference

Guides

Advanced

​Prerequisites

UV runtime installed

Stobo API key (optional)

​Setup by editor

​Claude Desktop (macOS/Windows)

​macOS

​Windows

​Without an API key

​Restart Claude Desktop

​Verify setup

​Claude Code (CLI)

​Add Stobo MCP

​Set your API key

​Without an API key

​Verify setup

​Cursor

​Add Stobo MCP

​Without an API key

​Restart Cursor

​Verify setup

​VS Code with GitHub Copilot

​Add Stobo MCP

​Without an API key

​Reload VS Code

​Verify setup

​Windsurf

​Add Stobo MCP

​Without an API key

​Restart Windsurf

​Verify setup

​Advanced configuration

​Using a different base URL

​Installing stobo-mcp globally (alternative to uvx)

​Troubleshooting

​Testing your setup

​Next steps

Learn common workflows

Understand pricing

Explore all tools

Get help

Prerequisites

Setup by editor

Claude Desktop (macOS/Windows)

macOS

Windows

Without an API key

Restart Claude Desktop

Verify setup

Claude Code (CLI)

Add Stobo MCP

Set your API key

Without an API key

Verify setup

Cursor

Add Stobo MCP

Without an API key

Restart Cursor

Verify setup

VS Code with GitHub Copilot

Add Stobo MCP

Without an API key

Reload VS Code

Verify setup

Windsurf

Add Stobo MCP

Without an API key

Restart Windsurf

Verify setup

Advanced configuration

Using a different base URL

Installing stobo-mcp globally (alternative to uvx)

Troubleshooting

Testing your setup

Next steps