Tools

The @cite42/mcp server exposes 26 tools for account data, AI search, SEO keywords, trends, research workflows, and recurring trackers. Describe what you want and your agent picks the tool.

The tools

The server exposes 26 tools: 3 free account tools, 9 primitive data tools, 6 workflow contracts, and 8 tracker tools. You don’t invoke them directly; you ask your agent in plain English, it picks the right tool, and it answers you from the structured result.

The primitives are for AI-search, citation, SEO, keyword, trend, and market-research data, not general coding or writing. Code-related research is still a valid use case when the goal is to compare what the models recommend or cite for an implementation decision.

Search: ask any question across the models. · Rankings: how brands rank in AI answers. · Compare: head-to-head vs a competitor set. · Citations: which sources the models cite. · Sentiment: how the models talk about a brand. · Keywords: search volume and related ideas. · Trends: Google Trends interest over time. · Reddit Trends: conversation signals. · YouTube Trends: video-market signals.

cite42_credits, cite42_pricing, and cite42_usage are the three free account tools. They return your balance, current prices and estimates, or recent call history without running a paid primitive.

Example prompts

Once the server is connected, you talk to your agent normally — it picks the tool. These cover the main tool families; each one names the tool it triggers so you can see the mapping:

# cite42_search — one question, every model, with sources
Ask ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity "what is the best project management tool for agencies" and show me which sources each one cited.

# cite42_rankings — where a brand places in AI answers
How often does Asana get mentioned across the AI models for agency project management, and what average position does it hold?

# cite42_find_ai_citation_gaps — queries where AI cites rivals but not you
Find queries about time tracking software where the AI models cite my competitors but never link to toggl.com.

# cite42_keywords + cite42_trends — classic SEO demand data
What is the monthly search volume and CPC for "ai visibility tracking", and is interest rising or falling over the last 12 months?

# cite42_reddit_trends — what the audience actually complains about
What are people on Reddit frustrated about when it comes to SEO reporting tools right now?

# cite42_pricing — free, costs 0 credits
Before we run anything: what would it cost in Cite42 credits to check rankings across all five models for 20 queries?

# cite42_tracker_create — free draft; activation needs cost confirmation
Create a weekly tracker for rankings and citations. Show me the estimated credits per run, but do not activate it yet.

Every tool page linked above carries its own prompt plus the JSON the agent reasons over.

Choosing models

The five AI-model tools (search, rankings, compare, citations, sentiment) take an optional models list, so you can say “just ChatGPT” and pay for only that selected model. Omit it and the tool queries all five. Keywords, trends, Reddit Trends, and YouTube Trends are flat-priced data tools; workflow prices are calculated from their live primitive endpoints and selected model rates. See Per-model pricing.

Billing

Paid MCP tools use the same REST rates from the same prepaid balance: AI-model calls bill per selected model, flat data tools per call, and workflows sum their successful primitives. There is no agent-seat fee or MCP markup. Tracker management and stored-history reads are free; scheduled and manual tracker runs bill the saved primitive calls. Activating or resuming a tracker requires confirmation of its current maximum credits per run and authorizes recurring calls until pause. See Credits & billing.