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Scout API & MCP Overview and Setup

Who does this article apply to?

  • Enterprise, Partner, and Small Business accounts.
  • Accounts in all regions.

Overview

Scout gives you access to visibility intelligence through two complementary delivery models in addition to the UI: an API & MCP.

The Scout API provides structured HTTP endpoints that return Scout visibility data. Use it when you want to embed Scout data directly into your own product: powering custom dashboards, automating exports into a data warehouse or CRM, building white-label reports, or triggering recommendation workflows based on visibility signals.

The Scout MCP removes the build burden, allowing you to connect Scout data to Claude or OpenAI and ask questions in plain language. Use it when the goal is rapid exploration, on-demand summaries, or generating custom views without writing code. The MCP is available in OpenAI, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot. 

Both the Scout API and MCP are read-only for Scout data. Neither supports triggering scans, updating keywords, or other write actions within Scout. For write capabilities, use the broader Yext MCP (which the Scout MCP is part of) or the Yext Management API, both of which support actions like updating listings, responding to reviews, and managing other Yext functionality.

Disclaimer: Validate Before You Share

The Scout MCP pulls from real data endpoints, but AI models can produce content that sounds confident but isn't accurate. Before sharing anything with a stakeholder, hold it to the same standard you'd apply to any analysis with your name on it.

Verify every number, date, and named entity against the Scout API or UI, and know where Scout's coverage ends. Prompts that go outside the supported metric set may return fabricated answers. Beyond the numbers, check that the narrative actually fits the client. Common failure modes aren't always obvious: transposed figures, the wrong competitor, a stale metric, a fabricated quote.

Nothing generated by MCP should reach a client without a second set of eyes. The person presenting is responsible for accuracy, not the model.

How the API & MCP Work Together 

The Scout MCP and API draw from the same underlying data. The difference is in how you access it.

The Scout API gives you structured, programmatic access so you control how data is presented and connected to your product logic. The Scout MCP gives you natural-language access through an LLM, with no build required.

In practice, many partners and customers use both: MCP for quick exploration and creating custom UIs, API for scalable, embedded products.

How to Get Access

Directions will depend on which model you are using. Jump to the corresponding section below for steps to connect with each provider.

You can access Scout API docs directly from your account by clicking on the settings icon in the top right corner of any Scout page and clicking View API Reference. 

You can also access the API docs directly by visiting these links:

Note: You need to be logged in to your account to access these docs.

 

Claude

What you'll need: 

  • Login credentials for your Yext account 
  • Access to Claude with sufficient permissions to add a custom connector. View Claude's Add a Custom Connector documentation for more information on permission requirements.

How to Connect to the Yext MCP

  1. In Claude, find and click Add custom connector. This option is typically found in the Connectors section of the Settings menu.
  2. Enter a Name and Remote MCP Server URL.
  1. Click Add.
  2. After adding the URL, click Connect. Claude will prompt you to log in to Yext.
  3. Log in to your Yext account with your account credentials. 
  4. You will be asked to authorize the connection with read/write access to the Scout MCP. Click Authorize.
  5. You'll be redirected back to Claude once you authorize, and the connection is now active.
  6. Click on the custom Yext MCP connector in the sidebar to view the full list of Scout MCP tools available to use.

You're all set! You can now use these tools directly within your Claude conversations to access your Yext data.

OpenAI

What you'll need: 

  • Login credentials for your Yext account 
  • Access to OpenAI with sufficient permissions to add a custom app

How to Connect the Scout MCP to OpenAI

  1. In ChatGPT, navigate to the Settings page and click on Apps.
  2. Click Advanced settings.

  1. Click to toggle on Developer Mode. Then click Create app.

  1. Enter the details for the app.
  • Name: We recommend adding Yext MCP as the name of the connector.
  • Connection: Make sure Server URL is selected (this is the default), and enter https://api.yext.com/mcp for US source region accounts, or https://api.eu.yextapis.com/mcp for EU source region accounts.
  • Authentication: Select OAuth.
  1. Check the box to acknowledge the connection to a custom MCP server. 
  2. Click Create.

  1. You will be asked to sign in to Yext to authorize the connection to the Scout MCP. Click Sign in. Then click Authorize after you've logged in to your Yext account. Once you successfully authorize the connection, you will be redirected back to your app list.

You're all set! You can now use these tools directly within your ChatGPT conversations to access your Yext data.

 

Copilot

Official instructions coming soon. In the meantime, you can visit the Connect your agent to an existing Model Context Protocol (MCP) server help article in the Microsoft Copilot help site and use the https://api.yext.com/mcp OAuth URL for US source region accounts, or https://api.eu.yextapis.com/mcp for EU source region accounts to get started.