What you need
- A Google account that can see at least one Search Console property.
- An AI agent that supports MCP, such as Claude Code, Codex or Cursor.
- For the CLI only: a terminal with Node 22.23.4, 24.22.1, 26.12.1 or a later release of the same line.
Google Analytics, other analytics tools and keyword data are optional. You can add them later.
Pick the hosted MCP or the CLI
Both run the same reports and return the same facts. The hosted MCP is the quickest start. The CLI runs on your machine and adds a site crawl and internal links.
| Hosted MCP | CLI | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | Nothing | npm i -g seo && seo start |
| Where it runs | seoskill.dev | Your machine |
| Sign in | Google, in your browser | Your seoskill.dev account or Google, during seo start |
| Crawl and internal links | No | Yes |
| What it keeps | Your linked sign-ins and keys, encrypted | Your sign-in, keys and a short cache, on your machine |
Connect the hosted MCP
Pick your agent and copy the command. Each one adds the server and opens the Google sign-in the first time it connects.
Run it in a terminal, then sign in with Google.
Or run it on your machine
Installs the CLI, signs you in and adds the skill to your agents. Site crawls and Bing data run this way, on your own machine. A crawl fetches many pages, and Bing blocks our hosted server.
The hosted MCP guide covers other clients, the tools and how sign-in works. In Codex, the Codex SEO skill page adds the skill and the CLI as well.
Or install the CLI
Install the package and run setup in one line:
npm i -g seo && seo start
Setup asks how you want to sign in. Signing in to your free seoskill.dev account (or creating one) keeps your Google accounts, Bing and keys in one place for both the CLI and the hosted MCP. You can also sign in with Google on this machine only. Then setup offers to add an MCP server and the skill to your agents (if you skip that step, you can add them later). It saves nothing about your site. The CLI guide explains each choice. For cloud agents and CI machines that start fresh each time, follow the cloud agents guide instead.
Ask for your first report
Ask your agent in plain words:
Run the SEO report for example.com
The agent calls the report without a section first. You get an overview of clicks, impressions, click-through rate and position against the previous period, plus a count and the top rows for each section. Then ask for the section that looks interesting:
Show me the quick wins for example.com
Facts, not advice
Every result says what the data shows, such as a page at position 6 with a click-through rate below your site’s own curve. It does not tell you what to change. Your agent shows you the facts and you decide what to do with them.
Start with the SEO report, then use the other commands when you have a narrower question.