SEO crawler rules
Browse the maintained rule catalog before running a crawl or when a finding needs a translation. Each rule includes the ID used by follow-up reports and commands.
Install and run the tool
Install the CLI once, then run seo start to connect your site and Google data. After setup you can run this tool yourself or ask your agent to run it.
Runafter install
Install the SEO CLI globally.
npm i -g seoRun setup after installation.
seo startBrowse the technical checks built into the crawler.
seo rulesWhat the tool gives you
Browse the technical checks built into the SEO crawler and find the exact rule ID needed for plain-English guidance or affected URLs from a saved crawl.
- Best for
- An agent needs a valid rule id.
- Needs
- Local crawler rule catalog
- You get
- Browse the technical checks built into the SEO crawler and find the exact rule ID needed for plain-English guidance or affected URLs from a saved crawl.
- Use next
- Understand a crawler issue
Every report follows the same rules for missing data and outside estimates.See how report data works.
What you need before you run it
The report uses the information below. Optional sources are only used when you ask for them.
Local crawler rule catalog
Provides the current rule ids, categories, severity, and guidance metadata.
Optional rule category
Limits the catalog to checks such as metadata, canonicals, or indexability.
Use a different report for these jobs
These jobs need a different report or a manual review.
You need a plain-English explanation and verification steps for one rule.
Run explain crawl issue with the rule id. It adds the rule meaning, why it may matter, practical fix guidance, and a check you can perform after the change.
You need the URLs currently affected by a rule in a saved crawl.
Run affected URLs with the saved crawl and rule id. It returns the observed page instances, counts, limits, and available search evidence rather than the rule definition alone.
Use the tool with an agent or in code
The command above is enough for most work. These options let an agent, script or application run the same tool with explicit input and structured output.
CLI
Use the report catalog when an agent, script or CI job needs predictable JSON instead of the normal terminal output. Check the current input first, then run the tool with the validated parameters.
Check the current input before the agent or script runs the tool.
seo reports describe crawler-rules --jsonOnce the input is valid, run the tool through the report catalog.
seo reports run crawler-rules --params '{"category":"metadata"}' --jsonMCP
An MCP agent follows the same two-step flow. It inspects the current schema, fills the required fields and only then runs the tool.
Ask the MCP server for the current tool input.
{
"id": "crawler-rules"
}Run the tool after the agent has checked and filled the input.
{
"id": "crawler-rules",
"params": {
"category": "metadata"
}
}TypeScript
Install the package in a Node 22 project when your application needs to run the tool directly. The result includes the same evidence, warnings and limits returned through the CLI and MCP server.
Add the SEO package to your project.
npm install seoRun the tool from your TypeScript application.
import { executeReport } from 'seo/mcp'
const result = await executeReport(
'crawler-rules',
{
"category": "metadata"
},
)
console.log(result)What to do next
Choose the rule by its maintained meaning rather than its severity label alone. Open the rule guidance, then inspect affected URLs from a real crawl before deciding that the site needs a change.
- 01Explain the selected rule.
- 02Fetch affected URLs from a saved crawl.