---
title: "URL Inspection monitor | SEO Skill"
description: "Compare current Google URL Inspection results with saved snapshots to find selected pages whose index status or canonical changed since the last check."
canonical: "https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports/index-watch"
language: "en"
---

# URL Inspection monitor

Track selected URLs across repeated Google URL Inspection checks. The monitor shows observed status changes while keeping unchecked and quota-limited pages out of the conclusion.

## Install and run the monitor

Install the CLI once, then run `seo start` to connect your site and Google data. After setup you can run this monitor yourself or ask your agent to run it.

Install the SEO CLI globally.

```
npm i -g seo
```

Run setup after installation.

```
seo start
```

Check selected URLs against earlier Google index snapshots.

```
seo index-watch --site sc-domain:example.com --urls https://example.com/page
```

## What the monitor records

Compare current Google URL Inspection results with saved snapshots to find selected pages whose index status or canonical changed since the last check.

Best for

You have important URLs or stored inspection history to compare.

Needs

Explicit URL sample

You get

Compare current Google URL Inspection results with saved snapshots to find selected pages whose index status or canonical changed since the last check.

Use next

Collect Google index snapshots

Every report follows the same rules for missing data and outside estimates.[See how report data works](https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports#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.

### Explicit URL sample

Defines the exact limited pages whose Google index state should be checked.

### Google URL Inspection evidence

Provides the current indexed verdict, coverage state, canonical, crawl details, and provider status.

### Previous local index snapshots

Provide the baseline used to classify regressions and recoveries.

## Use a different report for these jobs

These jobs need a different report or a manual review.

[

### You do not yet know which URLs deserve direct inspection.

Run index coverage first. It compares crawl, sitemap, and returned Search Console evidence to build a limited review sample without spending URL Inspection quota on every discovered URL.

Google index coverage audit

](https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports/index-coverage)

### You need to decide whether a noindex, canonical, or exclusion is intentional.

No automated report can recover the site owner’s intent. Compare the page purpose with the canonical and index strategy, then use this report’s exact Google verdict and history to check whether the observed state contradicts that decision.

Needs more evidence

## Use the monitor 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 monitor 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 monitor with the validated parameters.

Check the current input before the agent or script runs the monitor.

```
seo reports describe index-watch --json
```

Once the input is valid, run the monitor through the report catalog.

```
seo reports run index-watch --params '{"site":"sc-domain:example.com","urls":["https://example.com/a","https://example.com/b"],"dailyLimit":25}' --json
```

### MCP

An MCP agent follows the same two-step flow. It inspects the current schema, fills the required fields and only then runs the monitor.

Ask the MCP server for the current monitor input.

```
{
  "id": "index-watch"
}
```

Run the monitor after the agent has checked and filled the input.

```
{
  "id": "index-watch",
  "params": {
    "site": "sc-domain:example.com",
    "urls": [
      "https://example.com/a",
      "https://example.com/b"
    ],
    "dailyLimit": 25
  }
}
```

### TypeScript

Install the package in a Node 22 project when your application needs to run the monitor 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 seo
```

Run the monitor from your TypeScript application.

```
import { executeReport } from 'seo/mcp'

const result = await executeReport(
  'index-watch',
  {
  "site": "sc-domain:example.com",
  "urls": [
    "https://example.com/a",
    "https://example.com/b"
  ],
  "dailyLimit": 25
},
)

console.log(result)
```

## What to do next

Confirm each changed Google status against the saved and current inspection evidence. Audit the live URL when a canonical, response or directive could explain the movement.

1.  01Audit a regressed URL directly.
2.  02Run redirect trace when the inspected canonical or destination is unexpected.

## Related reports

[

Collect a limited set of Google URL Inspection snapshots, save them locally and keep deferred or failed pages separate from checked URLs in the report.

Google index monitor

](https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports/index-monitor)[

Audit one URL for technical SEO, metadata, canonicals, schema, links and Search Console queries. See the live evidence before changing the page.

SEO page audit

](https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports/audit-page)[

Follow every redirect hop from one URL to its final page and check status codes, loops, chains, canonicals and link safety before updating links.

Redirect trace

](https://seoskill.dev/docs/reports/redirect-trace)

## Sources used by this monitor

These primary sources define the provider data or search controls used by the result.

-   [Search Console URL Inspection API reference](https://developers.google.com/webmaster-tools/v1/urlInspection.index/inspect)