Sitemaps and indexing Manage sitemaps and indexing with ChatGPT
Managing sitemaps and indexing with ChatGPT means using OpenAI's chat assistant, connected to StoreSEO through developer mode, to read which Shopify resources are excluded from the sitemap or marked noindex or nofollow, change those flags one resource at a time, and generate an HTML sitemap page.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up ChatGPT for StoreSEO
Skip this if ChatGPT is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the ChatGPT page.
- 1
Turn on developer mode
In ChatGPT on the web, open Settings, then Security and login, and turn on Developer mode. If your menu shows Apps and Connectors with Advanced settings instead, the same switch lives there. OpenAI lists developer mode for Pro, Plus, Business, Enterprise and Education accounts on the web.
URLhttps://chatgpt.com/plugins
- 2
Create the app with the StoreSEO MCP URL
Open Plugins and select the plus button to create a developer-mode app. Name it StoreSEO, paste this as the MCP server URL and choose OAuth. Sign in when the browser asks: pick your Shopify store and approve access.
URLhttps://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp
- 3
Use it in a chat
The app appears in the composer's Developer mode tool during conversations. Select StoreSEO there, then ask this to confirm the connection works.
PromptUsing the StoreSEO app, show me my store's SEO score breakdown.
How does this work in ChatGPT?
You sit in a ChatGPT conversation with the StoreSEO app you created in developer mode available to that chat. Ask which collections are noindex and ChatGPT runs storeseo_start for the conversation id, then storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps with the resource type set to collection and the noindex filter. Reads like these run straight away and ChatGPT shows the call in the conversation, so you can open it and check the arguments it sent. What returns is a list of collections with their sitemap, noindex and nofollow flags, which ChatGPT turns into a short summary and a question about what you want to do with each.
A flag change goes through two gates. StoreSEO tells ChatGPT to name the resource and wait for your yes before it calls storeseo_update_resource_sitemap, and ChatGPT's own write confirmation then shows the payload, the resource id and the booleans, for you to approve. Read that payload, because a mistyped resource id is easier to catch there than after the metafield is written. After the write, ChatGPT lists the flags again in the same turn so the answer reflects the store, not just the call it made.
For the HTML sitemap, ChatGPT reads storeseo_get_html_sitemap_settings, calls storeseo_update_html_sitemap to generate and enable the page, and then calls storeseo_list_sitemap_menus to hand you the menu edit links. Putting the link in a menu is your step in Shopify admin; ChatGPT cannot do it. Once you confirm it is done, one more update marks setup complete. If the HTML sitemap already has custom settings, ask ChatGPT to read them first and show you the full object before it sends anything, because an update replaces the settings wholesale.
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You: Which collections are set to noindex?
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
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ChatGPT: Two collections are noindex: Wholesale Only, which looks intended, and Spring Sale, which is also excluded from the sitemap. Should I turn noindex and the sitemap exclusion off for Spring Sale?
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You: Yes, only Spring Sale.
- storeseo_update_resource_sitemap needs approval
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
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ChatGPT: Spring Sale is now in the sitemap with noindex off. Wholesale Only is unchanged.
What to ask ChatGPT
Using StoreSEO, which of my collections and pages are set to noindex? List them with their sitemap flags.
Show me which blog posts are excluded from the sitemap, then ask me before changing any of them.
Generate an HTML sitemap for my store with StoreSEO and tell me which of my menus to add the link to.
- Which of my products are set to noindex or excluded from the sitemap?
- Exclude the product Gift Card Test from the sitemap and set it to noindex.
- Set up an HTML sitemap for my store and tell me which menu to add it to.
- Are any of my blog posts set to nofollow?
- Remove noindex from the page About Us.
What StoreSEO does: sitemaps and indexing
StoreSEO controls two things here: per-resource sitemap flags (left out of the XML sitemap, noindex, nofollow) and an HTML sitemap page. The agent lists flags, changes them one resource at a time and walks you through the HTML sitemap setup.
- 1
List the flags
The agent lists products, collections, pages or articles with their sitemap, noindex and nofollow flags, filtered as you ask.
- 2
Change one resource
After your yes it sets the flags on one resource, which writes the matching Shopify metafields.
- 3
Re-read before reporting
Flags can also change in the StoreSEO app, so the agent re-lists before telling you the current state.
- 4
Create the HTML sitemap
It reads the HTML sitemap settings, then generates and enables the page.
- 5
Add it to a menu
It lists your navigation menus with their edit links; you add the sitemap link to a menu in Shopify admin, then the agent marks setup complete.
Sitemaps and indexing reference
| Flags per resource | Excluded from sitemap, noindex, nofollow |
|---|---|
| Resource types | Products, collections, pages and articles |
| Where flags live | Shopify metafields on the resource |
| HTML sitemap steps | Generate and enable, add the link to a menu yourself, mark complete |
| HTML sitemap settings | Replaced wholesale on update; read first |
| Menus | Listed with edit links; the menu you choose is not stored |
| Plan | Every active plan |
Rules ChatGPT follows
- A noindex flag removes a page from search results, so the agent names the resource and waits for your yes.
- The agent re-lists flags in the same turn before telling you their current state.
- Adding the sitemap link to a menu is a step you do in Shopify admin; no tool does it.
- HTML sitemap settings are read before every update, because an update replaces them.
In ChatGPT
Write actions in ChatGPT depend on your plan and on developer mode. OpenAI's developer guide lists developer mode for several plans, while its help center, as we read it, gives Pro accounts read access only and puts write actions in beta on Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces. On a plan without write actions, ChatGPT can still list every sitemap flag and tell you what to change, and you make the noindex or sitemap edit in the StoreSEO app. Where writes are available, avoid the option that remembers approval for the rest of the conversation, since a noindex flag hides a page from search results.
What runs without asking. Reads such as SEO scores, store listings, settings and Google reports run straight away. Generating a preview spends AI credit but writes nothing, and StoreSEO tells the agent to say what a generation will cost before it runs one. Applying content, optimizing images, changing settings, publishing llms.txt or agents.md, writing a product description and deleting anything wait for your yes in the conversation. That yes is an instruction the agent follows, not a lock on the server, so your client's own tool-approval setting is the hard stop.
Questions
Why can ChatGPT read my sitemap flags but not change them?
Write actions through developer mode depend on your ChatGPT plan and workspace settings. If your plan only has read access, use ChatGPT to list the flags and apply the change in the StoreSEO app.
What does ChatGPT show me before it sets a page to noindex?
ChatGPT asks you to approve the write action and lets you inspect the payload, which names the resource and the flags. StoreSEO also tells ChatGPT to name the resource and wait for your yes first.
What is the difference between excluding a page from the sitemap and noindex?
Excluding a resource leaves it out of your XML sitemap, so crawlers are not pointed at it. Noindex tells search engines not to show the page in results even if they find it. StoreSEO sets each flag separately per resource.
Can the agent add the HTML sitemap to my menu?
No. The agent generates the HTML sitemap and lists your menus with their edit links, and you add the sitemap link to a menu in Shopify admin. Then the agent can mark setup complete.
Do sitemap tools need a paid plan?
No. The sitemap tools work on every active StoreSEO plan.
Why does the agent check the flags again before answering?
Sitemap flags can also be changed in the StoreSEO app outside the conversation, so an earlier listing may be stale. Re-reading in the same turn keeps the answer accurate.
Keep going
Sitemaps and indexing with other agents
More ChatGPT guides