Sitemaps and indexing

Manage sitemaps and indexing with Codex

Managing sitemaps and indexing with Codex means asking OpenAI's coding agent, from a terminal or the IDE extension, to read the sitemap, noindex and nofollow flags StoreSEO holds for your Shopify resources, change them one resource at a time after your yes, and set up an HTML sitemap.

Jump to the prompts Connect Codex

Last updated: October 2026

Set up Codex for StoreSEO

Skip this if Codex is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the Codex page.

1
Add StoreSEO to Codex

Run this in any terminal. It writes a [mcp_servers.storeseo] table to ~/.codex/config.toml, which the Codex CLI, the IDE extension and the ChatGPT desktop app all read.
Terminal

codex mcp add storeseo --url https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp
2
Sign in to your store

Run the login command. Your browser opens: pick your Shopify store and approve access. Then run codex mcp list, or type /mcp inside Codex, to confirm storeseo is there.
Terminal

codex mcp login storeseo codex mcp list

How does this work in Codex?

You start Codex in the repository that holds your theme, or in any folder, and ask for the flags: which products and pages are noindex, and are any of them linked from my navigation. Codex calls storeseo_start for the conversation id and then storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps, once per resource type you ask about, and prints each tool call in the session. Because it also reads the repository, it can compare the flags with the menu files in the theme. The same setup works in the IDE extension and the ChatGPT desktop app, since they read the same config.toml.

A flag change is a named request. You say set Old Returns Policy to noindex and exclude it from the sitemap, Codex states the resource and the two flags and waits for your yes, and then calls storeseo_update_resource_sitemap. Where the server's approval mode is set to writes, Codex also prompts on that call because the tool is not marked read-only, which gives you a second stop. After the write it re-lists the resource, because flags can be edited in the StoreSEO app at the same time and you want the current value, not the call's own response.

The HTML sitemap goes in order: storeseo_get_html_sitemap_settings, then storeseo_update_html_sitemap with setup_step 1 to generate and enable the page, then storeseo_list_sitemap_menus for the menu edit links and the sitemap URL. Adding the link to a menu is a manual step in Shopify admin, and a last update marks setup complete once you confirm. If you customize the settings, ask Codex to show the full object first, since the update replaces the stored settings instead of merging them.

Codex + StoreSEO Illustrative session

You: Which pages are noindex, and is any of them linked from my menu?
storeseo_start read-only
storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
Codex: Two pages are noindex: Staff Notes and Returns Draft. Neither appears in the menus I can see in this theme. Returns Draft is still in the sitemap, so should I exclude it from the sitemap as well?
You: Yes, exclude Returns Draft from the sitemap.
storeseo_update_resource_sitemap needs approval
storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
Codex: Returns Draft is now excluded from the sitemap and still noindex. Staff Notes was already excluded.

What to ask Codex

Prompt 1

Use StoreSEO to list all pages with noindex or excluded from the sitemap, then compare with the menus in this theme and flag any linked page that is noindex.

Prompt 2

Set the product Sample Pack to noindex and exclude it from the sitemap. Wait for my yes, then list its flags again.

Prompt 3

Set up the HTML sitemap with StoreSEO. Read the current settings first, generate it, and list the menus I can add it 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.

storeseo_list_resource_sitemapsstoreseo_update_resource_sitemapstoreseo_get_html_sitemap_settingsstoreseo_update_html_sitemapstoreseo_list_sitemap_menus

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 Codex 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 Codex

Set the storeseo server's default_tools_approval_mode in config.toml to writes or prompt. Writes lets the list and get tools run and stops on storeseo_update_resource_sitemap and storeseo_update_html_sitemap, which is the pairing this job wants. Approve skips the prompt, and then the yes StoreSEO tells Codex to wait for is the only check on a noindex change. A project-level .codex/config.toml only loads in a trusted project, so use ~/.codex/config.toml if the server seems to be missing.

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

Which Codex approval mode suits StoreSEO sitemap changes?

The writes mode fits well. It lets the read tools run and prompts for any tool not marked read-only, so storeseo_update_resource_sitemap and storeseo_update_html_sitemap stop for you, while listing flags does not.

Does the Codex setup carry over to the IDE extension?

Yes. The CLI, the IDE extension and the ChatGPT desktop app read the same config.toml, so the StoreSEO server and its approval settings apply in all of them.

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.