Manage sitemaps and indexing with Cursor
Managing sitemaps and indexing with Cursor means using the editor's agent chat to read StoreSEO's sitemap, noindex and nofollow flags for your Shopify resources, change them one resource at a time after your yes, and set up an HTML sitemap while the theme's Liquid files are open beside it.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up Cursor for StoreSEO
Skip this if Cursor is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the Cursor page.
- 1
Add StoreSEO to mcp.json
Put this in ~/.cursor/mcp.json to use StoreSEO in every project, or in .cursor/mcp.json inside one theme project. In the StoreSEO app's setup guide the same JSON goes into Settings, Tools and MCP, New MCP server.
JSON{ "mcpServers": { "storeseo": { "url": "https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp" } } } - 2
Sign in to your store
Open Cursor's MCP settings (the Customize page in current versions), find storeseo and sign in when Cursor asks. A browser window opens: pick your Shopify store and approve access.
PromptUse StoreSEO to show me my store's SEO score breakdown.
- 3
Switch off four StoreSEO tools
StoreSEO has 44 tools and Cursor stops at about 40 active ones across all servers. In the storeseo entry in Cursor's MCP settings, turn off at least four you do not need. The four rank and competitor lookups are a good first choice if you are not on Pro.
Promptstoreseo_list_rank_locations storeseo_list_rank_languages storeseo_add_competitors storeseo_delete_competitor
How does this work in Cursor?
You open the agent chat in the project that holds your Shopify theme and ask which of your pages and collections are noindex. Cursor calls storeseo_start and then storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps, and each call appears in the chat as a tool block you can expand to see its arguments and the raw response. By default Cursor asks for approval before an MCP tool runs, so even a read may wait for you to press run until you allow it. The answer is a plain list of resources with their sitemap, noindex and nofollow flags, and because the theme is open, you can ask the same chat to search the templates for robots meta tags that would override what StoreSEO sets.
To change a flag, name the resource. Cursor says which flags it will set and waits for your yes in the chat, then calls storeseo_update_resource_sitemap, which writes the matching Shopify metafields for that one resource. It lists the resource again afterwards so you see the stored state. The two checks sit at different layers: the yes is an instruction StoreSEO gives the agent, and Cursor's run prompt on the tool call is the hard stop, so a noindex change has to pass both unless you have set the tool to run without asking.
For the HTML sitemap, Cursor reads storeseo_get_html_sitemap_settings, calls storeseo_update_html_sitemap to generate and enable the page, then storeseo_list_sitemap_menus for the menu edit links. Adding the link to a menu is your step in Shopify admin. If you later want the page styled to match the theme, that is a normal edit in the open project, and you can ask Cursor to make it in the same chat.
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You: Which of my collections are noindex or out of the sitemap?
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
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Cursor: Test Bundles is live in the sitemap with noindex off, and Wholesale Only is noindex. Do you want Test Bundles set to noindex and excluded from the sitemap?
-
You: Yes, Test Bundles only.
- storeseo_update_resource_sitemap needs approval
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
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Cursor: Test Bundles is now noindex and excluded. Wholesale Only is unchanged.
What to ask Cursor
Use StoreSEO to list my pages and collections that are noindex or excluded from the sitemap, then grep this theme for robots meta tags that could conflict.
Exclude the collection Test Bundles from the sitemap and set it to noindex. Ask me before you run the update.
Set up the HTML sitemap with StoreSEO, list my menus with their edit links and tell me which one 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 Cursor 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 Cursor
StoreSEO has 44 tools and Cursor allows about 40 active tools across all your servers, so you have to switch some off in Cursor's MCP settings. The sitemap job needs five of them: storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps, storeseo_update_resource_sitemap, storeseo_get_html_sitemap_settings, storeseo_update_html_sitemap and storeseo_list_sitemap_menus. If the agent says it has no tool for sitemap flags, one of these is probably the one you turned off. Keep the two update tools on Cursor's ask setting, since a noindex write is hard to notice later.
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 does Cursor say it cannot change sitemap flags in StoreSEO?
Cursor allows about 40 active tools and StoreSEO has 44, so you turn some off. Check that storeseo_update_resource_sitemap is still enabled in Cursor's MCP settings, along with the list tool for sitemap flags.
Can Cursor find noindex tags in my theme as well?
Yes. Cursor reads the project you have open, so it can search Liquid templates for robots meta tags while StoreSEO reports the flags it has set. StoreSEO does not edit theme files itself.
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 Cursor guides