Sitemaps and indexing Manage sitemaps and indexing with Gemini CLI
Managing sitemaps and indexing with Gemini CLI means asking Google's command-line agent 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 run the HTML sitemap setup from the terminal.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up Gemini CLI for StoreSEO
Skip this if Gemini CLI is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the Gemini CLI page.
- 1
Add StoreSEO to Gemini CLI
Run this in any terminal. The user scope writes the server to ~/.gemini/settings.json so every project sees it. Without --scope user the command writes to the current project's .gemini/settings.json.
Terminalgemini mcp add --scope user --transport http storeseo https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp
- 2
Sign in to your store
Start gemini. The first time it calls StoreSEO it opens your browser: pick your Shopify store and approve access. If the window does not open, type /mcp auth storeseo inside Gemini CLI. Then gemini mcp list should show storeseo as connected.
Prompt/mcp auth storeseo
How does this work in Gemini CLI?
You run Gemini CLI in a terminal, usually in the theme folder, and ask which collections and pages are set to noindex. The model sees StoreSEO's tools under names like mcp_storeseo_storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps, and it calls storeseo_start first and then the listing tool with the resource type and the noindex filter. Gemini CLI shows each call and, unless you trust the server, asks you to confirm it before it runs, so even a read can wait on a prompt in your first session. What comes back is a list of resources with their sitemap, noindex and nofollow flags in the terminal.
For a change, you name the resource and the flag. Gemini CLI states what it will set and waits for your yes, which StoreSEO tells the agent to do before any write, and then calls storeseo_update_resource_sitemap. Gemini CLI's own confirmation prompt appears on that tool call too, so a noindex change passes two checks. The agent then lists the flags again before it reports the result, since someone may have changed them in the StoreSEO app in the meantime.
The HTML sitemap follows the same order as in every client: read storeseo_get_html_sitemap_settings, generate and enable the page with storeseo_update_html_sitemap, then call storeseo_list_sitemap_menus for the menu edit links. You add the link to a menu in Shopify admin, and the agent marks setup complete after you say it is done. If a settings object is involved, ask Gemini CLI to print the full object it plans to send, because an update replaces the stored settings. If the model has too many StoreSEO tools to choose from, includeTools in settings.json can narrow the list to these five.
-
You: Which blog posts are noindex or nofollow?
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
-
Gemini CLI: Two posts carry flags: Draft Announcement is noindex and nofollow, and Holiday Guide is noindex, which looks unintended for a published guide. Should I turn noindex off for Holiday Guide?
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You: Yes, Holiday Guide only.
- storeseo_update_resource_sitemap needs approval
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
-
Gemini CLI: Holiday Guide is no longer noindex. Draft Announcement is unchanged.
What to ask Gemini CLI
Use StoreSEO to list my products that are noindex or excluded from the sitemap and tell me which look like mistakes.
Set the article Draft Announcement to nofollow and noindex. Ask me first, then show the flags afterwards.
Set up an HTML sitemap with StoreSEO and show me the menus and edit links so I can add it to the footer menu.
- 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 Gemini CLI 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 Gemini CLI
Do not set trust: true or pass --trust on the storeseo server in Gemini CLI. Trust skips every tool confirmation, and for this job that means a noindex change is held only by the yes StoreSEO tells the agent to wait for. Also add the server with --scope user if you want it outside one project, and remember the browser sign-in needs a browser on the same machine; over SSH or headless, use the access token header instead.
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
How do I stop Gemini CLI from changing sitemap flags without a prompt?
Leave trust off for the storeseo server, which is the default. Then Gemini CLI asks you to confirm each MCP tool call, including storeseo_update_resource_sitemap, on top of the yes StoreSEO tells the agent to wait for.
Can I show Gemini CLI only the sitemap tools?
Yes. The includeTools list on the server entry in settings.json limits which StoreSEO tools the model sees, so you can keep the five sitemap tools and storeseo_start and hide the rest.
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 Gemini CLI guides