Manage sitemaps and indexing with GitHub Copilot
Managing sitemaps and indexing with GitHub Copilot means using Agent mode in Visual Studio Code 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 your theme files stay open next to the chat.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up GitHub Copilot for StoreSEO
Skip this if GitHub Copilot is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the GitHub Copilot page.
- 1
Add StoreSEO to .vscode/mcp.json
Create or open .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace and paste this. VS Code uses a top-level servers key, not mcpServers, and a remote server needs type http.
JSON{ "servers": { "storeseo": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp" } } } - 2
Start the server and sign in
Run MCP: List Servers from the Command Palette, pick storeseo and start it. If it asks you to sign in, pick your Shopify store in the browser and approve access. Then open Copilot Chat in Agent mode, check the tools icon lists StoreSEO and ask this.
PromptUse StoreSEO to show me my store's SEO score breakdown.
How does this work in GitHub Copilot?
You open Copilot Chat in Agent mode in the VS Code window that holds your theme and ask which products and pages are noindex. Copilot calls storeseo_start, which returns the conversation id, and then storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps, and VS Code shows each tool call in the chat with its input and output. You pick the StoreSEO tools you want from the tools picker, which is also how you keep the list short. The answer is a list of resources with their sitemap, noindex and nofollow flags, and with the theme open you can ask Copilot to look for robots meta tags in templates that might conflict.
Changing a flag is one resource at a time. When you ask for a page to be set to noindex and excluded from the sitemap, Copilot names the page and both flags and waits for your yes in the chat. VS Code then shows its own confirmation for the tool call, so the write passes through StoreSEO's instruction and the editor's prompt. Once you allow it, storeseo_update_resource_sitemap writes the matching Shopify metafields, and Copilot lists the resource again so the flags you see are the stored ones.
For the HTML sitemap, Copilot 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 and the sitemap URL. Adding the link to a menu happens in Shopify admin, not in a tool, and you tell Copilot when it is done so it can mark setup complete. If your team shares a .vscode/mcp.json, each person signs in to their own StoreSEO account, so the flags each of you sees are for the store you authorized.
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You: Which of my pages are noindex or out of the sitemap?
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
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GitHub Copilot: Old Terms is in the sitemap and indexable, and Press Kit is noindex. Do you want Old Terms set to noindex and excluded from the sitemap?
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You: Yes, Old Terms only.
- storeseo_update_resource_sitemap needs approval
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
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GitHub Copilot: Old Terms is now noindex and excluded from the sitemap. Press Kit is unchanged.
What to ask GitHub Copilot
Use StoreSEO to list my pages and collections that are noindex or excluded from the sitemap, then search this workspace for robots meta tags in the theme.
Set the page Old Terms to noindex and exclude it from the sitemap. Wait for my confirmation, then list its flags again.
Set up an HTML sitemap with StoreSEO, then list my menus and edit links so I can add the sitemap URL.
- 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 GitHub Copilot 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 GitHub Copilot
Keep storeseo_update_resource_sitemap and storeseo_update_html_sitemap on VS Code's confirmation prompt, because that prompt is the hard stop on a noindex change. If you let VS Code remember an approval for the server, the yes StoreSEO tells Copilot to wait for is the only check left. Also note that .vscode/mcp.json uses the servers key rather than mcpServers, and that on Copilot Business and Enterprise an organization admin has to enable MCP servers in Copilot policy before StoreSEO will run.
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
Does Copilot ask before setting a page to noindex?
StoreSEO tells Copilot to name the page and wait for your yes, and VS Code shows a confirmation on the storeseo_update_resource_sitemap call unless you have chosen to remember approvals. Keep that prompt on for this tool.
Why does my Copilot setup not see the StoreSEO sitemap tools?
Check that the server is started in MCP: List Servers, that the storeseo tools are ticked in the tools picker, and, on Business or Enterprise plans, that an admin has enabled MCP servers in Copilot policy.
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 GitHub Copilot guides