Manage sitemaps and indexing with Kiro
Managing sitemaps and indexing with Kiro means asking the AWS agentic IDE to read StoreSEO's sitemap, noindex and nofollow flags on your Shopify resources, change them one at a time and set up the HTML sitemap, with autoApprove deciding which calls run without a prompt.
Last updated: October 2026
Set up Kiro for StoreSEO
Skip this if Kiro is already connected. The full guide, with the alternatives, is on the Kiro page.
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Add StoreSEO to your Kiro MCP config
Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P on Mac, Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows and Linux), search for MCP and open the workspace config (.kiro/settings/mcp.json) or the user config (~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json). Paste this and save. Kiro applies the change on save, and the first connection opens a browser sign-in: pick your Shopify store and approve.
JSON{ "mcpServers": { "storeseo": { "url": "https://mcp.storeseo.com/mcp" } } }
How does this work in Kiro?
You work in Kiro's chat panel with the theme project open and the storeseo entry saved in .kiro/settings/mcp.json. Ask which articles are set to nofollow and the agent calls storeseo_start, then storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps for the article resource type, filtered to nofollow on. A good first configuration puts the reads in autoApprove: storeseo_start and storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps, plus storeseo_get_html_sitemap_settings and storeseo_list_sitemap_menus, so an audit runs without a prompt on each call.
Writes stay out of that list. A noindex flag removes a page from search results, so StoreSEO tells the agent to name the resource and the flags and wait for your yes before storeseo_update_resource_sitemap, and with the tool left out of autoApprove Kiro's own prompt is a second check on the same call. The Kiro docs do not state what the prompt does when autoApprove is empty, so confirm the behavior on your first write rather than assuming it. After a change, ask the agent to list the resource again, since the flags can also be edited in the StoreSEO app. The HTML sitemap then follows storeseo_get_html_sitemap_settings, storeseo_update_html_sitemap and storeseo_list_sitemap_menus.
The workspace file is useful for a team: committing a .kiro/settings/mcp.json with the read tools in autoApprove gives everyone the same safe defaults, as long as no token sits in it. The menu edit links come back from the list call and you add the sitemap link in Shopify admin yourself. Everything in this job works on any active StoreSEO plan.
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You: Remove noindex from the About Us page.
- storeseo_start read-only
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
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Kiro: About Us has noindex on and is still in the sitemap. I will turn noindex off and leave the sitemap flag alone, which makes the page eligible for search results. Go ahead?
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You: Yes, go ahead.
- storeseo_update_resource_sitemap needs approval
- storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps read-only
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Kiro: About Us shows noindex off now and is still in the sitemap.
What to ask Kiro
Use StoreSEO to list my articles that are nofollow or excluded from the sitemap. Read only.
Exclude the page Staff Login from the sitemap and set it to noindex. Name the resource and wait for my yes.
Check my HTML sitemap settings with StoreSEO, generate the page if it is missing and list the menus for the link.
- 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.
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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 Kiro 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 Kiro
Kiro's autoApprove list is the setting to get right for this job. List only the read tools, such as storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps and storeseo_get_html_sitemap_settings, and keep storeseo_update_resource_sitemap and storeseo_update_html_sitemap out of it, because anything in the list runs without Kiro asking and a wildcard would include the noindex write. A workspace .kiro/settings/mcp.json overrides a user-level entry with the same name, so if the agent seems to read the wrong store, check which file defines storeseo.
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 StoreSEO sitemap tools are safe to put in Kiro's autoApprove?
The read tools: storeseo_start, storeseo_list_resource_sitemaps, storeseo_get_html_sitemap_settings and storeseo_list_sitemap_menus. Leave the two update tools out so Kiro's own prompt stays a second check on a noindex or sitemap change.
Can Kiro hide the sitemap write tools completely?
Yes. Kiro's disabledTools list hides tools from the agent. Add storeseo_update_resource_sitemap and storeseo_update_html_sitemap for a read-only audit session and remove them when you want to write.
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 Kiro guides