What is the SEO Skill for Cline?
Cline is an open-source coding agent for VS Code that works in two modes — Plan, where it reads and proposes, and Act, where it edits files and runs commands you approve one by one — with whatever model and API key you bring. The SEOAgent Skill gives that loop an SEO procedure: a technical audit that names the fix for each finding, keyword research with real volume and difficulty, briefs and articles written as files in your repository, and a daily sync that keeps a queue of detected work. Cline reads the Skill through `.clinerules`, runs `seoagent` in its terminal, and every edit passes through the approval you already use. Nothing publishes on its own.
Three steps, about three minutes
- Choose how you work. The card above asks once; pick Coding agent, then Other and type your site.
- Paste the prompt. One paste into your coding agent installs the Skill, binds the site to your account and runs the first audit.
- Watch it bind. The card turns green the moment the code is redeemed; if nothing happens in three minutes it asks what you saw and routes you.
How to use SEOAgent in Cline
Create the prompt on this page
Type your site in the card above and choose Coding agent → Other. The paste block carries a one-time setup code: it installs the CLI, runs `seoagent init --code <code>`, and tells the agent where the Skill lives. The code is bound to your account and works once.
Paste it into Cline in Act mode, in the repo
Open the repository that builds your site, open Cline, switch to Act, and paste the block. Cline asks to run each terminal command — approve the install and the `init`. `seoagent init` writes the Skill bundle (`.agents/skills/seoagent/` when the repo uses `.agents/`, otherwise `.claude/skills/seoagent/`), adds a SEOAgent section to `AGENTS.md`, and prints the path.
Put the pointer in .clinerules
Cline loads `.clinerules` (a file or a folder of rules) at the start of every task. Add one line — `For SEO work, read the SEOAgent SKILL.md that seoagent init installed and follow it` — so later tasks find the procedure without being told. If you use rule folders, a `seo.md` rule keeps it scoped.
Plan the audit, act on the fixes
In Plan mode say "audit my site and propose the fixes". The Skill fetches the homepage, sitemap and robots.txt and reports findings with the exact change for each. Switch to Act and Cline applies them — metadata, schema, canonicals, internal links — asking before each file write. Approve what makes sense.
Write content into the repo
Ask for keyword research and an article or landing page. The Skill writes the files where your framework expects them, internally linked into the cluster, and `seoagent content track` tells the dashboard what shipped. A reviewed commit puts them live.
Give it a weekday routine
Cline has no scheduler, so the block adds a cron line — `0 9 * * 1-5 cd <repo> && seoagent sync --silent` — that keeps `.seoagent/inbox/` fresh. Each weekday morning open Cline in the repo and say "process the inbox"; it works the items and runs `seoagent ack` for each. What it learns is written to `.seoagent/` for the next task.
What SEOAgent does in Cline
Technical audits with the fix attached
Each finding names the file and the change, so Act mode applies it instead of describing it.
Approval on every step
Cline's per-command and per-file approval is the review gate; the Skill never asks it to skip one.
Any model, your key
The Skill is a procedure and a CLI, not a model. It works with whichever provider you run Cline on.
Keyword research with real numbers
`seoagent keywords` pulls volume and difficulty so content targets queries you can win.
Content as files
Articles and landing pages are written into the repo with metadata and internal links already set.
Search Console grounding
`seoagent login` connects Google Search Console once; the Skill reads your real queries and pages from then on.
MCP-friendly
Cline speaks MCP; SEOAgent also ships an MCP connector, so the cloud queue is reachable from chat clients too.
AI search readiness
`seoagent llms` builds an `llms.txt` from your page inventory; `seoagent okf` serves an Open Knowledge Format bundle.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add SEO to Cline?
Create the prompt on this page and paste it into Cline (Act mode) in the repository that builds your site. It installs the SEOAgent CLI and Skill, binds the site to your account and runs the first audit. Add one line to `.clinerules` so later tasks find the Skill.
Plan mode or Act mode?
Paste the setup block in Act mode so the two commands can run. For day-to-day work, Plan the audit or the article first, then switch to Act to apply the changes with your approval.
Is the SEO Skill for Cline free?
Yes. The Skill runs on the model you already bring to Cline and is free forever. Autopilot ($49 per site per month, 7-day free trial at the first bind) adds Search Console measurement, keyword and competitor research, and briefs and articles written for you.
Will Cline publish content without me?
No. Cline writes files only after you approve, and pages go live when you commit and deploy. SEOAgent never publishes to a CMS itself.
What if the paste fails?
The block tells Cline to stop and report the exact error, never to continue unbound. The card waits for the bind and, after three minutes, asks what you saw and routes you. Codes live 14 days and work once.
Does it work on a site without a repository?
If the site is on a hosted platform (WordPress.com, Shopify, Webflow, Wix and others) the block says so and Cline runs the setup in an empty folder; delivery goes through the platform’s API or the editor. With no agent at all, use the "Just my website" door.
How is this different from a .clinerules file about SEO?
A rule is context; the Skill is a procedure plus a CLI that fetches real data — `seoagent crawl`, `seoagent keywords`, `seoagent indexing`. Your rule only needs to point at it.
How do I update the Skill?
Run `npm install -g @seoagent-official/seoagent@latest`, then `seoagent init` again in the project. It refreshes the bundle and leaves `.seoagent/` untouched.
See also
Give Cline the SEO plan
Enter your site, create the prompt, and paste it into Cline — the Skill installs, the site binds, and the first audit runs in minutes.
Want measurement on top? See Autopilot pricing.
What do you use to work on your site?
Claude Code, Cursor, Codex or another terminal agent, in the repo that builds your site.
You get a prompt with a one-time code. Paste it into your coding agent; it installs the Skill, binds the site, and runs the first audit.
Free for your own agent. Autopilot is the paid part.
Start your 7-day free trial, no card · $49/site/month after · we stop if nothing improves