indexnow

When the user wants to implement IndexNow, notify search engines of new/updated URLs, or speed up Bing indexing. Also use when the user mentions "IndexNow,"...

Security Scan

The skill's stated purpose (help integrate IndexNow) matches its instructions, but the runtime instructions ask the agent to read local project-context files and to create verification files on a site without declaring those config paths or explaining required permissions — this mismatch is worth caution.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description (IndexNow / notify search engines) align with the SKILL.md content: it explains key generation, verification file, single/batch submission, CI integration, and best practices. The requested actions are coherent with implementing IndexNow.

Instruction Scope

The instructions explicitly tell the agent to check for and read .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md to discover the site URL, but the skill metadata does not declare any required config paths. Reading arbitrary project files is out-of-band for a capability that otherwise needs only a site URL; additionally the guide instructs creating a verification file on the site's root (which implies write/deploy access). These file-read/write expectations should be declared and consented to.

Install Mechanism

No install spec and no code files — instruction-only skill. This is the lowest install risk (nothing downloaded or written by the installer).

Credentials

The skill requests no environment variables or credentials in metadata (good). However, it instructs generating an API key and creating a verification file; that workflow implies the agent/operator will create and host secrets on the target site. Because the skill also asks the agent to read project-context files (undeclared), there is a proportionality mismatch between declared env/config access (none) and runtime file access described in SKILL.md.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill does not request permanent presence or modify other skills. It does suggest CI/CD integration and running npm scripts, but that is typical for the task and not an elevated platform privilege.

What to consider before installing

This skill is generally coherent for implementing IndexNow, but it asks the assistant to read local project-context files (.claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md) even though no config paths are declared. Before installing or invoking it, verify what those project-context files contain (they can include private URLs, tokens, or other sensitive info) and prefer to provide the site URL yourself rather than allowing automated file reads. Also be cautious about any step that requires writing a verification file to your live site or running CI scripts — perform those steps manually or review generated scripts before running them. Because this is instruction-only (no install), the technical risk is lower, but the file-read/write expectation should be explicit and consented to.

SEO Technical: IndexNow

Guides IndexNow protocol integration for faster search engine indexing (primarily Bing).

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Scope (Technical SEO)

• IndexNow: Submit URLs to Bing/Yandex for faster indexing
• URL notification: Notify search engines of new or updated URLs

Initial Assessment

Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for site URL.

Identify:

1. Site URL: Base domain
2. URL source: Config file, sitemap, CMS, etc.
3. Deployment: CI/CD, manual, or both

Overview

IndexNow notifies search engines (mainly Bing) of new or updated URLs to speed up indexing.

Implementation Steps

1. API Key and Verification

• Generate API key (e.g., UUID)
• Create verification file: https://example.com/{key}.txt
• File content: the API key string
• Configure key and URL in your IndexNow client

2. Submission Methods

Method	When to use
Single URL	New or updated page
Batch	Many URLs at once (e.g., after deploy)
Relative paths	Convert to full URLs before submitting

3. Best Practices

Practice	Note
When to submit	New pages, major content updates, meta changes
When not to	Minor edits; let natural crawling handle
Frequency	Once per deploy; avoid excessive submissions
Priority	Submit high-value commercial pages first

4. CI/CD Integration

npm run build
npm run indexnow:all

5. Single Source of Truth (URL List)

• Use same config as sitemap: Import URL list from central config (e.g., site-pages-config.ts) or sitemap generation logic.
• Avoid: Separate hardcoded URL lists for IndexNow—leads to inconsistency and missed URLs.
• Feed: If you have RSS/feed, it can also consume from the same config to stay in sync.

Supported Search Engines

• Bing: Primary support
• Yandex: Supports IndexNow
• Google: Does not use IndexNow; use Sitemap + Search Console

Verification

• Check Bing Webmaster Tools for indexing status
• Monitor submission logs for errors

Common Issues

Issue	Fix
Domain verification fails	Ensure URL uses correct domain
API key error	Verify key and verification file match
Network errors	Retry; API can be intermittent

Output Format

• Setup steps: Key generation, verification file
• Submission flow: Single vs. batch
• Integration: CI/CD or manual script
• References: IndexNow docs

Related Skills

• xml-sitemap: Share same URL list from central config
• indexing: Broader indexing strategy