find-ai-directories
Drive the ServiceGraph API (https://api.servicegraph.co) to find and
rank directories where a founder can submit an AI product — AI tools, AI
apps, AI agents, and agent skills / plugins — via the product_directory
dataset. The catalog has 1,000+ directories, each enriched with Domain
Rating (dr), backlink counts, and organic traffic. The AI slice is
large and fast-moving: ~370 dirs match "AI tools", ~28 match "AI agents", and
a growing set are dedicated agent-skill / plugin registries (e.g.
clawhub.ai, smithery.ai).
This is a "where to launch / where to get backlinks" skill, not a "who to
hire" skill. Each row is a directory you submit to, not a firm and not a
product. The payoff is a backlink from a high-authority domain (SEO) plus
discovery traffic from people browsing for AI tools.
Any HTTP client works (curl, fetch, requests). Examples below use curl.
Sibling skills — defer when the niche is narrower or broader
- MCP servers specifically ("where do I list my MCP server", "MCP
directories") →
find-mcp-directories. (MCP registries that also list
agent skills/tools overlap both — if the ask is broadly "AI agent tooling,"
this skill is fine.)
- General SaaS / software / app launch with no AI angle ("Product Hunt
alternatives for our SaaS") →
find-product-directories.
This skill owns the AI-tool / AI-agent / agent-skill niche.
MCP server (preferred for authed calls)
If your harness has the ServiceGraph MCP server loaded (tool names contain
servicegraph), prefer those tools — credentials stay in the harness sandbox
via OAuth 2.1 + PKCE, no token in LLM context. Otherwise use the REST flow.
API surface (dataset id: product_directory)
Every endpoint requires the bearer (Authorization: Bearer vk_…).
| Endpoint | Cost | Use it for |
|---|
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/fields[?include_values=1&q=] | free | Filter-field catalog + DSL grammar. Call first per session. |
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/values/:field[?q=&limit=] | free | Enumerate values for one field. |
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/check?filter=… | free | Validate a filter. |
POST /v1/datasets/product_directory/translate-intent | free | {intent} → DSL filter + sanity count. |
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter=…&limit=&offset= | free | Brief cards (incl. dr) + per-row unlock hint + total. |
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/:apex | free | Single row brief; gated fields only if unlocked. |
POST /v1/datasets/product_directory/unlocks | 10 credits / row | {apexes:[...]} ≤100. Atomic; 30-day TTL; was_cached:true free. |
GET /v1/me/credits | free | Balance. |
Cost model. Discovery / search / brief reads are free — including the dr
ranking signal. Unlocking a row costs 10 credits, lasts 30 days, and
reveals the gated fields: editor_note (how to submit + whether the
listing gives a backlink), organic_traffic, and total_visits.
Auth
Tokens are vk_* API keys. Keep the token out of the LLM context — never
read .env* into context; route authed calls through a shell wrapper.
-
Try the call through a wrapper that sources .env.local:
( set -a; [ -f .env.local ] && . ./.env.local; set +a;
curl -sS -H "Authorization: Bearer $SERVICEGRAPH_API_KEY" \
'https://api.servicegraph.co/v1/datasets/product_directory/fields' )
-
On 401, prompt the user (don't accept the key in chat):
"Open https://servicegraph.co/profile/api-keys, sign in, create a key,
and add SERVICEGRAPH_API_KEY=vk_… to .env.local (or export it). Tell me
when done — please don't paste the key into chat."
-
Retry after the user signals ready.
Filter DSL
GitHub-search-style. AND binds tighter than OR; comma list = OR within one
predicate; negation is -x / NOT x; any bareword is a keyword search
across the directory's name, title, description, listed metadata, and the
niche tag (so "ai agents" matches dirs whose niche is "AI agent tools").
Multiple barewords AND; wrap multi-word phrases in double quotes.
"ai tools" dr>=50
("ai agents" OR "ai agent") dr>=40
skills agent # → keyword:skills AND keyword:agent (agent-skill registries)
industry:software_saas ai
Fields that matter here
| Field | Free in brief? | Use it for |
|---|
dr | yes | Domain Rating 0–100 — the primary authority filter. Briefs come sorted by dr descending, so rank for free. |
referring_main_domains, backlinks, organic_keywords | yes (when populated) | Backlink-source strength signals. |
organic_traffic, total_visits | gated | Real reach. Filterable while hidden (organic_traffic>=10000); value shows after unlock. |
editor_note | gated | Submission instructions + backlink yes/no. |
industry | yes | Coarse vertical refiner (software_saas, etc.); keyword on niche is usually sharper for AI sub-niches. |
has | yes | Presence flags (has:pricing, has:g2, …). |
Because dr is free and briefs are pre-sorted by it, rank a shortlist by
authority for zero credits — unlock only to reveal submission notes + traffic.
Identifying rows — apex
Keyed by apex domain (aiagentsdirectory.com, not a full URL). Strip
user-supplied URLs to the apex before :apex or unlock calls.
Recipes
A. AI-tool directories (the broad case)
User: "Where can I list our new AI tool to get backlinks and traffic?"
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter="ai tools"+dr>=50&limit=20
# → aichief.com, aiagentstore.ai, … sorted by dr desc. Present top N (free).
Broaden with the bare ai keyword if the pool is thin; tighten with dr>=60.
B. AI-agent directories
User: "Directories specifically for AI agents, not just AI tools."
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter=("ai agents" OR "ai agent")&limit=20
# → aiagentsdirectory.com, agenthunter.io, aiagentstore.ai, smithery.ai, …
C. Agent-skill / plugin registries
User: "Where do I publish our Claude/agent skill so people find it?"
These are emerging registries for agent skills and plugins (distinct from
generic AI-tool lists). Lead with the skills/agent keywords:
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter=skills+agent&limit=15
# → skills.sh, smithery.ai, aiagentsdirectory.com, agentskills.so, … sorted by dr desc
Present the top hits by dr (free), then unlock the user's picks to get each
one's submission note + traffic numbers before publishing.
Many agent-skill registries overlap with MCP registries (Smithery lists
both). If the user's artifact is specifically an MCP server, route to
find-mcp-directories for the tuned recipes.
D. High-reach only (gate on traffic)
User: "Only directories that actually drive traffic."
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter="ai tools"+organic_traffic>=20000&limit=15
# organic_traffic is gated but filterable — unlock picks to see the numbers.
E. Intent translator
POST /v1/datasets/product_directory/translate-intent
{ "intent": "directories to list an AI agent for backlinks and discovery" }
# → {filter, normalized, count}. Sanity-check count, then search.
F. Unlock submission instructions
# Present briefs ranked by dr (free). "Unlocking 6 = 60 credits, 30-day TTL —
# reveals each one's submission note (how + backlink yes/no) and traffic."
POST /v1/datasets/product_directory/unlocks
{ "apexes": ["clawhub.ai", "aiagentsdirectory.com", "aichief.com", "..."] }
Surface each editor_note verbatim — it tells the user the submission effort
and whether they actually get a backlink.
G. BYO apex list — score AI directories I already have
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/:apex per domain — free brief with dr
(404 = not in catalog, no charge). Flag misses, rank hits by dr.- User picks N.
POST /unlocks (10×N credits, atomic) reveals notes + traffic.
- Within 30-day TTL, repeat unlocks are free.
Gotchas
- Rows are directories, not firms or products. Hiring an AI consultancy →
find-ai-consultancy. Comparing AI products ("ChatGPT vs Claude") is not
what this dataset answers.
dr is free and briefs are pre-sorted by it — rank for zero credits.- Gated fields are still filterable (
organic_traffic>=10000).
- Catalog is global, not US-only. Don't refuse non-US asks.
- AI ↔ MCP ↔ agent-skill registries overlap. When the artifact is
specifically an MCP server, defer to
find-mcp-directories.
- Multi-word phrases must be quoted.
ai agents = two AND'd keywords;
"ai agents" is one phrase.
- Unlock is atomic (402 charges nothing) and within-TTL re-views are free.
Errors
JSON envelope: {"error": {"code": "...", "message": "..."}}.
| Status | Code | What to do |
|---|
| 400 | filter_parse_error | position included; fix and re-validate with /check. |
| 400 | field_not_in_dataset | Drop the field. |
| 400 | invalid_apex | Re-normalize to apex. |
| 401 | unauthorized | Re-prompt for a fresh vk_…. |
| 402 | insufficient_credits | needed/balance in payload; nothing charged. |
| 404 | not_found / not_in_dataset | Apex not in dataset. Skip; not charged. |
| 429 | rate_limited | Honor Retry-After. |
End-to-end example
User: "We just shipped an AI agent and an accompanying agent skill. Find the
highest-authority directories to submit both to, and tell me how to submit to
the top few."
# 1. Discover (once per session)
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/fields?include_values=1
# 2. Two scoped searches (free), both pre-sorted by dr desc
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter=("ai agents" OR "ai agent")+dr>=40&limit=15
GET /v1/datasets/product_directory/search?filter=skills+agent&limit=15 # agent-skill registries
# 3. Present merged shortlist ranked by dr. User picks 5.
# "Unlocking 5 = 50 credits, 30-day TTL — reveals submission notes + traffic."
# 4. Atomic unlock (charges 50 credits)
POST /v1/datasets/product_directory/unlocks
{ "apexes": ["smithery.ai", "skills.sh", "aiagentsdirectory.com", "agenthunter.io", "aichief.com"] }
# 5. Surface each editor_note verbatim + traffic so the user can prioritize.