Phase 0: Credential Preflight (REQUIRED — run BEFORE anything else)
Before running any of the steps below, always invoke the shared preflight check:
~/.claude/skills/seo/scripts/preflight.sh
If exit code is 0: credentials are configured — proceed with the rest of this skill silently.
If exit code is 2: the script prints the DataForSEO setup wizard to stdout. STOP, display that wizard to the user verbatim, and wait for them to paste credentials in this format:
login: their_email@example.com
password: their_api_password_here
When they reply:
- Parse
login: and password: from their message.
- Write them to
~/.claude/skills/seo/.env:
DATAFORSEO_LOGIN=<login>
DATAFORSEO_PASSWORD=<password>
chmod 600 ~/.claude/skills/seo/.env- Run a verification call:
~/.claude/skills/seo/scripts/keyword_research.py volume "test"
- If verification succeeds (real JSON returned): tell the user "✅ Credentials verified. Running your command now..." and proceed with the original request.
- If status
40104 — Please verify your account: tell the user to verify their account at https://app.dataforseo.com/, then say "continue" to retry.
- If any other auth error: ask them to double-check the API password (the long alphanumeric string from https://app.dataforseo.com/api-access — not their account login password).
Never echo credentials back to the user, never include them in tool output, and never commit them.
SEO Watchlist Skill
Powered by: DataForSEO API — SERP google/organic/live/advanced for live rank checks across the saved keyword set.
Cost: ~$0.002 per keyword per check.
A simple file-based watchlist at ~/.claude/skills/seo/output/watchlist.json.
Schema
{
"domains": {
"example.com": {
"label": "Main site",
"keywords": ["seo audit tool", "keyword research", "..."],
"history": [
{"date": "2026-04-15", "rankings": [{"keyword": "...", "position": 8}, ...]},
{"date": "2026-04-22", "rankings": [{"keyword": "...", "position": 6}, ...]}
]
}
}
}
Subcommands
add <domain> <keywords...>
Read the existing watchlist (if any), add or update the domain entry, write back.
Run an immediate rank check and store as the first history entry.
list
Print the watchlist in a human-readable table:
- Domain | label | # keywords | last checked | last avg position
check <domain> or check all
Re-run SERP rank check on the saved keywords:
~/.claude/skills/seo/scripts/serp_check.py rank --domain <domain> --keywords <kw...>
Append the result to history, then diff against the previous check:
Movement since <last_date>:
🟢 Up: "seo audit tool" 8 → 5 (+3)
🔴 Down: "ai content tool" 12 → 18 (-6)
⚪ Same: "..." 3 → 3
remove <domain> and remove <domain> <keyword>
Drop a domain or a single keyword from the watchlist.
Output
Always end with a short take: any concerning drops (-5 or worse), any
opportunities (rankings just outside top 10), and one suggested action.