IndexCyborgFrequently asked questions
Questions, answered plainly
The short version: IndexCyborg automates the official indexing workflows and reports what search engines report. It can't force anything. Missing an answer? Ask us.
Indexing and Google
- Can IndexCyborg get my pages indexed?
- No tool can force Google, or any search engine, to crawl or index a page. IndexCyborg automates the official channels (sitemaps, IndexNow and Search Console's Request indexing), keeps them running on every new and changed page, and shows you exactly what each search engine reports back.
- How does IndexCyborg know whether a page is indexed?
- It asks Google. Once you link your Search Console property, IndexCyborg calls Google's URL Inspection API for each page and stores the answer word for word, including the reason when a page isn't indexed.
- How often are pages checked?
- New pages are inspected first, 50 every 5 minutes, until Google's quota of 2,000 inspections per property per day is used (100 are kept back for API and MCP calls). Once every page has a first result, pages become due for a re-check 7 days after their last inspection, and re-checks run while the day's inspections are under 150. On large sites that means re-checks come less often than every 7 days.
- What does “Not checked” mean?
- Google hasn't been asked about that page yet. IndexCyborg never counts it as indexed, and never as a problem. Coverage figures always say how many pages were actually inspected.
- Do I need Google Search Console?
- For Google index monitoring and Request indexing, yes. Sitemap discovery, IndexNow notifications and technical checks work without it.
IndexNow
- Which search engines get notified?
- Every engine that takes part in IndexNow, including Bing, Yandex, Seznam.cz, Naver and Yep: they share submissions with each other. Google doesn't use IndexNow, which is why Google is covered separately.
- Why do I have to verify my domain?
- So nobody can submit URLs for a site they don't control. You verify with a DNS TXT record or an HTML file. Until then IndexCyborg discovers and checks pages, but sends no IndexNow notifications or indexing requests and doesn't monitor Google automatically.
- IndexNow accepted my URLs. Are they indexed?
- Not necessarily. Accepted means the engine received the notification. Crawling and indexing are separate decisions the engine makes later, and IndexCyborg labels them separately.
Chrome extension
- Why is Request indexing done by a Chrome extension?
- Google offers no public API for Request indexing on ordinary pages. The extension clicks the button in your own Search Console session, the same way you would, and reports Google's answer back to IndexCyborg.
- How many pages can it request per day?
- At most 10 per Search Console property per rolling 24 hours. When the extension picks pages itself, it skips pages Search Console already shows as indexed without using a request, and doesn't request a page again for 14 days. URLs you queue by name through the API or MCP are requested even when indexed, so you can ask for a recrawl after changing a page.
- What can the extension see?
- Its script only runs on search.google.com, and it only talks to your IndexCyborg server. At install, Chrome describes its tabs permission as reading your browsing history: the extension uses it only to open, drive and close its own background Search Console tab, and doesn't read other sites you visit. If you point it at a server other than the default, Chrome asks you to allow that one address.
- Does Chrome need to stay open?
- Yes. The extension works inside your browser, signed in to Search Console. With automatic runs on, it checks for queued pages every 10 minutes while Chrome is open.
Plans and billing
- What do the plans cost?
- Starter is $5 a month, or $50 a year, for one website. Pro is $15 a month, or $150 a year, for every website you run. Yearly billing gives you two months free. Both plans include the whole workflow, the REST API and the MCP server, with no limit on pages. If you'd rather not subscribe, you can buy pages once, from 1,000 pages on one website for $5.
- Can I pay once instead of subscribing?
- Yes. Buy a page pack: 1,000 pages for $5 (1 website), 5,000 pages for $20 (unlimited websites), 20,000 pages for $60 (unlimited websites). Each new page IndexCyborg finds on your sites uses one page from your balance, once. From then on everything for that page is included: IndexNow notifications when it changes, Google status re-checks, indexing requests and technical checks.
- What happens when I run out of pages?
- New pages wait until you buy another pack. Pages you already have keep being monitored.
- Do unused pages expire?
- No. Refills add to your balance, so you can top up whenever your sites grow.
- Are plans billed today?
- Not yet. While IndexCyborg is in early access nothing is charged and every account has Pro limits. You'll see the price and billing terms before anything is charged.
- Is there a free plan?
- No. The smallest options are Starter at $5 a month, or a one-time pack of 1,000 pages on one website for $5. During early access you can use IndexCyborg without paying.
- Does unlimited mean unlimited Google inspections?
- No. Google's quotas apply to every plan: 2,000 URL inspections per property per day, and Search Console's own limit on Request indexing. Unlimited means no plan limit on the websites and URLs IndexCyborg tracks for you. Sitemap reading still has technical limits: 20,000 URLs per sitemap file and 50 sitemaps per index.
API, MCP and data
- Is there an API?
- Yes. A REST API under /v1 covers sites, URLs, scans, IndexNow notifications, inspections, issues, reports and Request indexing. Keys are scoped (read, notify, manage), can be limited to specific websites, and are stored hashed.
- Which AI agents can use the MCP server?
- Any MCP client that supports Streamable HTTP, such as Claude Code or Cursor. The agent gets the same data and the same verification gates as the dashboard.
- What does connecting Google give IndexCyborg access to?
- Google's Search Console scope, which allows viewing and managing Search Console data for your properties, plus your Google account email. IndexCyborg uses it to list your properties, inspect URLs and submit your sitemaps, and changes nothing else. Tokens are encrypted at rest, and you can revoke access at any time from your Google account.