Claude
Claude SEO on your real Search Console data, with fixes you approve in the same chat.
Paperclip AI Agents SEO: Add an SEO Lead to Your Org
Paperclip runs your AI agents like a company: roles, goals, budgets and heartbeats. Connect SEOmatic once, give it to one of them, and that agent can own search: read Google Search Console, audit the site, track AI answers and stage fixes. The fixes still wait for a person to approve them.
- One connector, with a permission per tool
- Works with the agents Paperclip manages, like Claude Code and Codex
- Staged fixes go to a human, never past one
Paperclip
About SEOmatic for Paperclip
SEOmatic is an SEO agent with a hosted MCP server, a CLI and an API. In Paperclip, you add the MCP server once as a connector with an OAuth sign-in, choose which agents get it and set each tool to Allowed, Ask first or Off. The skill, with an API key, is the alternative.
Last Updated
November 2026
Requirements
A Paperclip install (npx paperclipai@latest onboard --yes) with at least one agent, and a free SEOmatic account with an API key from Settings, AI Agents, API Keys.
Pricing
Free to connect. Search Console, audits and page checks have no limit; market data uses 5 free questions a month (plus a one-time 10 when you connect Search Console). Paid plans add agents that stage fixes for your approval. See pricing.
Full Docs
Endpoint, auth, every tool and what it costs: SEOmatic MCP server docs.
SEO for Paperclip AI Agents, With a Human Sign-Off
What an SEO Agent in Paperclip Can Own
Weekly Search Brief
Each heartbeat, the SEO agent compares the last period with the one before and reports what moved, with exact dates.
Decision Queue for the Human
Fixes the agent proposes land as staged work in SEOmatic, with a link on the Paperclip task for you to review.
Release Gate
Before the engineering agent ships, the SEO agent audits up to 30 pages for noindex tags, broken links and missing titles.
Content Plan From Real Queries
Topics picked from the searches that already show you impressions, handed to a writer agent as briefs.
AI Visibility Owner
The agent tracks where AI answers mention you and flags the prompts competitors are winning.
Budget-Aware Runs
Every SEOmatic tool says whether it is free or uses credits, so the agent can plan within the budget you set.
Paperclip is for running agents as a team with goals and check-ins. SEO suits that well: it is steady, measurable work with a weekly rhythm, and every real change should pass a person first.
Example: Ask Paperclip About Your Site
An example on the Acme Plumbing demo site. You ask Paperclip:
“Task for SEO Lead: write this week's search brief and file anything that needs a decision.”
Paperclip calls SEOmatic:
seomatic tools call gsc_insights: Sep 10 to Oct 9 vs Aug 11 to Sep 9 (30 days each)seomatic tools call strategy_insights: top prioritiesseomatic tools call task_manage: stage 2 title fixes
Paperclip answers:
Search brief, Sep 10 to Oct 9 (30 days)
- Clicks: 1,684, up 9% on the 30 days before. Most of the gain is /water-heater-repair (+118 clicks).
- /drain-cleaning-cost sits at position 11.4 with 2,950 impressions. It is the closest page to page 1.
- /emergency-plumber lost 22% of its clicks. Two of your pages now compete for “emergency plumber near me”, and neither ranks above 9.
Needs a decision: I staged new titles for /drain-cleaning-cost and /emergency-plumber in SEOmatic. They will not go live until a person approves them. Review link attached to this task.
Spend this run: 3 tool calls.
Also try:
- “Audit the site before Friday's release”
- “Which AI answers skip our brand?”
- “Plan next month's content from real queries”
- “Check indexing of the new service pages”
How to Set Up an SEO Lead Agent in Paperclip
A setup that keeps the agent useful and the risk low:
- Create a role. Add an agent called SEO Lead, reporting to you or to your marketing lead, on whichever adapter you trust most.
- Give it SEOmatic. Add the SEOmatic connector (Connectors, Connect your own MCP server) and select this agent, with the staging tools on Ask first. Or bind an API key for one workspace as
SEOMATIC_API_KEYin its Environment variables, so the agent only sees one site. - Write its goal in one line. For example: “Grow organic clicks for acme-plumbing.com. Report weekly. Stage fixes only for title, description and internal link problems.”
- Set a heartbeat and a budget. Once a week is enough for most sites. Each run is a few SEOmatic tool calls.
- Keep approval with a person. The agent files a decision; you open the SEOmatic link and approve or decline. Paperclip's own approvals and SEOmatic's approvals both stay in human hands.
Tasks to Give Your Paperclip SEO Agent
Assign these as tasks or goals to the agent that has the SEOmatic skill:
- “Write a weekly search brief: clicks, the pages that moved, and one recommended fix.”
- “Before Friday's release, audit the site and block the release if any key page has a noindex tag.”
- “Find five blog topics we can rank for, based on queries that already show us impressions.”
- “Track which AI assistants mention us for our three main services and report changes monthly.”
- “Check whether the six new service pages are indexed, and file a decision for any that are not.”
- “Stage title fixes for pages with many impressions and few clicks. Do not approve anything.”
The SEO Tools a Paperclip Agent Gets
Through the skill, the agent runs npx -y seomatic commands that call the same tools as SEOmatic's MCP server:
- Search Console performance and insights, with exact date ranges and period comparisons.
- Strategy insights: SEOmatic's own diagnosis of what to fix first.
- Indexing checks, site audits of up to 30 pages and page scores.
- AI visibility and citations across ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI Overviews.
- Keyword and backlink research, from your free questions or your paid plan's credits.
- Tasks and campaigns on paid plans: staged work that waits for approval.
Commands and flags are in the SEOmatic CLI docs. Building your own orchestration? See the SEO API.
How It Works, Step by Step
- Paperclip wakes the SEO agent on its heartbeat, or you assign it a task.
- The agent calls SEOmatic's tools through the connector, within the permissions you set, or runs the SEOmatic skill with the key in its environment.
- SEOmatic returns your Search Console data, audits and AI visibility results, each with its date range.
- The agent writes its report on the task and, on paid plans, stages any fix in SEOmatic.
- You open the review link, approve or decline in SEOmatic, and approved changes go live through your CMS with a rollback point.
How to Connect SEOmatic to Paperclip
About two minutes for the connector. The skill route takes about five and uses a company secret instead of a sign-in.
- Pick or create the SEO agent. In Paperclip, choose the agent that will own SEO, or add a new one (for example, SEO Lead) on the adapter you prefer.
- Add the connector. In Paperclip, open Connectors, choose Connect your own MCP server and paste https://app.seomatic.ai/api/mcp. Open Advanced authentication and choose Browser sign-in, so Paperclip always signs you in. Its own check can connect without your account. Sign in or create a free SEOmatic account and pick your site.
- Set tool permissions and agents. Paperclip lists SEOmatic's tools. If you only see check_site and connect_seomatic, the connection is not signed in: reconnect with Browser sign-in. Leave the read tools on Allowed, set the staging tools to Ask first, and select the SEO agent. Use Refresh actions later if the tool list changes.
- Prefer the skill and a key?. On the Skills page choose Sources, Import from GitHub, add Minh42/seomatic-mcp and import the SEOmatic skills, then turn them on in the agent's Skills tab. Create an API key in SEOmatic (Settings, AI Agents, API Keys), store it under Company Settings, Secrets, and in the agent's Environment variables add SEOMATIC_API_KEY with source Secret.
- Assign a first task. Click Run Heartbeat in the agent header, or give it: “Write a short report on how the site did on Google this month.” Check that the report names a date range and real numbers.
Paperclip setup
# 1. Connector (recommended)
Paperclip > Connectors > Connect your own MCP server
URL: https://app.seomatic.ai/api/mcp
Advanced authentication: Browser sign-in
(or Key or token: paste smk_live_... without "Bearer")
Tools: read tools Allowed, staging tools Ask first
Agents: select the SEO agent
# 2. Skill with an API key instead
Skills > Sources > Import from GitHub > Minh42/seomatic-mcp
Company Settings > Secrets > add the smk_live_... key
Agent > Environment variables > SEOMATIC_API_KEY, source: Secret
Agent header > Run Heartbeat
# Check the key works inside the agent (prints your workspace)
npx -y seomatic me
# Agent on Claude Code and prefers its own MCP config?
claude mcp add --transport http seomatic https://app.seomatic.ai/api/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer smk_live_..."Paperclip handles the OAuth sign-in and token refresh for the connector, so unattended agents can use it. On the skill route, strict mode requires keys ending in _API_KEY to come from a secret reference, not an inline value, and changes apply on the agent's next heartbeat. Give each SEO agent a key for one workspace only. If npx -y seomatic me fails inside the agent, the key is not bound in that agent's Environment variables. If the connector shows only check_site and connect_seomatic, it was saved without sign-in: reconnect and choose Browser sign-in under Advanced authentication. An agent on the Hermes gateway adapter does not receive connector tools yet, so give that agent the skill or connect SEOmatic in Hermes itself.
Connector, Skill, or MCP Server in the Adapter?
| Route | Best for | How |
|---|---|---|
| Paperclip connector (MCP with OAuth) | Most companies: one sign-in, a permission per tool, any agents you pick | Connectors, Connect your own MCP server, paste https://app.seomatic.ai/api/mcp. Under Advanced authentication choose Browser sign-in and sign in to SEOmatic, or choose Key or token and paste an API key without the word Bearer. Leave the read tools on Allowed, set the staging tools to Ask first, then choose the agents. |
| Skill or MCP server in the agent's adapter | Agents that should hold their own key, or Claude Code and Codex agents already set up with MCP servers | Skills page: Sources, Import from GitHub, add Minh42/seomatic-mcp, import the SEOmatic skills and turn them on in the agent's Skills tab. Store the key under Company Settings, Secrets, and bind it as SEOMATIC_API_KEY in the agent's Environment variables. Or add the server the way that agent does it, for example claude mcp add --transport http seomatic https://app.seomatic.ai/api/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer smk_live_...". |
Pick the connector. One sign-in, Paperclip keeps and refreshes the token, every tool has its own permission, and you choose which agents may use it. Use the skill or adapter route for an agent that should hold its own key.
Paperclip or the Agents It Runs: Which One Is This?
This page is about Paperclip, the open-source (MIT) platform that organizes AI agents into a company with an org chart, budgets, approvals and heartbeats. Paperclip connects to SEOmatic once, as a connector, and the agents it manages call the tools through it.
Prefer to set up the agent itself? Each adapter has its own page:
- An agent on Claude Code: see Claude Code SEO.
- An agent on Codex: see Codex.
- An agent on OpenClaw or Hermes Agent: see OpenClaw SEO and Hermes Agent SEO.
The connector and skill routes on this page work alongside them.
What Is Free and What Is Paid
Connecting is free, and so is the SEOmatic account behind it: no card. Free covers the diagnosis with no limit: Search Console reports and insights, site audits of up to 30 pages, live page analysis, and your AI visibility results.
Live market data, like keyword volumes, backlink profiles and competitor domains, uses free questions: 5 a month, plus a one-time 10 bonus questions when you connect Google Search Console. One question covers up to 5 lookups.
Paid plans remove the question limit and add the treatment: agents stage fixes on your site (titles, descriptions, content updates, technical fixes, internal links) and run campaigns and fresh AI visibility scans. Every paid plan starts with a 14-Day Trial for $1, credited to your first payment. See pricing.
A heartbeat run usually makes two to four tool calls. The free allowance covers a first test; a weekly SEO agent needs a paid plan. Credits SEOmatic uses are separate from the model budget you set in Paperclip.
Nothing Changes on Your Site Without Your Approval
Paperclip lets agents work without a person in every step, so SEOmatic keeps one step for a person no matter what: approving a change to your site. A staged change is a proposal: it says what will change and why, and in Approval mode nothing touches your site until you approve it. The assistant records your decision, and it is told never to approve anything on its own judgment. Approved fixes start within seconds, the page's previous state is stored, and any applied change can be rolled back. Changes that could take a page out of Google, like a noindex, need an extra explicit confirmation. An agent in your org can stage work and file it for review; it cannot approve it, even if another agent asks it to. Revoke the API key in SEOmatic to stop an agent at once.
Keep Exploring
Setting up the agents Paperclip runs? See Claude Code SEO, Codex, OpenClaw SEO and Hermes Agent SEO. Learn what the SEO agent works with: weekly replanning, the site audit, AI visibility tracking and the approval workflow. All agents: AI SEO agents in every assistant.
Using another agent? See OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, Codex, or every AI agent.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I connect SEOmatic to Paperclip?
Open Connectors, choose Connect your own MCP server, paste https://app.seomatic.ai/api/mcp, choose Browser sign-in under Advanced authentication and sign in to SEOmatic. Set the staging tools to Ask first, select the agent that will own SEO, and assign it a task about your site. Prefer a key? Import the skills from GitHub on the Skills page and bind SEOMATIC_API_KEY from a company secret in the agent's Environment variables.
Does Paperclip connect to SEOmatic directly?
Yes. Paperclip's Connectors page takes any MCP server: paste the URL, sign in, and set each tool to Allowed, Ask first or Off. The agents it runs, such as Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw or Hermes Agent, then call SEOmatic through it, or through the skill or their own MCP setup if you prefer.
Why use an API key instead of signing in?
You can sign in. The connector uses OAuth, and Paperclip keeps and refreshes the token, so agents on heartbeats use it with nobody at the keyboard. An API key is the alternative for the skill route, and you can revoke it in SEOmatic at any time.
Can my SEO agent publish changes to the site?
It can stage them. Every change waits in SEOmatic until a person approves it, and the agent is told never to approve on its own. Approved changes go live through your connected CMS and can be rolled back.
Can other agents in the org use the SEO data?
Yes, through the SEO agent's reports, or by installing the skill for them too. Give each agent its own key so you can see and revoke access per agent.
How many tool calls does a weekly run use?
Usually two to four: a Search Console comparison, SEOmatic's priorities, and sometimes an indexing check or a staged fix. Search Console reads are free with no limit; free questions only cover live market data, and one question covers up to 5 lookups. Paid plans remove the limit.
Is SEOmatic for Paperclip free?
Yes. The skill and the SEOmatic account are free, with no card. Search Console reports, site audits and page checks are free with no limit. Live market data (keyword volumes, competitors, backlinks) uses free questions: 5 a month, plus a one-time 10 when you connect Search Console. Paid plans remove the limit and add agents that stage fixes, with a 14-Day Trial for $1, credited to your first payment.
Can it change my site without asking?
No. By default every change SEOmatic proposes waits for your approval before it touches your site, and your assistant is told never to approve on its own. Approved changes are stored with the page's previous state, so any edit to an existing page can be rolled back. If you later want low-risk fixes to go ahead on their own, you can turn that on in your autonomy settings; changes to your URLs or indexing, and new content, still wait for you.
Are the agent's numbers real?
Yes. They come from your Google Search Console through SEOmatic, with exact date ranges such as Sep 10 to Oct 9, 30 days. The skill tells the agent to report only numbers a command returned.
The agent has the connector but never uses SEOmatic. Why?
Check three things. First, the connector must be signed in: if it lists only check_site and connect_seomatic, reconnect with Browser sign-in under Advanced authentication. Second, the agent must be selected under Which agents can use this connection. Third, agents on the Hermes gateway adapter do not receive connector tools yet; give that agent the skill instead. Then name SEOmatic in the task, for example “Use SEOmatic to write this week's search brief.”
Do I need Ahrefs or Semrush for the SEO agent?
No. Most of the work runs on your own Search Console, which is free. Live market data, like keyword volumes and backlinks, is part of SEOmatic's paid plans, so the agent does not need a separate SEO tool subscription for it.
SEOmatic in other AI agents
Same server, same tools, same approval rules. Pick the agent that fits the job.
Claude Code
One command connects your Search Console to the terminal, so Claude Code fixes SEO in the code.
Claude Cowork
Hand Claude Cowork the SEO grunt work: it pulls your real numbers, writes the report into your files, and stages fixes you approve.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT SEO on your real Search Console data, with fixes you approve in the same chat.
Codex
Two commands give Codex your Search Console data, so it fixes SEO where the bug lives: in your code.
OpenAI dots
Your dot checks your real Search Console data every week and tells you only what changed. Fixes wait for your yes.