kanmi-gsc-cli

A command-line interface for Google Search Console API with OAuth authentication.

Features

• Secure OAuth Authentication: Browser-based OAuth flow with secure token storage
• Site Management: List and view site information
• Search Analytics: Query search performance data
• Sitemap Management: List, submit, and delete sitemaps
• Token Management: Secure token storage and revocation
• Configuration Management: Save and manage user preferences and defaults
• Multiple Output Formats: Export data as table, JSON, or CSV
• Progress Indicators: Visual feedback during API operations
• Default Persistence: Save frequently used options as defaults

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18.0.0 or higher
• A Google Cloud Project with Search Console API enabled

Setup

1. Clone and install dependencies:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd gsc-cli
   npm install

2. Build the project:

   npm run build

3. Install globally (optional):

   npm install -g .

Google Cloud Console Setup

1. Create a Google Cloud Project

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project or select an existing one
3. Enable the Google Search Console API

2. Create OAuth 2.0 Credentials

1. Go to APIs & Services > Credentials
2. Click Create Credentials > OAuth client ID
3. Select Desktop application as the application type
4. Give it a name (e.g., "GSC CLI")
5. Download the credentials JSON file

3. Configure Environment Variables

1. Copy the environment template:

   cp .env.example .env

2. Edit .env file:

   CLIENT_ID=your-google-client-id
   CLIENT_SECRET=your-google-client-secret
   

   Replace with the values from your downloaded credentials JSON file:

   • CLIENT_ID: The client_id field
   • CLIENT_SECRET: The client_secret field

Usage

First-time Authentication

When you run any command for the first time, the CLI will:

1. Open your default browser to Google's OAuth consent screen
2. Prompt you to authorize the application
3. Ask you to paste the authorization code
4. Save the token securely to ~/.gsc-cli/token.json

Example:

gsc-cli sites
# Browser opens automatically
# Follow the OAuth flow
# Enter authorization code when prompted

Commands

Authentication

# Authenticate with Google Search Console
gsc-cli auth

# Revoke stored tokens
gsc-cli revoke

Configuration

# View current configuration
gsc-cli config

# Set a configuration value
gsc-cli config-set defaultSite sc-domain:example.com
gsc-cli config-set outputFormat json
gsc-cli config-set defaultRowLimit 50

# Reset configuration to defaults
gsc-cli config-reset

Site Management

# List all sites
gsc-cli sites

# Get site information
gsc-cli site https://example.com

Search Analytics

# Query search analytics with defaults (last 30 days)
gsc-cli query https://example.com

# Query with custom date range
gsc-cli query https://example.com --start-date 2024-01-01 --end-date 2024-01-31

# Query with specific dimensions and metrics
gsc-cli query https://example.com --dimensions query,page --metrics clicks,impressions --row-limit 50

# Output as JSON
gsc-cli query https://example.com --output json

# Output as CSV
gsc-cli query https://example.com --output csv

# Save current options as defaults
gsc-cli query https://example.com --dimensions page --metrics clicks,impressions --save-defaults

Search Analytics Options

• --start-date, -s: Start date (YYYY-MM-DD, default: 30 days ago)
• --end-date, -e: End date (YYYY-MM-DD, default: 3 days ago)
• --dimensions, -d: Dimensions to group by (default: query)
  • Available: query, page, country, device, searchAppearance
• --metrics, -m: Metrics to include (default: clicks,impressions,ctr,position)
  • Available: clicks, impressions, ctr, position
• --row-limit, -r: Maximum rows to return (default: 100)
• --output, -o: Output format (default: table)
  • Available: table, json, csv
• --save-defaults: Save current options as defaults

Sitemap Management

# List sitemaps for a site
gsc-cli sitemaps https://example.com

# Submit a sitemap
gsc-cli submit-sitemap https://example.com https://example.com/sitemap.xml

# Delete a sitemap
gsc-cli delete-sitemap https://example.com https://example.com/sitemap.xml

Examples

# Get top 20 queries for the last 7 days
gsc-cli query https://example.com \
  --start-date 2024-01-01 \
  --end-date 2024-01-07 \
  --dimensions query \
  --metrics clicks,impressions,ctr,position \
  --row-limit 20

# Get page performance data
gsc-cli query https://example.com \
  --dimensions page \
  --metrics clicks,impressions \
  --row-limit 50

# Get country-wise performance
gsc-cli query https://example.com \
  --dimensions country \
  --metrics clicks,impressions

Development

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts              # CLI entry point
├── utils/
│   ├── auth.ts          # OAuth authentication
│   └── gsc.ts           # Google Search Console API client
└── __tests__/
    └── auth.test.ts     # Authentication tests

Available Scripts

# Development
npm run dev              # Run with ts-node
npm run build           # Build TypeScript
npm run start           # Run built JavaScript

# Testing
npm test                # Run Jest tests
npm run test:watch      # Run tests in watch mode

# Utilities
npm run clean           # Clean build directory

Running Tests

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:watch

# Run tests with coverage
npm test -- --coverage

Security

• Token Storage: OAuth tokens are stored in ~/.gsc-cli/token.json with 600 permissions (owner read/write only)
• Environment Variables: Client credentials are stored in .env file (excluded from version control)
• Secure Scope: Only requests read-only access to Search Console data

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Missing CLIENT_ID or CLIENT_SECRET"

• Ensure you've copied .env.example to .env
• Verify your Google Cloud Console credentials are correctly set in .env
• Check that the credentials are for a "Desktop application" type

"Authorization failed"

• Ensure the Search Console API is enabled in your Google Cloud project
• Check that your OAuth consent screen is properly configured
• Verify the authorization code was copied correctly

"Token expired" or "Invalid credentials"

# Revoke and re-authenticate
gsc-cli revoke
gsc-cli auth

"Site not found" or "Permission denied"

• Ensure the site URL is exactly as it appears in Google Search Console
• Verify you have access to the site in Google Search Console
• Check that the site is verified in your Search Console account

Token Management

# View token file location
ls -la ~/.gsc-cli/

# Remove token file manually
rm ~/.gsc-cli/token.json

# Revoke token via CLI
gsc-cli revoke

Regenerating Credentials

If you need to regenerate your OAuth credentials:

1. Go to Google Cloud Console > Credentials
2. Delete the existing OAuth 2.0 client ID
3. Create a new "Desktop application" client ID
4. Update your .env file with the new credentials
5. Run gsc-cli revoke and gsc-cli auth

API Limits

Google Search Console API has the following limits:

• Queries per day: 1,000 requests per day
• Queries per 100 seconds: 100 requests per 100 seconds
• Query results: Maximum 25,000 rows per query

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests for new functionality
5. Run tests and ensure they pass
6. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

For issues and questions:

1. Check the troubleshooting section above
2. Review Google Search Console API documentation
3. Open an issue on GitHub with detailed information about your problem

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Note: This tool requires a Google Cloud Project with Search Console API enabled and valid OAuth credentials. The CLI only requests read-only access to your Search Console data.