The full upstream README, mirrored here for reference. Install config, tool schemas, adoption signals, and an original overview live on the Rankgoat listing page.
The official command-line interface for RankGoat, the SEO backlink exchange that writes and publishes done-for-you blog posts with real dofollow links between member sites.
Manage your content plan, generate posts, approve drafts, and read your backlink and SEO data straight from the terminal or a CI pipeline. Built on the public RankGoat API.
Or run it without installing:
Requires Node.js 20 or newer. Zero runtime dependencies.
Create an API key at rankgoat.app/app/settings#api, then:
The key is stored in ~/.rankgoat/config.json (owner-readable only). Alternatively set RANKGOAT_API_KEY in your environment, or pass --api-key on any command, handy for CI.
The monthly plan is a calendar of briefs the AI turns into posts.
Topic clusters the monthly planner draws briefs from, weighted by priority.
Your product's real capabilities. They ground content generation, so posts never invent features the product does not have.
Some actions (AI planning, post generation) run in the background and return a job handle. Poll it, or pass --wait on the original command:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
--api-key <key> | Use this key (overrides env and saved config) |
--api-url <url> | Override the API base URL (defaults to https://rankgoat.app/api/v1) |
--json | Output raw JSON, ideal for scripting with jq |
--wait | Block until an async job finishes |
-h, --help | Show help |
-v, --version | Show the CLI version |
Every command supports --json for machine-readable output:
Exit code is non-zero on any API or usage error, so it composes cleanly in CI.
The CLI is built to be driven by agents: structured JSON on every command, env-var auth, and non-zero exits on failure. Two ways to plug in:
MCP server. rankgoat mcp runs a Model Context Protocol server on stdio exposing all 34 capabilities (plan, generate, approve, backlinks, mentions, DR, GSC, sitemap, hubs, features, link equity, flywheel) as typed tools:
Or in any MCP client config:
Shell + SKILL.md. Agents that run shell commands can use the CLI directly; the bundled SKILL.md teaches them the workflows, including which calls spend credits and where to keep a human in the loop.
More at rankgoat.app/agent.
RankGoat members pay for done-for-you blog posts that get published on their own sites with dofollow outbound links to other members. The link graph is non-reciprocal and niche/DR-matched, so it builds real authority without pattern-matching as a scheme. Learn more at rankgoat.app or read the API reference.