Questions it answers
IndexNow Submit sends the URLs in your sitemap to every IndexNow search engine and shows each engine's own answer: Microsoft Bing, Yandex, Seznam.cz, Naver, Yep, Amazonbot.
It works only for a site whose IndexNow key file is live and holds exactly the key. The file is read before anything is sent, and a wrong or missing file stops the submit with the exact fix (a 404, an HTML page served in its place, the wrong text, a redirect to another host).
The check reads robots.txt for the sitemap, follows a sitemap index into its children, unpacks gzip, and says which URLs would be sent and why the others are left out: another host such as www, outside the key file's folder, duplicates or too long. It flags tracking parameters and http addresses. changed_since sends only pages whose lastmod moved, and when more than 10,000 qualify the newest go first and batch 2, 3 and on send the rest.
No key yet? The check makes one and gives the file to publish. Free, no sign-up, nothing stored; one submit per site every 60 seconds, and the same batch once every 5 minutes. Accepted means received, not indexed. Google does not use IndexNow. A page at https://tools.openkrill.app/indexnow does the same for people.
What it can do
- Submits sitemap URLs to 6 IndexNow engines and returns each engine's status and meaning
- Refuses to submit until the site's key file is live and holds exactly the key
- Explains a broken key file: 404, an HTML page in its place, wrong text, a redirect to another host
- Finds the sitemap in robots.txt, follows sitemap indexes and reads gzip sitemaps
- Shows which URLs are left out and why: other host such as www, outside the key folder, duplicates
- Sends only pages changed since a date, newest first, 10,000 per submit in batches
- Makes a new IndexNow key and gives the exact file to publish
Tools
indexnow_check, Check IndexNow key file and sitemap. Checks a site's IndexNow setup and submits nothing. Use it when the user asks whether their IndexNow key file works, which URLs would be submitted, or how to start with IndexNow, for example "is my IndexNow key set up on example.com?". Pass site and key; leave key out to get a new key and the file to publish. Returns the key file verdict with the exact fix, the sitemap found (robots.txt, index, gzip), how many URLs qualify, why others are left out, a sample, and the next step. Protocol: https://www.indexnow.org/documentation. Do not use it for a site the user does not own, or to read a site's content.indexnow_submit, Submit sitemap URLs to IndexNow. Submits a site's URLs to every IndexNow search engine. Use it when the user asks to submit their sitemap or changed pages to Bing, Yandex or IndexNow, for example "submit the pages that changed this week on example.com". Pass site and key; optional changed_since, path_prefix, sitemap or urls. It reads the key file first and sends nothing unless the file holds exactly the key. Then it posts the URLs to Microsoft Bing, Yandex, Seznam.cz, Naver, Yep, Amazonbot and returns each engine's status, HTTP code and meaning. At most 10,000 URLs per submit; pass batch 2, 3 and on for the rest. Limits: one submit per site every 60 seconds, and the same batch once every 5 minutes. Accepted is not indexed. Do not use it for a site the user does not own.
Add IndexNow Submit in Pi
Pi does not speak MCP on its own. The pi-mcp-adapter extension (these steps match version 2.34.0) loads remote servers and keeps their schemas out of the prompt until you ask. Install it once, then restart Pi:
pi install npm:pi-mcp-adapter
Add the server to a shared MCP file. Use .mcp.json in the project if only that project needs IndexNow Submit, or ~/.config/mcp/mcp.json if you want it in every project. Pi also reads ~/.agents/mcp.json. A Pi-only override lives in ~/.pi/agent/mcp.json or .pi/mcp.json and wins over the shared file.
{
"mcpServers": {
"indexnow": {
"url": "https://indexnow.openkrill.app/mcp",
"lifecycle": "eager"
}
}
}
The url is enough. Do not set command: that field is for a local process. No API key header. lifecycle is eager so Pi connects at startup and can search tool names before the first call. A config that omits it still works: the first call connects. After restart, run /mcp and confirm the server is listed. Ask: Is my IndexNow key file for example.com set up right? The adapter should offer indexnow_check, indexnow_submit.
Leave directTools off unless you want those schemas in every turn. With a handful of tools the cost is small. The default proxy is the better fit: search for the tool, then call it. /mcp disable indexnow writes a project override in .pi/mcp.json without editing the shared file. Run /reload after that change.
Pi will not find this server by scanning Cursor or Claude config unless you run /mcp setup and import it. Putting the url in .mcp.json is the direct path and the one this page tests against. The server is the same public endpoint the other clients use, with the same limits and the same privacy rules.
If it does not work
The tool does not show up
Run /mcp to see the servers the adapter loaded. If it is missing, check the url entry in .mcp.json, then run /reload or restart Pi.
429 or rate_limited
Each server takes 60 calls a minute from one network, and some tools take fewer. Past that the call comes back as a tool error that starts with rate_limited: wait a minute and ask again. daily_limit means the server reached its shared daily cap, which resets at 00:00 UTC. A limit is not an answer, so do not read it as no results. For higher limits, ask support@openkrill.app for a key.
A call checked on 2026-10-15
Our own site and its public key file. The check reads the key file, robots.txt and the sitemap, and submits nothing. The request below was posted to https://indexnow.openkrill.app/mcp as tools/call. HTTP 200. Source: the IndexNow Submit server, read 2026-10-15.
{
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "indexnow_check",
"arguments": {
"site": "tools.openkrill.app",
"key": "okindexnow20261005"
}
}
}
- as of. 2026-10-15T01:40:37.148Z
- engines. 6 returned
- engines name. Microsoft Bing
Repeat the call yourself if you need a newer reading. Cached answers expire. A rate limit is not a result: wait and try again. Nothing in the call is a ranking, a filing, or advice.
Using it in production
Nothing to install and nothing to run: no package, no Python or Node.js version and no environment variable. IndexNow Submit runs on our servers, and your client only needs the URL https://indexnow.openkrill.app/mcp.
| Rate limit | 60 tool calls a minute from one network. initialize and tools/list do not count. |
|---|---|
| Daily cap | 5000 tool calls a day per server, shared by every caller. It resets at 00:00 UTC. |
| At a limit | The call comes back as a tool error that starts with rate_limited (wait a minute) or daily_limit (try after 00:00 UTC), never as a partial answer. |
| Key | None. Do not add an Authorization header or a key field. |
| Higher limits | Email support@openkrill.app with the server name, the calls a day you expect and what they are for. We answer within 1 business day. |
| Freshness | Some answers come from a short cache. Each guide shows the date of its checked call; repeat a call when you need a newer reading. |
| Uptime | Scheduled test calls check the servers through the same endpoint. There is no SLA yet. |
| Data | What each server receives and keeps is on the privacy page. |
Use it in other apps
- IndexNow Submit in ChatGPT
- IndexNow Submit in Claude
- IndexNow Submit in Cursor
- IndexNow Submit in VS Code
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the IndexNow Submit MCP server in Pi?
Run pi install npm:pi-mcp-adapter once, add indexnow with the url https://indexnow.openkrill.app/mcp to .mcp.json, then restart Pi and run /mcp to see it.
Do I need an API key to run IndexNow Submit in Pi?
No. This server takes no API key. For higher limits, email support@openkrill.app with the server name (IndexNow Submit), the calls a day you expect and what they are for. We answer within 1 business day.
What should I do if IndexNow Submit does not connect in Pi?
Check that the entry has a url and no command field, then run /reload or restart Pi and run /mcp.