IndexNow Submit MCP in VS Code: Install Guide, Live Test

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 VS Code

VS Code reads MCP servers from mcp.json and offers their tools to Copilot Chat in Agent mode. A workspace file at .vscode/mcp.json applies to that project. For every workspace, run MCP: Open User Configuration from the Command Palette and add the same entry there. These steps were checked against the VS Code MCP servers guide on 2026-10-09.

Create or edit the file so it contains this server. VS Code uses a top-level servers object, not mcpServers. Merge it with servers you already have.

{
  "servers": {
    "indexnow": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://indexnow.openkrill.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

No command, no headers and no input variables for a key: IndexNow Submit answers without a login. Save the file and select Start above the entry. VS Code asks once whether you trust the server: confirm it. Run MCP: List Servers to check that IndexNow Submit is running. You should see indexnow_check, indexnow_submit.

Open the Chat view, choose Agent mode and ask: Is my IndexNow key file for example.com set up right? The Configure Tools button in the chat input lists the tools of each server, and VS Code may ask you to confirm the first call. The server is public and read-only. It sees only the arguments of each call, so do not paste secrets into the question.

Command line users can add it to the user profile in one step with code --add-mcp and the same name, type and url as JSON. The portable .mcp.json at the project root also works in VS Code, with mcpServers as its top-level key. An organization can turn MCP off through Copilot policy: if the MCP commands are missing, ask the admin.

If it does not work

The tool does not show up

Run MCP: List Servers, select the server and choose Restart. If it shows an error, choose Show Output to read the log. Check that the entry sits under servers with "type": "http", and that Chat is in Agent mode, where MCP tools are offered.

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.

JSON entry has no type

Claude Code skips an entry in .mcp.json that has a url but no type. Add "type": "http" next to the url, or add the server with claude mcp add --transport http, which writes the type for you. The VS Code entry needs the same type field. Cursor and Pi read the url alone.

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

Frequently asked questions

How do I install the IndexNow Submit MCP server in VS Code?

Add indexnow with type http and the url https://indexnow.openkrill.app/mcp under servers in .vscode/mcp.json and save the file. Select Start above the entry, confirm that you trust the server, then use it from Chat in Agent mode.

Do I need an API key to run IndexNow Submit in VS Code?

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 VS Code?

Check that the entry sits under servers, not mcpServers, and has type http. Run MCP: List Servers, select indexnow and choose Restart, then open Show Output if it still fails.

Words on this page

Source: plugin listing for indexnow in this repository, and a live tools/call on 2026-10-15. As of 2026-10-15.