gsc-indexer docs: start here
Posted on July 19, 2026 by Abhay khant
Key Takeaways
gsc-indexer docs hub: every guide to index URLs with Google Search Console's URL Inspection API, from setup to CI automation and troubleshooting.
Welcome to the gsc-indexer documentation. This page points you to every
guide. If you're not sure where to begin, follow the learning path below.
What is gsc-indexer?
A command-line tool that asks Google to crawl / re-index your URLs via the Google Search Console URL Inspection API. one URL or ten thousand. Full explanation: What is gsc-indexer?.
Choose your path
I've never used this kind of tool. Start at the top and go in order. the setup steps are where most people get stuck:
- Create and verify a GSC property
- Create a service account and grant it access ⭐
- Install, build, and run your first inspection
I'm set up and just want to use it.
I have a big site or want to automate.
Something broke.
Full guide list (in order)
Quick command cheat sheet
## first inspection
./gsc-indexer -creds sa.json "https://www.toolsura.com/"
## many URLs from a file
./gsc-indexer -creds sa.json -batch urls.txt
## whole site via sitemap (preview first!)
./gsc-indexer -creds sa.json "https://www.toolsura.com/sitemap.xml" -dry-run
./gsc-indexer -creds sa.json "https://www.toolsura.com/sitemap.xml" -delay 10s -q -report ./report
## compare against last run
./gsc-indexer -creds sa.json -batch urls.txt -diff ./report/summary.json
Source code and the latest flags reference live in the GitHub repository.
Sources
- Google Search Console
- URL Inspection API documentation
- Google Search APIs overview
- Service account OAuth (Google Identity)
- About service accounts (Google Cloud IAM)
- Verify site ownership
- Property types: URL-prefix vs Domain
- URL Inspection tool help
- Indexing API (JobPosting/BroadcastEvent only)
- Request indexing / inspect a URL
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read every guide on this page?
No. If your property and service account already exist, skip to 'Understanding your results' and the batch or sitemap guide. The learning path at the top of this page points you to the one guide your situation actually needs, so you are not reading filler.
Which guide fixes the 403 'you do not own this site' error?
That error almost always means the service account is missing or was added as Restricted instead of Full. Open 'Service account and property access'. It walks through adding the client_email as a Full user and matching the property prefix exactly, which resolves the vast majority of 403s.
I just want to submit one URL right now. Where do I start?
Go to 'Install, build, first run'. You will build the binary, run a single inspection with your sa.json, and confirm Google accepted the re-crawl request. Come back for batch and sitemap features only when you have more than a handful of URLs to push.
Is gsc-indexer the same as the Google Indexing API?
No. The Indexing API only covers JobPosting and BroadcastEvent pages, so it cannot index a normal blog post. gsc-indexer uses the URL Inspection API instead, which is the correct path for general content. That distinction is why an API key returns 401 and a service account is required.
How are these guides kept in sync with the tool?
Each guide maps to a real flag or workflow in the current binary, and the README links back here. When a flag changes, the matching guide is updated. If something in the tool disagrees with a guide, trust the tool's -h output and flag the doc so it gets corrected.