Fixing common gsc-indexer errors
· 3 min read
Fix every gsc-indexer error: 403, 401, 429/5xx, sitemap fetch failures, 'no URLs given', and the 'unexpected argument' flag-order trap.
A lookup table of every error you can actually hit, and the fix for each.
403. "You do not own this site, or the inspected URL is not part of this property"
The most common error. Three causes, in order of likelihood:
- The service account isn't added to the property. Go to GSC → Settings →
Users and permissions, and add the SA's
client_emailas a Full user. See service-account setup. - Added as Restricted, not Full. Restricted users can't inspect URLs. Remove and re-add as Full.
- URL host doesn't match the property.
https://toolsura.com/andhttps://www.toolsura.com/are different properties. Inspect the URL exactly as it appears in the property prefix.
401. when using -apikey
The GSC URL Inspection API requires OAuth, not an API key. API keys return
401. Use -creds with your sa.json instead. (An API key is accepted by
the flag parser but will always 401 at the API.)
HTTP 429 / 5xx. throttling
Google is rate-limiting you. The tool already retries with backoff, but if it
persists, raise -delay (e.g. -delay 10s). See
throttling guide.
Sitemap fetch fails (404 / timeout)
- 404: the sitemap URL is wrong; open it in a browser to confirm.
- timeout: the host is slow or down; the fetch has a 30s limit.
"no URLs given"
You started the tool without any URL, batch file, or piped input. Provide one:
./gsc-indexer -creds sa.json "https://www.toolsura.com/"
Empty / zero results
- Forgot the pipe? Without it, stdin is your keyboard and the run finds
nothing:
cat urls.txt | ./gsc-indexer …. - Batch file path wrong or empty.
Unexpected argument "-something"
A flag placed after a URL gets treated as a URL (Go stops parsing flags at the first non-flag). Put all flags before URLs:
## wrong: ./gsc-indexer -creds sa.json "url" -color always
## right: ./gsc-indexer -creds sa.json -color always "url"
Colors not showing (or showing when piped)
Color is automatic: on in a terminal, off when piped so logs stay clean.
Seeing no color in a terminal? Check that NO_COLOR isn't set. Force color
with -color always; force plain text with -color never. The ✓/⚠/✗
symbols carry the meaning either way.
Permissions / scope
The tool requests the webmasters.readonly OAuth scope, but the service
account still needs Full property access in GSC: scope alone isn't enough
to inspect.
5-point diagnostic checklist
- Cloud project exists and Search Console API is enabled
-
sa.jsonpresent and readable - SA email added to the property as Full
- Property prefix exactly matches the inspected URL (
www,https) - Using
-creds, not-apikey
If all five check out and it still fails, re-run with -dry-run to isolate
whether the problem is URL expansion or the API call.
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 (request indexing)
- Indexing API (JobPosting/BroadcastEvent only)
Written by
Abhay Khant
Hi, I'm Abhay Thakor
I'm a developer, builder, and technology enthusiast interested in turning ideas into useful products.
I enjoy working across web development, cybersecurity, automation, SEO, and content creation. Rather than only learning technologies individually, I like putting them together to build things that people can use.
One of my main projects is Toolsura, a free online utility platform that brings practical tools into one place. I'm building Toolsura as a product and a learning project where I can explore development, infrastructure, SEO, content distribution, automation, and product growth.
What I Build
My work currently revolves around several areas:
Web development with Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS, and modern web technologies
Backend development with Go, APIs, databases, and server-side systems
Automation using n8n, APIs, Docker, and connected services
SEO and content systems for building organic search traffic
Cybersecurity including web security, bug bounty, SOC concepts, and malware analysis
Content creation including video editing, YouTube content, graphics, and promotional videos
I enjoy going beyond tutorials and experimenting with complete systems, from the frontend interface all the way to the backend, deployment, automation, and distribution.
Toolsura
Toolsura is one of the projects I'm most actively building.
The idea is simple: create useful, accessible online tools that solve small problems quickly.
Toolsura includes utilities for things such as text, JSON, URLs, PDFs, images, security checks, and other everyday technical tasks.
Building it has also become a practical way for me to learn how a modern web product works.
That means working on:
Product → Development → Infrastructure → SEO → Content → Distribution → Automation → Growth
Technology & Learning
I'm particularly interested in understanding how systems work rather than simply learning how to use them.
My development work has included technologies such as:
Next.js · React · TypeScript · Tailwind CSS · Go · Gin · GORM · PostgreSQL · MongoDB · Docker · RabbitMQ · MinIO · Strapi
I've also worked with Linux environments and tools such as Kali Linux, Termux, and related security tooling.
My cybersecurity interests include web application security, bug bounty research, SOC analysis, and malware analysis.
Building in Public
I also create content around the things I build and learn.
This includes:
Tutorials and technical articles
YouTube videos
Product demonstrations
Visual explainers
Promotional videos
SEO-focused educational content
My goal is to turn projects and experiments into useful resources that other people can learn from.
Why I Build
For me, building is one of the best ways to learn.
Instead of learning a technology in isolation, I prefer starting with a real problem and figuring out what is required to solve it.
Sometimes that means writing code. Other times it's debugging a deployment at midnight, or working out why a page isn't being indexed, why an API isn't behaving correctly, or how to automate something that would otherwise take hours.
Those problems are part of the process.
Every project gives me another opportunity to understand how technology works in the real world.
What I'm Working Toward
I'm continuing to develop my skills across software engineering, cybersecurity, automation, and digital products.
At the same time, I'm building Toolsura into a useful platform and experimenting with different ways to create, distribute, and grow technical products.
There is still a lot to learn, but that's exactly what makes building interesting.
Let's Connect
If you're interested in web development, cybersecurity, automation, SEO, online tools, or building products, feel free to connect.
I'm always interested in learning, experimenting, and building something useful.
Build. Learn. Improve. Repeat.