modbender Keyword Research with dataforseo-cli
LLM-friendly keyword research CLI. Wraps the DataForSEO API and outputs TSV by default — compact, structured, and optimized for agent context windows.
npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/dataforseo-cli GitHub: https://github.com/alexgusevski/dataforseo-cli
Setup
1. Install from npm
npm install -g dataforseo-cli
2. Check credentials
dataforseo-cli status
If credentials are already configured, you're good to go. If not, authenticate:
# With login + password
dataforseo-cli --set-credentials login=YOUR_LOGIN password=YOUR_PASSWORD
# Or with base64 token (from DataForSEO email)
dataforseo-cli --set-credentials base64=YOUR_BASE64_TOKEN
Credentials are stored in ~/.config/dataforseo-cli/config.json. The locations and languages commands work without credentials (local data).
Commands
status — Check credentials
Check if API credentials are configured without making any API calls.
dataforseo-cli status
Exits 0 if configured, exits 1 if not. Shows login username (not password).
volume — Keyword metrics
Get search volume, CPC, keyword difficulty (0–100), competition level, and 12-month search trend.
dataforseo-cli volume <keywords...> [options]
Arguments:
<keywords...>— One or more keywords (required). Batch multiple keywords in one call to save API requests.
Options:
-l, --location <code>— Location code (default:2840= US)--language <code>— Language code (default:en)--json— Output as JSON array--table/--human— Output as human-readable table
Example:
dataforseo-cli volume "seo tools" "keyword research" "backlink checker"
Output (TSV):
keyword volume cpc difficulty competition trend
seo tools 12500 2.35 45 HIGH 14800,13900,12500,12100,11800,12000,12500,13000,12800,12500,12200,11900
difficulty— 0–100 scale (0-30 easy, 31-60 medium, 61-100 hard)cpc— Cost per click in USDcompetition— LOW / MEDIUM / HIGHtrend— 12 monthly search volumes, newest first
related — Keyword suggestions
Find related keyword ideas from a seed keyword.
dataforseo-cli related <seed> [options]
Arguments:
<seed>— Seed keyword (required, single keyword)
Options:
-l, --location <code>— Location code (default:2840= US)--language <code>— Language code (default:en)-n, --limit <n>— Max results (default:50)--json— Output as JSON array--table/--human— Output as human-readable table
Example:
dataforseo-cli related "ai agents" -n 20
Output (TSV):
keyword volume cpc competition difficulty
best ai agents 8100 3.10 0.82 52
ai agent framework 2400 1.85 0.65 38
competitor — Domain keyword analysis
See what keywords a domain currently ranks for.
dataforseo-cli competitor <domain> [options]
Arguments:
<domain>— Target domain (required, e.g.ahrefs.com)
Options:
-l, --location <code>— Location code (default:2840= US)--language <code>— Language code (default:en)-n, --limit <n>— Max results (default:50)--json— Output as JSON array--table/--human— Output as human-readable table
Example:
dataforseo-cli competitor semrush.com -n 10
Output (TSV):
keyword position volume cpc difficulty url
backlink checker 1 33100 4.50 72 https://ahrefs.com/backlink-checker
locations — Look up location codes
List all available location codes, or filter by name. Works offline — no API credentials needed.
dataforseo-cli locations [search] [--json]
Arguments:
[search]— Optional filter by name (e.g.sweden,new york)
Without search — lists all locations:
dataforseo-cli locations
With search — filters by name:
dataforseo-cli locations sweden
Output (TSV):
code name country type
2752 Sweden SE Country
languages — Look up language codes
List all available language codes, or filter by name. Works offline — no API credentials needed.
dataforseo-cli languages [search] [--json]
Without search — lists all languages:
dataforseo-cli languages
With search — filters by name:
dataforseo-cli languages swedish
Output (TSV):
name code
Swedish sv
Output Formats
All data commands default to TSV (tab-separated values) — the most token-efficient structured format for LLMs.
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| (default) | TSV — fewest tokens, best for agent pipelines |
--json |
JSON array — use when you need structured parsing |
--table / --human |
Human-readable aligned table — for human review |
Caching
Results are cached in ~/.config/dataforseo-cli/cache/ to avoid duplicate API calls and save costs. Same query + location + language = cache hit.
dataforseo-cli --print-cache
Workflow: SEO Article Research
- Start with seed keyword:
dataforseo-cli volume "your topic" - Expand:
dataforseo-cli related "your topic" -n 30 - Filter: Pick keywords with volume > 100, difficulty < 60
- Check competitors:
dataforseo-cli competitor competitor-domain.com -n 20 - Write article targeting the best keyword cluster
Tips
- Batch keywords in
volume— DataForSEO charges per API request, not per keyword - Default location is USA (2840). Always set
--locationfor local/international SEO - Use
locationsandlanguageswithout arguments to see all available options - Difficulty scale: 0-30 easy, 31-60 medium, 61-100 hard