DataForSEO
Agent-callable tools for the DataForSEO API v3 (https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/): search-engine, SEO, and AI-search data. Look up Google organic SERPs; research keywords (suggestions, related terms, search volume, difficulty, intent); analyze domains (ranking keywords, rank overview, organic-traffic estimates); inspect backlink profiles; search Google Maps business listings; run an on-page SEO audit; query AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity) and track how brands and domains are mentioned in AI-generated answers. All 33 tools are read-only data queries against DataForSEO's live (synchronous) endpoints.
Independent, unofficial connector for DataForSEO. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by DataForSEO. "DataForSEO" is a trademark of its owner, used only to identify the service this connector works with.
When to use this
- SERP & keyword research — see who ranks for a query, expand a seed keyword, or pull volume / CPC / difficulty / intent for a keyword list.
- Domain & competitor analysis — the keywords a domain ranks for, its rank overview, estimated organic traffic (current or historical), and its backlink profile (summary, individual links, referring domains, anchors).
- Local & on-page — find Google Maps businesses by category or location, or audit a single page's on-page SEO.
- AI-search visibility — ask an LLM a prompt, or track where a brand / domain / keyword is mentioned across AI answers (top pages, top domains, aggregate metrics).
Setup
This is an agentskills.io skill.
If the connector has not been installed as a skill yet, install it first with npx skills add zapier/connectors --skill dataforseo (or your harness's own skill-install mechanism), then continue here. Installing the skill copies these files, not dependencies. Before running the CLI, a local MCP server, or zapier-sdk auth commands, run npm install --omit=dev here once. Importing the published package as a dependency in your own project instead? That npm install already resolves everything — see references/use-as-sdk.md.
Want the actual repo source instead — to browse references/, run this connector's tests, or hack on it? See README.md for a scoped git clone.
The connector runs on Node.js 22.18+. Pick the reference that matches how you're running it, and load it before doing anything else:
| You have... |
Load |
An MCP-aware client — tools may already be loaded (e.g. mcp__dataforseo__<tool>), or you can register a local server yourself (or guide the user to) |
references/use-as-mcp.md |
Terminal / subprocess access (you can run node) |
references/use-as-cli.md |
| Only your own code, importing this package as a dependency |
references/use-as-sdk.md |
| No tool access, no terminal, no ability to import this package — you write your own code that calls the DataForSEO API directly (e.g. a code-execution sandbox) |
references/use-as-recipe.md |
Scripts
All scripts use the single connection dataforseo. Many take a location_name / language_name pair (full names, e.g. "United States" / "English") — call listLocationsAndLanguages to resolve exact accepted values. List tools page with limit / offset.
| Script |
Script name |
Connections |
Description |
scripts/getGoogleOrganicSerp.ts |
getGoogleOrganicSerp |
dataforseo |
Fetch live parsed Google organic results for a keyword. |
scripts/getKeywordSuggestions.ts |
getKeywordSuggestions |
dataforseo |
Expand a seed keyword into long-tail queries that contain it. |
scripts/getRelatedKeywords.ts |
getRelatedKeywords |
dataforseo |
Get keywords from Google's "searches related to" block. |
scripts/getKeywordOverview.ts |
getKeywordOverview |
dataforseo |
Full metrics (volume, CPC, competition, difficulty, intent) for known keywords. |
scripts/getKeywordDifficulty.ts |
getKeywordDifficulty |
dataforseo |
Keyword Difficulty (0–100) for up to 1,000 keywords. |
scripts/getSearchVolume.ts |
getSearchVolume |
dataforseo |
Google Ads search volume, CPC, and competition for keywords. |
scripts/getAiKeywordSearchVolume.ts |
getAiKeywordSearchVolume |
dataforseo |
Estimated keyword usage volume inside AI tools. |
scripts/getSearchIntent.ts |
getSearchIntent |
dataforseo |
Classify the search intent of up to 1,000 keywords. |
scripts/getRankedKeywords.ts |
getRankedKeywords |
dataforseo |
List the keywords a domain or URL ranks for in Google. |
scripts/getDomainRankOverview.ts |
getDomainRankOverview |
dataforseo |
A domain's organic + paid search overview. |
scripts/getOrganicTraffic.ts |
getOrganicTraffic |
dataforseo |
Estimate current monthly organic traffic for up to 1,000 domains. |
scripts/getHistoricalTraffic.ts |
getHistoricalTraffic |
dataforseo |
Estimate monthly organic traffic over the past ~12 months. |
scripts/getBacklinksSummary.ts |
getBacklinksSummary |
dataforseo |
Overview of a single target's backlink profile (totals, rank, spam score). |
scripts/getBacklinks.ts |
getBacklinks |
dataforseo |
List individual backlinks to a target with anchors and attributes. |
scripts/getBacklinksBulkPagesSummary.ts |
getBacklinksBulkPagesSummary |
dataforseo |
Backlink counts for up to 1,000 pages/domains at once. |
scripts/getReferringDomains.ts |
getReferringDomains |
dataforseo |
Overview of the domains linking to a target. |
scripts/getBacklinkAnchors.ts |
getBacklinkAnchors |
dataforseo |
Anchor texts used in backlinks to a target. |
scripts/searchBusinessListings.ts |
searchBusinessListings |
dataforseo |
Search Google Maps business listings by category, name, or location. |
scripts/getBusinessCategoriesAggregation.ts |
getBusinessCategoriesAggregation |
dataforseo |
Count Google Maps businesses grouped by category. |
scripts/auditPage.ts |
auditPage |
dataforseo |
Run an instant on-page SEO audit of a single URL. |
scripts/getChatGptResponse.ts |
getChatGptResponse |
dataforseo |
Send a prompt to a ChatGPT model and get its response. |
scripts/getChatGptSearchResults.ts |
getChatGptSearchResults |
dataforseo |
The web results ChatGPT cited for a keyword search, as structured items. |
scripts/getChatGptSearchResultsHtml.ts |
getChatGptSearchResultsHtml |
dataforseo |
Raw HTML of ChatGPT's search results page for a keyword. |
scripts/getClaudeResponse.ts |
getClaudeResponse |
dataforseo |
Send a prompt to a Claude model and get its response. |
scripts/getGeminiResponse.ts |
getGeminiResponse |
dataforseo |
Send a prompt to a Gemini model and get its response. |
scripts/getPerplexityResponse.ts |
getPerplexityResponse |
dataforseo |
Send a prompt to a Perplexity model and get its response. |
scripts/getLlmMentions.ts |
getLlmMentions |
dataforseo |
Find where brands/domains/keywords are mentioned in AI answers. |
scripts/getLlmMentionsTopPages.ts |
getLlmMentionsTopPages |
dataforseo |
Rank pages most cited alongside your targets in AI answers. |
scripts/getLlmMentionsTopDomains.ts |
getLlmMentionsTopDomains |
dataforseo |
Rank domains most cited alongside your targets in AI answers. |
scripts/getLlmMentionsAggregatedMetrics.ts |
getLlmMentionsAggregatedMetrics |
dataforseo |
Aggregate AI-mention metrics (mention counts and AI search volume) for your targets. |
scripts/getLlmMentionsCrossMetrics.ts |
getLlmMentionsCrossMetrics |
dataforseo |
AI-mention metrics grouped by custom keys for comparison. |
scripts/getAccountBalance.ts |
getAccountBalance |
dataforseo |
Account credit balance, plan limits, and rate (also the auth check). |
scripts/listLocationsAndLanguages.ts |
listLocationsAndLanguages |
dataforseo |
List the exact location and language names DataForSEO accepts. |
Disambiguation & refusals
This connector is read-only and live-only — it retrieves data, one query per call. It does not schedule or monitor tasks over time, run full-site crawls, or create/update/delete anything. If asked to do something outside that surface, say it's unsupported and stop — don't substitute another tool and report success for work you didn't do. Specifically:
- No task scheduling or ongoing monitoring. Each tool returns a one-shot live result; there is no "track rankings/backlinks over time" or background job. To trend a metric, the agent calls the tool again later and compares.
- No full-site crawl.
auditPage audits a single URL only. There is no tool to crawl an entire site.
- No writes. Nothing here modifies a Google property, a website, or a DataForSEO resource; there is nothing to create, update, or delete.
- ChatGPT-platform LLM mentions are US/English only.
getLlmMentions with platform: "chat_gpt" has no data outside the United States / English locale. If asked for another locale, say the data isn't available and stop — don't call getChatGptResponse (a live single-prompt chat, not mentions data) and present its output as mentions data, and don't silently swap to platform: "google" or a SERP search and report that instead without flagging the limitation.
Because every tool is a read that takes explicit query values (keywords, domains, URLs), there is no name-lookup-then-write step that needs disambiguation.
Auth
Every shape passes auth as one connection selector, not the secret — a [<resolver>:]<value> string. Every connector accepts zapier:<connection-id> (Zapier-managed auth — routes through Zapier's auth, retries, and governance layer); some also accept one or more direct-token resolvers (naming and count vary per connector) — check this connector's own resolvers rather than assuming. The <resolver>: prefix is optional; a bare value goes to the first resolver that claims it — a UUID-shaped bare value always claims zapier:. Each script declares the connections it needs and the resolvers each accepts. The exact syntax for passing a connection (and how to see this connector's resolver list) differs by shape — see the reference you loaded above.
Checking what's already configured first? Don't dump environment values to do it — env or env | grep <name> prints the value along with the name, leaking a live credential into the transcript if one is set. Check names only (env | cut -d= -f1 | grep -i <name>) or test a known name directly ([ -n "$VAR_NAME" ]).
No connection yet? Pick one — and follow the reference's own flow to obtain it; never just ask the user for a connection id or token as if they already have one memorized:
|
Load |
| Pass the credential directly |
references/use-without-zapier.md |
| Route it through a Zapier connection |
references/use-with-zapier.md |
Output format
Every script returns a { data, meta } envelope:
data — the script's result (the shape its outputSchema declares; see the reference you loaded above for how to inspect a script's exact schema in your shape).
meta.outputDataValidation — what validating data did:
{ skipped: false, droppedPaths: null } — validated, nothing removed.
{ skipped: false, droppedPaths: [...], instruction } — validated, but those paths were stripped from data: fields the script returned from the API that the outputSchema doesn't declare. If you need them, re-run with output validation skipped.
{ skipped: true } — validation was bypassed; data is the raw, unchecked script output.
Reading dropped fields / skipOutputDataValidation. To receive the raw, unvalidated result, opt out of output validation (the exact syntax differs by shape — see the reference you loaded above). Input validation is never skipped.
Trimming the result / filterOutputData. To shrink a large result down to the fields you need, pass a jq expression that post-processes data (again, exact syntax per shape). The jq runs against data only, NOT the { data, meta } envelope, so write it rooted at data (run the script's --help — or your shape's equivalent — to see its output schema). The transformed value replaces data, meta is preserved, and the result is NOT re-validated against the output schema.
References
Load the matching reference file before working in that area:
| Reference |
Covers |
Load it when |
| references/dataforseo-api-gotchas.md |
In-body error status codes over HTTP 200, the array-of-tasks request format, the response envelope, auth, rate limits, exact location/language names, the filters array-expression syntax, limit/input caps, and metric-specific notes (backlink rank, keyword difficulty, related-keyword depth, SERP depth, LLM-mentions platform, Perplexity web search). |
Any call fails with data-looking-empty results, you're building a filters expression, hitting a limit, resolving a location/language, or interpreting a metric's range. |
| references/use-as-recipe.md |
A reference implementation of the request/response shape for each endpoint — the array-wrapped POST body, the two-level status check, and the per-tool endpoint/param table — with critical rules pointed at the gotchas. |
Loaded by a harness writing its own code against the DataForSEO API (can't load the tools, run the CLI, or import the package). |
1---2name: dataforseo3description: Agent-callable DataForSEO tools — Google SERP results, keyword and domain analytics, backlinks, Google Maps business data, on-page audits, and AI-search visibility (LLM answers + brand mentions). Use when the user wants SEO or AI-search data, even if they don't name DataForSEO.4license: Elastic-2.05---67# DataForSEO89<!-- BEGIN:skill-intro -->1011Agent-callable tools for the [DataForSEO API v3](https://docs.dataforseo.com/v3/) (`https://api.dataforseo.com/v3/`): search-engine, SEO, and AI-search data. Look up Google organic SERPs; research keywords (suggestions, related terms, search volume, difficulty, intent); analyze domains (ranking keywords, rank overview, organic-traffic estimates); inspect backlink profiles; search Google Maps business listings; run an on-page SEO audit; query AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity) and track how brands and domains are mentioned in AI-generated answers. All 33 tools are **read-only** data queries against DataForSEO's live (synchronous) endpoints.1213<!-- legal:disclaimer -->1415_Independent, unofficial connector for DataForSEO. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by DataForSEO. "DataForSEO" is a trademark of its owner, used only to identify the service this connector works with._16<!-- /legal:disclaimer -->17<!-- END:skill-intro -->1819## When to use this2021<!-- BEGIN:skill-use-cases -->2223- **SERP & keyword research** — see who ranks for a query, expand a seed keyword, or pull volume / CPC / difficulty / intent for a keyword list.24- **Domain & competitor analysis** — the keywords a domain ranks for, its rank overview, estimated organic traffic (current or historical), and its backlink profile (summary, individual links, referring domains, anchors).25- **Local & on-page** — find Google Maps businesses by category or location, or audit a single page's on-page SEO.26- **AI-search visibility** — ask an LLM a prompt, or track where a brand / domain / keyword is mentioned across AI answers (top pages, top domains, aggregate metrics).2728<!-- END:skill-use-cases -->2930## Setup3132This is an [agentskills.io](https://agentskills.io) skill.3334If the connector has not been installed as a skill yet, install it first with `npx skills add zapier/connectors --skill dataforseo` (or your harness's own skill-install mechanism), then continue here. Installing the skill copies these files, not dependencies. Before running the CLI, a local MCP server, or `zapier-sdk` auth commands, run `npm install --omit=dev` here once. Importing the published package as a dependency in your own project instead? That `npm install` already resolves everything — see [`references/use-as-sdk.md`](references/use-as-sdk.md).3536Want the actual repo source instead — to browse `references/`, run this connector's tests, or hack on it? See [`README.md`](README.md#cloning-the-source) for a scoped `git clone`.3738The connector runs on **Node.js 22.18+**. Pick the reference that matches how you're running it, and load it before doing anything else:3940| You have... | Load |41| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |42| An MCP-aware client — tools may already be loaded (e.g. `mcp__dataforseo__<tool>`), or you can register a local server yourself (or guide the user to) | [`references/use-as-mcp.md`](references/use-as-mcp.md) |43| Terminal / subprocess access (you can run `node`) | [`references/use-as-cli.md`](references/use-as-cli.md) |44| Only your own code, importing this package as a dependency | [`references/use-as-sdk.md`](references/use-as-sdk.md) |45| No tool access, no terminal, no ability to import this package — you write your own code that calls the DataForSEO API directly (e.g. a code-execution sandbox) | [`references/use-as-recipe.md`](references/use-as-recipe.md) |4647## Scripts4849<!-- BEGIN:skill-connections-note? -->5051All scripts use the single connection `dataforseo`. Many take a `location_name` / `language_name` pair (full names, e.g. `"United States"` / `"English"`) — call `listLocationsAndLanguages` to resolve exact accepted values. List tools page with `limit` / `offset`.52<!-- END:skill-connections-note -->5354<!-- BEGIN:skill-scripts-table -->5556| Script | Script name | Connections | Description |57| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |58| [`scripts/getGoogleOrganicSerp.ts`](scripts/getGoogleOrganicSerp.ts) | `getGoogleOrganicSerp` | `dataforseo` | Fetch live parsed Google organic results for a keyword. |59| [`scripts/getKeywordSuggestions.ts`](scripts/getKeywordSuggestions.ts) | `getKeywordSuggestions` | `dataforseo` | Expand a seed keyword into long-tail queries that contain it. |60| [`scripts/getRelatedKeywords.ts`](scripts/getRelatedKeywords.ts) | `getRelatedKeywords` | `dataforseo` | Get keywords from Google's "searches related to" block. |61| [`scripts/getKeywordOverview.ts`](scripts/getKeywordOverview.ts) | `getKeywordOverview` | `dataforseo` | Full metrics (volume, CPC, competition, difficulty, intent) for known keywords. |62| [`scripts/getKeywordDifficulty.ts`](scripts/getKeywordDifficulty.ts) | `getKeywordDifficulty` | `dataforseo` | Keyword Difficulty (0–100) for up to 1,000 keywords. |63| [`scripts/getSearchVolume.ts`](scripts/getSearchVolume.ts) | `getSearchVolume` | `dataforseo` | Google Ads search volume, CPC, and competition for keywords. |64| [`scripts/getAiKeywordSearchVolume.ts`](scripts/getAiKeywordSearchVolume.ts) | `getAiKeywordSearchVolume` | `dataforseo` | Estimated keyword usage volume inside AI tools. |65| [`scripts/getSearchIntent.ts`](scripts/getSearchIntent.ts) | `getSearchIntent` | `dataforseo` | Classify the search intent of up to 1,000 keywords. |66| [`scripts/getRankedKeywords.ts`](scripts/getRankedKeywords.ts) | `getRankedKeywords` | `dataforseo` | List the keywords a domain or URL ranks for in Google. |67| [`scripts/getDomainRankOverview.ts`](scripts/getDomainRankOverview.ts) | `getDomainRankOverview` | `dataforseo` | A domain's organic + paid search overview. |68| [`scripts/getOrganicTraffic.ts`](scripts/getOrganicTraffic.ts) | `getOrganicTraffic` | `dataforseo` | Estimate current monthly organic traffic for up to 1,000 domains. |69| [`scripts/getHistoricalTraffic.ts`](scripts/getHistoricalTraffic.ts) | `getHistoricalTraffic` | `dataforseo` | Estimate monthly organic traffic over the past ~12 months. |70| [`scripts/getBacklinksSummary.ts`](scripts/getBacklinksSummary.ts) | `getBacklinksSummary` | `dataforseo` | Overview of a single target's backlink profile (totals, rank, spam score). |71| [`scripts/getBacklinks.ts`](scripts/getBacklinks.ts) | `getBacklinks` | `dataforseo` | List individual backlinks to a target with anchors and attributes. |72| [`scripts/getBacklinksBulkPagesSummary.ts`](scripts/getBacklinksBulkPagesSummary.ts) | `getBacklinksBulkPagesSummary` | `dataforseo` | Backlink counts for up to 1,000 pages/domains at once. |73| [`scripts/getReferringDomains.ts`](scripts/getReferringDomains.ts) | `getReferringDomains` | `dataforseo` | Overview of the domains linking to a target. |74| [`scripts/getBacklinkAnchors.ts`](scripts/getBacklinkAnchors.ts) | `getBacklinkAnchors` | `dataforseo` | Anchor texts used in backlinks to a target. |75| [`scripts/searchBusinessListings.ts`](scripts/searchBusinessListings.ts) | `searchBusinessListings` | `dataforseo` | Search Google Maps business listings by category, name, or location. |76| [`scripts/getBusinessCategoriesAggregation.ts`](scripts/getBusinessCategoriesAggregation.ts) | `getBusinessCategoriesAggregation` | `dataforseo` | Count Google Maps businesses grouped by category. |77| [`scripts/auditPage.ts`](scripts/auditPage.ts) | `auditPage` | `dataforseo` | Run an instant on-page SEO audit of a single URL. |78| [`scripts/getChatGptResponse.ts`](scripts/getChatGptResponse.ts) | `getChatGptResponse` | `dataforseo` | Send a prompt to a ChatGPT model and get its response. |79| [`scripts/getChatGptSearchResults.ts`](scripts/getChatGptSearchResults.ts) | `getChatGptSearchResults` | `dataforseo` | The web results ChatGPT cited for a keyword search, as structured items. |80| [`scripts/getChatGptSearchResultsHtml.ts`](scripts/getChatGptSearchResultsHtml.ts) | `getChatGptSearchResultsHtml` | `dataforseo` | Raw HTML of ChatGPT's search results page for a keyword. |81| [`scripts/getClaudeResponse.ts`](scripts/getClaudeResponse.ts) | `getClaudeResponse` | `dataforseo` | Send a prompt to a Claude model and get its response. |82| [`scripts/getGeminiResponse.ts`](scripts/getGeminiResponse.ts) | `getGeminiResponse` | `dataforseo` | Send a prompt to a Gemini model and get its response. |83| [`scripts/getPerplexityResponse.ts`](scripts/getPerplexityResponse.ts) | `getPerplexityResponse` | `dataforseo` | Send a prompt to a Perplexity model and get its response. |84| [`scripts/getLlmMentions.ts`](scripts/getLlmMentions.ts) | `getLlmMentions` | `dataforseo` | Find where brands/domains/keywords are mentioned in AI answers. |85| [`scripts/getLlmMentionsTopPages.ts`](scripts/getLlmMentionsTopPages.ts) | `getLlmMentionsTopPages` | `dataforseo` | Rank pages most cited alongside your targets in AI answers. |86| [`scripts/getLlmMentionsTopDomains.ts`](scripts/getLlmMentionsTopDomains.ts) | `getLlmMentionsTopDomains` | `dataforseo` | Rank domains most cited alongside your targets in AI answers. |87| [`scripts/getLlmMentionsAggregatedMetrics.ts`](scripts/getLlmMentionsAggregatedMetrics.ts) | `getLlmMentionsAggregatedMetrics` | `dataforseo` | Aggregate AI-mention metrics (mention counts and AI search volume) for your targets. |88| [`scripts/getLlmMentionsCrossMetrics.ts`](scripts/getLlmMentionsCrossMetrics.ts) | `getLlmMentionsCrossMetrics` | `dataforseo` | AI-mention metrics grouped by custom keys for comparison. |89| [`scripts/getAccountBalance.ts`](scripts/getAccountBalance.ts) | `getAccountBalance` | `dataforseo` | Account credit balance, plan limits, and rate (also the auth check). |90| [`scripts/listLocationsAndLanguages.ts`](scripts/listLocationsAndLanguages.ts) | `listLocationsAndLanguages` | `dataforseo` | List the exact location and language names DataForSEO accepts. |9192<!-- END:skill-scripts-table -->9394<!-- BEGIN:disambiguation-and-refusals? -->9596## Disambiguation & refusals9798This connector is **read-only and live-only** — it retrieves data, one query per call. It does not schedule or monitor tasks over time, run full-site crawls, or create/update/delete anything. If asked to do something outside that surface, say it's unsupported and stop — don't substitute another tool and report success for work you didn't do. Specifically:99100- **No task scheduling or ongoing monitoring.** Each tool returns a one-shot live result; there is no "track rankings/backlinks over time" or background job. To trend a metric, the agent calls the tool again later and compares.101- **No full-site crawl.** `auditPage` audits a single URL only. There is no tool to crawl an entire site.102- **No writes.** Nothing here modifies a Google property, a website, or a DataForSEO resource; there is nothing to create, update, or delete.103- **ChatGPT-platform LLM mentions are US/English only.** `getLlmMentions` with `platform: "chat_gpt"` has no data outside the United States / English locale. If asked for another locale, say the data isn't available and stop — don't call `getChatGptResponse` (a live single-prompt chat, not mentions data) and present its output as mentions data, and don't silently swap to `platform: "google"` or a SERP search and report that instead without flagging the limitation.104105Because every tool is a read that takes explicit query values (keywords, domains, URLs), there is no name-lookup-then-write step that needs disambiguation.106<!-- END:disambiguation-and-refusals -->107108## Auth109110Every shape passes auth as one connection **selector**, not the secret — a `[<resolver>:]<value>` string. Every connector accepts `zapier:<connection-id>` (Zapier-managed auth — routes through Zapier's auth, retries, and governance layer); some also accept one or more direct-token resolvers (naming and count vary per connector) — check this connector's own resolvers rather than assuming. The `<resolver>:` prefix is optional; a bare value goes to the first resolver that claims it — a UUID-shaped bare value always claims `zapier:`. Each script declares the connections it needs and the resolvers each accepts. The exact syntax for passing a connection (and how to see this connector's resolver list) differs by shape — see the reference you loaded above.111112Checking what's already configured first? Don't dump environment values to do it — `env` or `env | grep <name>` prints the value along with the name, leaking a live credential into the transcript if one is set. Check names only (`env | cut -d= -f1 | grep -i <name>`) or test a known name directly (`[ -n "$VAR_NAME" ]`).113114<!-- BEGIN:skill-auth-notes? operational behavior that differs by WHICH resolver is used — a safety gate only one path enforces, scopes/permissions that differ between resolvers, a billing/plan difference tied to the auth path, or a feature only available (or unavailable) on one resolver. Not for describing how to obtain or pass a credential — that's references/use-without-zapier.md's job. Leave this region empty (unfilled) if every resolver behaves identically. -->115<!-- END:skill-auth-notes -->116117No connection yet? Pick one — and follow the reference's own flow to obtain it; never just ask the user for a connection id or token as if they already have one memorized:118119| | Load |120| ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |121| Pass the credential directly | [`references/use-without-zapier.md`](references/use-without-zapier.md) |122| Route it through a Zapier connection | [`references/use-with-zapier.md`](references/use-with-zapier.md) |123124## Output format125126Every script returns a `{ data, meta }` envelope:127128- **`data`** — the script's result (the shape its `outputSchema` declares; see the reference you loaded above for how to inspect a script's exact schema in your shape).129- **`meta.outputDataValidation`** — what validating `data` did:130 - `{ skipped: false, droppedPaths: null }` — validated, nothing removed.131 - `{ skipped: false, droppedPaths: [...], instruction }` — validated, but those paths were stripped from `data`: fields the script returned from the API that the `outputSchema` doesn't declare. If you need them, re-run with output validation skipped.132 - `{ skipped: true }` — validation was bypassed; `data` is the raw, unchecked script output.133134**Reading dropped fields / `skipOutputDataValidation`.** To receive the raw, unvalidated result, opt out of output validation (the exact syntax differs by shape — see the reference you loaded above). Input validation is never skipped.135136**Trimming the result / `filterOutputData`.** To shrink a large result down to the fields you need, pass a jq expression that post-processes `data` (again, exact syntax per shape). The jq runs against `data` only, NOT the `{ data, meta }` envelope, so write it rooted at `data` (run the script's `--help` — or your shape's equivalent — to see its output schema). The transformed value replaces `data`, `meta` is preserved, and the result is NOT re-validated against the output schema.137138<!-- BEGIN:skill-references-table -->139140## References141142Load the matching reference file before working in that area:143144| Reference | Covers | Load it when |145| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |146| [references/dataforseo-api-gotchas.md](references/dataforseo-api-gotchas.md) | In-body error status codes over HTTP 200, the array-of-tasks request format, the response envelope, auth, rate limits, exact location/language names, the `filters` array-expression syntax, `limit`/input caps, and metric-specific notes (backlink rank, keyword difficulty, related-keyword depth, SERP depth, LLM-mentions platform, Perplexity web search). | Any call fails with data-looking-empty results, you're building a `filters` expression, hitting a limit, resolving a location/language, or interpreting a metric's range. |147| [references/use-as-recipe.md](references/use-as-recipe.md) | A reference implementation of the request/response shape for each endpoint — the array-wrapped POST body, the two-level status check, and the per-tool endpoint/param table — with critical rules pointed at the gotchas. | Loaded by a harness writing its own code against the DataForSEO API (can't load the tools, run the CLI, or import the package). |148149<!-- END:skill-references-table -->