Documentation
aiseo-audit CLI commands and options reference
In brief. This is the aiseo-audit command-line interface reference for auditing pages and sitemaps from a terminal. It explains analysis options, report formats, target queries, baselines, quality gates, exit codes, and shared site signals.
Maintained by Jeff Patterson and Agency Enterprise · Updated August 30, 2026
How the aiseo-audit CLI works: overview
Give the command a page URL or sitemap, then add options for queries, output, comparison, or a release threshold.
The reason to use the CLI is repeatability. It works by applying the same analyzer and configuration to each run, which is why saved inputs matter when results are compared.
aiseo-audit CLI commands and options reference terms
CLI
CLI refers to the command-line interface used from a terminal.
Option
An option refers to a named command setting such as --query or --json.
Positional URL
A positional URL means that the page address appears without a preceding option name.
Exit code
An exit code is defined as the number returned to the shell after the command ends.
Quality gate
A quality gate refers to a minimum score enforced with --fail-under.
Sitemap audit
A sitemap audit is a type of run that analyzes every URL listed by a sitemap or sitemap index.
Usage
Provide a page URL or --sitemap. Omit both only when rendering cross-URL history with --diff --all.
aiseo-audit [options] [url]Analysis options
| Field or option | Description |
|---|---|
--query <query> | Target query; repeatable, with a maximum of ten. |
--domain <type> | auto, product, or informational page profile. |
--engine <preset> | Experimental generic, gemini, gpt, or perplexity weighting. |
--sitemap <url> | Audit every URL found in a sitemap or sitemap index. |
--signals-base <url> | Override the base used for robots.txt and llms files. |
--timeout <ms> | Per-request timeout; the default is 45000. |
Output and quality gates
| Field or option | Description |
|---|---|
--json / --md / --html | Select a report format. |
--out <path> | Write output and infer the format from the extension. |
--tldr | Emit only the score, stages, and top three fixes. |
--fail-under <score> | Exit with code 1 when the audit falls below the threshold. |
--diff | Record the run and compare it with the previous baseline. |
--baseline <path> | Compare against a specific JSON result without updating history. |
Exit codes
| Field or option | Description |
|---|---|
0 | Audit completed and any configured threshold passed. |
1 | The result fell below --fail-under. |
2 | Invalid usage, configuration, or runtime failure. |
How to use this reference
- Choose a page URL or a sitemap URL.
- Add target queries and a page profile when they are known.
- Choose terminal, JSON, Markdown, or HTML output.
- Save the report when the result will become a baseline.
- Add --fail-under only after the team has calibrated a useful threshold.
Key takeaways
- The URL is the only positional input for a page audit.
- The sitemap is supplied with --sitemap instead of the positional URL.
- The query is repeatable up to the documented limit of ten.
- The output is printed to the terminal unless --out writes a file.
- The exit code is designed for scripts and continuous integration.
Bottom line: Use the smallest command that preserves the inputs needed to repeat the audit.
Official sources and verification
According to the npm package page, aiseo-audit publishes its current version and installation command [1]. According to the GitHub repository, the source code and project documentation are public [2].
According to the evidence map, every scored factor records an evidence tier and pipeline stage [3]. According to the release history, major versions document scoring changes that require new baselines [4]. According to the project license, aiseo-audit uses the MIT license[5].
- aiseo-audit on npm: package, version, and installation details.
- agencyenterprise/aiseo-audit: source code and documentation.
- aiseo-audit evidence map: factor tiers, stages, and research sources.
- aiseo-audit releases: version history and migration notes.
- MIT license: project license text.