Slightly rude, very useful: Claude can now tell you whether ChatGPT names your competitor when somebody asks it for what you sell. Same for Gemini, Perplexity and Claude itself. It'll also tell you where you rank on Google and what that competitor's running for ads. The thing that makes it work is Manifold MCP. (An MCP is a plug that lets Claude read another app's data. This one plugs in Google rankings, AI answers, public ad libraries and social profiles. It can only read: it can't post, send or change anything.)
This is the whole setup from my video: connecting it to Claude Code (one command and a sign-in) or to the Claude app (no terminal at all), a free first test, the four questions I asked about our own site as copy-paste prompts, what every check costs in credits, and what breaks. And the catch: AI answers change every time you ask. So whatever you get back is today's snapshot, not a verdict on your business.
Start here: paste this into Claude Code
Install Claude Code first if you don't have it (step 1 under “Connect Manifold to Claude Code” below). Then run these lines in your terminal: they make a folder, plug Manifold in for that folder, and start Claude. Inside Claude Code, type /mcp, pick manifold and sign in in your browser. Then paste the prompt. It walks you through the rest and stops before every check that spends credits.
Using the Claude app instead? Do “Or: connect it to the Claude app” below, then paste the same prompt into a new chat with Manifold switched on.
cd ~
mkdir seo-check
cd seo-check
claude mcp add --transport http manifold https://mcp.manifoldmcp.com/mcp
claudeAbout me: I run a small business and I'm not technical, so use plain words and short sentences.
Goal: find out where my business shows up on Google and in AI answers (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity), see what one competitor is running for ads and social, and turn it into a short to-do list for my own website. We'll use Manifold MCP, a read-only plug that gives you marketing data. Follow this guide; it's the source of truth for every command and every price:
https://receiptsgroup.com/guides/who-ai-recommends
My website: <yoursite.com>
What I sell, and where: <your service> in <your city or area>
One competitor I want to look at: <their website, or their Facebook page name>
Steps:
1. Check you have Manifold's tools. If you don't, tell me to type /mcp, pick manifold and sign in in my browser (slash commands are mine to type, not yours). Then explain in two sentences what an MCP is and what a Manifold credit is.
2. If you're Claude Code: write CLAUDE.md in this folder from the guide's box, with my details filled in, and show it to me before you save it. In the Claude app, skip this and follow the rules below for the whole chat.
3. The free first test: run Manifold's AI-readiness check (aeo_get_site_readiness) on my website. Explain what failed in plain words, the worst first.
4. Google: get my domain overview and the keywords I rank for, the top 20 by traffic. Show me a table: keyword, position, page, monthly searches.
5. AI answers: write three questions a customer would ask an AI app when they need what I sell where I sell it. Show them to me and wait. Once I approve them, add them to CLAUDE.md under "My questions" (Claude Code only). Then run them on chatgpt, claude, gemini and perplexity only, looking for my business and my competitor. Show me a table: question, AI app, was I named (and where in the list), who was named, which sites it cited.
6. My competitor: their active ads in the Facebook ad library, and their Facebook and Instagram profiles and latest posts. One page of each. Sum up what they offer, the hooks they repeat and how often they post.
7. The to-do list: up to seven things to fix on my own website and listings, most useful first, each with the result it comes from. In Claude Code, save it as a new file with today's date in the name; in the Claude app, just show it.
Rules for every Manifold call:
- Dry run it first (dry_run: true), show me the credits for the whole step, and wait for my yes. Manifold doesn't ask before it charges, so you have to.
- Then run it with max_credits set to the dry-run price, and tell me what it actually cost.
- About AI answers, say "when I asked today", never "ChatGPT recommends". One run is a snapshot.
- Use only what the results show. Never invent a ranking, an answer, a number or a business name.
- Only my website and the one competitor I named. Never put customer names, phone numbers or private details into a call.
- If a check comes back empty (NoData), don't run it again: it costs a credit every time.
- Never ask me for, print or save a key, token or password.
House rules for this setup:
- Go one step at a time and wait for me after each step.
- If you use a technical word, explain it in plain English the first time.
- Ask me before you assume anything about my business, my accounts or my setup.
- Stop and check with me before anything that costs money or spends credits.
- Stop and check with me before anything that sends, posts or publishes to real people.
- Stop and check with me before you delete or overwrite anything.How the pieces connect
This is the manual way: every step, every command and every price. Claude follows it too.
- 1Your questionYou, in plain English, in Claude Code or the Claude app→ where do I rank, who gets named
- 2The priceClaude picks the Manifold tool and asks for a dry run→ the credits it would cost, before anything runs
- 3The dataManifold MCP (read-only), with data from providers like DataForSEO and the public ad libraries→ rankings, AI answers, ads, posts
- 4The answerClaude reads it back in plain words→ a table of where you rank and who got named
- 5The to-do listClaude, using only what the results showed→ up to seven fixes for your own site
Next month, ask the exact same questions and compare. One run is a snapshot; the trend is the part worth reading.
Words you'll see
- MCP: a plug that lets Claude read another app's data. Manifold's plugs in marketing data.
- Claude Code: Anthropic's AI assistant that works in a folder on your computer. You talk to it in plain English inside a terminal (the text-only window where you type commands).
- Connector: what the Claude app calls an MCP you've added.
- Credit: how Manifold charges. Every tool says its price in credits before it runs.
- Dry run: asking a tool what it would cost without running it. Free.
- max_credits: a spending cap on one call. If the price would go over it, Manifold refuses the call and charges nothing.
- AI answers: what ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity say when someone asks them a question. Manifold's tools for this start with
aeo_(answer engine optimization, the AI cousin of SEO). - Domain: your website's address without the https://, like
yoursite.com. - Snapshot: one run, on one day. AI answers change from run to run.
Connect Manifold to Claude Code
Install Claude Code (skip if you have it)
Skip this if
claude --versionalready prints a version. You need a paid Claude plan: Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. The free plan doesn't include Claude Code. The first time you runclaude, it sends you to your browser to log in.curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash # open a NEW terminal window, then: claude --versionirm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iexMake a folder for your checks
Your to-do lists and your rules file land in here, not all over your computer. If the folder's already there,
mkdircomplains; ignore it.cd ~ mkdir seo-check cd seo-checkPlug Manifold in
WhereAt the plain terminal prompt, inside yourseo-checkfolder. Not inside Claude Code.That's the one command from the video. It adds Manifold for this folder only (Claude Code calls that the local scope). Want it in every folder on your computer instead? Use the second line. Pick one, not both.
claude mcp add --transport http manifold https://mcp.manifoldmcp.com/mcpclaude mcp add --transport http manifold --scope user https://mcp.manifoldmcp.com/mcpSign in
WhereInside Claude Code: typeclaudefirst, then/mcp.Pick manifold in the list and follow the steps in your browser: sign in to Manifold with Google or email, and approve Claude Code. Your first sign-in creates your Manifold account and a workspace with 250 free credits. No card.
/mcpPermissionsYou're letting Claude Code use your Manifold account, which spends your workspace's credits. Claude Code keeps the sign-in, andclaude mcp remove manifolddeletes it. The first time Claude uses each Manifold tool, Claude Code asks your permission.Check it's there
At the plain terminal prompt,
claude mcp listshows manifold. If it says! Needs authentication, do the sign-in step again. Or just ask Claude: “What Manifold tools do you have?” You should see names starting withseo_,aeo_,ads_,facebook_,instagram_,console_andanalytics_.claude mcp listWrite CLAUDE.md: the rules Claude follows every time
Here's something worth knowing: Manifold charges the moment a tool runs. It doesn't ask first. So the asking is Claude's job, and this file is where you tell it. Claude Code reads it at the start of every session. It's an instruction, not a lock, though. The lock is
max_credits: Manifold's own server refuses any call priced over it.# Where my business shows up This folder is for checking my own website on Google and in AI answers with Manifold MCP (read-only). ## My business - Website: <yoursite.com> - What I sell, and where: <your service> in <your city or area> - The one competitor I look at: <their website, or their Facebook page name> ## My questions (the same ones every month) 1. <question 1> 2. <question 2> 3. <question 3> ## Every Manifold call 1. Dry run it first (dry_run: true), show me the credits for the whole step, and wait for my yes. 2. Run it with max_credits set to the dry-run price. Tell me what it actually cost (credits_charged). 3. AI answers: chatgpt, claude, gemini and perplexity only, unless I ask. Say "when I asked on <date>", never "ChatGPT recommends". ## Never - Never invent a ranking, an answer, a number or a business name. Only what the results show. - Never put customer names, phone numbers or private details into a Manifold call. - Never rerun a check that came back empty (NoData). It costs a credit each time. - Never ask me for, print or save a key, token or password.
Or: connect it to the Claude app (no terminal)
Works in Claude on the web and in the desktop app, including on the free Claude plan, which allows one custom connector. No folder and no CLAUDE.md here, so the rules ride along in the setup prompt.
Open Connectors
Claude's help center says Customize, then Connectors. Manifold's own page says Settings, then Connectors. Use whichever your app shows you.
Add Manifold as a custom connector
Click + Add, then Add custom connector. Name it
Manifold, paste the address below and click Continue. Claude shows the sign-in settings it detected; click Continue again.https://mcp.manifoldmcp.com/mcpPick the sign-in and finish
Under Authentication, pick Sign in now. Under OAuth client, pick Use Claude's published identity (Recommended). Leave Request headers empty: that's for API keys, and you're signing in through the browser instead. Click Add. Then sign in to Manifold in the window that opens (Google or email) and approve Claude. If no window opens, find Manifold in your connectors and click Connect.
PermissionsYour first Manifold sign-in creates your account with 250 free credits, no card. Claude's help center is blunt about custom connectors: Anthropic hasn't verified them, so only add ones you trust. Manifold is read-only, but every paid call spends your credits.Switch it on in a chat
Start a new chat, click the + button at the lower left, then Connectors, and make sure Manifold is on. Then paste the setup prompt from “Start here”. Claude asks before it uses a tool. Claude's help center says to pick Allow always only for tools you trust to run unsupervised. On the paid checks I'd keep saying yes one at a time.
On a Team or Enterprise plan
An Owner adds it once for everyone: Organization settings, Connectors, Add, hover over Custom, pick Web, then the same name and address. Everyone else goes to Customize, Connectors, finds Manifold and clicks Connect.
First test: two checks that cost nothing
Manifold's AI-readiness check is free, and so is any dry run. So the first test spends zero credits. Paste this into Claude Code (or your Claude chat with Manifold on).
Use Manifold. Run the free AI-readiness check (aeo_get_site_readiness) on <yoursite.com>. Explain what failed in plain words, the worst first, and what each one means for showing up in AI answers.
Then do a dry run only (dry_run: true) of one AI-answers check for the question "Who's the best <your service> company in <your city>?" on chatgpt, claude, gemini and perplexity. Tell me what it would cost. Don't run it.What the free check looks at: whether your robots.txt (the file that tells crawlers what they may read) lets the AI crawlers in, whether your hosting's firewall turns them away, whether your words are in the page without JavaScript, noindex tags, freshness, redirects, your sitemap, your title and description, structured data and llms.txt. Failing checks come first. The labels tell you how much each one matters: blocks_citations means an AI engine documents that this stops it citing you. llms.txt gets reported, but it never counts as a fail; the check itself notes no engine has confirmed reading it.
Good: a plain-English list of what passed and failed, a price of 16 credits for the dry run, and nothing charged (every result says what it cost in credits_charged). Bad: Claude says it has no Manifold tools, or the result says it needs a sign-in. See “When it breaks”.
When I ran the readiness check on our own site, it cost 0 credits and the dry run priced the four-app check at 16. Your results will be your own.
The four questions from my video
These are the four things I asked about our own site, as prompts. Each one dry-runs first and waits for your yes. Swap in your own site, service and town.
Where do I rank on Google?
Two checks: the domain overview (5 credits: how strong Google's data thinks your site is, and a traffic estimate) and the keywords you rank for in the top 100 (6 credits for the top 20, 10 for 100). The location defaults to the United States.
Use Manifold. Where does <yoursite.com> show up on Google? Get the domain overview and the keywords it ranks for, the top 20 by estimated traffic. Dry run both first and tell me the credits. After my yes, show me a table: keyword, position, page, monthly searches. Then tell me in three sentences what stands out. Only what the data shows.Use Manifold. Where does <yoursite.com> rank on mobile for these searches: <search 1>, <search 2>, <search 3>? Try the location "<your city>". Dry run first. If it isn't in the top 100, just say so.When you ask AI apps for what I sell, who do they name?
This is the one from the hook. One question across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity is 16 credits. Leave the apps unnamed and it also asks Google's AI Overview, which makes it 18. Up to 10 questions and 10 business names per run. It runs in the background: Claude gets a task number and checks back for free until the answers are in. Results are kept 30 days and never cached, so asking again costs again.
Use Manifold's AI-answers check. First, write three questions a customer would ask an AI app when they need <your service> in <your city>, like "Who's the best <your service> company in <your city>?". Show them to me and wait. After I approve them, dry run one run with those questions on chatgpt, claude, gemini and perplexity only, looking for these names: <your business name>, <yoursite.com>, <competitor>. Tell me the credits. After my yes, run it, check back on the task until it's done, and show me a table: question, AI app, was I named (and where in the list), who was named, which sites it cited. Say "when I asked today". No conclusions from one run.Use Manifold's aeo_search_prompts with the keyword "<your service> <your city>". Dry run first. Show me the 15 questions with the highest volume, and tell me which of them already name a business or cite a site.What's my competitor running for ads and social?
One credit per page of ads, one for a profile, one per page of posts. The ad libraries publish spend and reach as ranges, so that's what you get. Google ads work too: Claude finds the advertiser first (1 credit), then lists their ads (1 credit a page, or 25 if you want the ad text).
Use Manifold to look at <competitor's website or Facebook page name>: their active ads in the Facebook ad library (one page), and their Facebook and Instagram profiles and latest posts (one page each). Dry run first and tell me the credits. After my yes, sum it up: what they're offering, the hooks they repeat, how often they post and what gets comments. Spend and reach come as ranges; say so. Don't guess anything the results don't show.Turn it into a to-do list
Free: no Manifold call, just Claude working from what's already in the chat. This is the part that makes the other three worth the credits.
Turn everything we found today into a to-do list for my own website and listings: no more than seven items, most useful first. For each one: what to do, which result it comes from, and who could do it (me, the office, our web developer). Nothing that copies the competitor's words. No numbers that weren't in the results. Put today's date at the top and call it a snapshot. In Claude Code, save it as a new file with today's date in the name.
Free extras: your own Search Console and Analytics
Optional. If your site's in Google Search Console or Google Analytics, Manifold reads them for 0 credits, because it's your own data. They're rate limited instead of charged.
Connect Google in Manifold
Whereapp.manifoldmcp.com/connections, signed in with the same account.Connect Google. Google asks to let Manifold view your Search Console data and your Google Analytics data: leave both ticked. If the page later marks the account No Analytics, choose Reconnect. Bing Webmaster Tools connects on the same page, with a sign-in or an API key from Bing's Settings, then API access. That key goes into Manifold's page, never into a chat.
PermissionsRead-only: Manifold asks for the read-only Search Console permission. Its privacy policy says it keeps an encrypted sign-in token until you disconnect, then deletes it right away.Ask about your own searches
Use Manifold's Search Console tools (they're free). List the sites I can read. Then for <yoursite.com>, show me the 20 searches that got the most clicks in the last 28 days: clicks, impressions, average position. Then the 10 with the most impressions but the fewest clicks, and what that might mean.Use Manifold's Google Analytics tools (they're free). List my properties, then show me sessions by landing page for the last 28 days, top 20.
What it costs
| Tool | Plan | List price |
|---|---|---|
| Manifold MCP | Free: 250 credits, once, no card | $0 |
| Manifold MCP | Pro: 2,500 credits a month (bigger sizes: 5,500 for $40, 12,000 for $80, 24,000 for $150) | $20 a month |
| Manifold MCP | Max: 42,000 credits a month and up | From $250 a month |
| Manifold MCP | Top-ups, on Pro or Max only: 100 credits per dollar, never expire | $10 to $500 at a time |
| Claude app | Free plan: one custom connector, no Claude Code | $0 |
| Claude Code | Claude Pro, billed monthly | $20 a month |
| Claude Code | Claude Pro, billed yearly | $17 a month ($200 up front) |
| Claude Code | Claude Max | From $100 a month |
| Check | Manifold tool | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AI-readiness check of your site | aeo_get_site_readiness | 0 |
| Any dry run (the price, not the data) | dry_run: true | 0 |
| Your Search Console, Bing and Google Analytics | console_*, analytics_* | 0 (rate limited) |
| Checking back on a running task | get_task | 0 |
| Top 10 Google results for one search | seo_get_serp | 1 |
| Domain overview | seo_get_domain_overview | 5 |
| Keywords you rank for | seo_get_ranked_keywords | 6 for the top 20, 10 for 100 |
| Your position for one search | seo_get_position | 6 |
| Keywords a competitor has and you don't (100) | seo_get_keyword_gap | 10 |
| One question to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity | aeo_run_ai_answers | 16 (18 on the default five, which adds Google's AI Overview) |
| The questions people ask AI about a topic (50) | aeo_search_prompts | 45 |
| One page of a competitor's ads | ads_get_advertiser_ads | 1 (25 on Google with the ad text) |
| A Facebook or Instagram profile | facebook_get_profile, instagram_get_profile | 1 |
| One page of their posts | facebook_get_posts, instagram_get_posts | 1 |
| A check that finds nothing | any (NoData) | 1 |
| A provider that's down, a bad input, too many calls at once | any | 0 |
Rough math for one full run of this guide (estimates from the price list): readiness check 0, domain overview 5, top 20 keywords 6, three AI questions 48, a competitor's Facebook ads, profiles and posts about 5, the to-do list 0. That's about 64 credits, so the free 250 covers it three times with room to spare, and Pro's 2,500 a month covers it many times over. The AI questions are most of the bill, which is why the prompts ask you to approve them first.
How the charge works: Manifold holds the most a call could cost, then charges for what actually came back, never more than the estimate. If your balance is too low, the call fails and costs nothing.
When it breaks
command not found: claude, or 'claude' is not recognized
claude mcp list says ! Needs authentication, or Claude says it has no Manifold tools
claude, type /mcp, pick manifold and finish the sign-in in your browser.The browser doesn't open, or it errors after you sign in
Manifold works in one folder but not another
claude mcp add only adds it to the folder you ran it in. Start claude in that folder, or add it for every folder with the --scope user line from the setup.OAuth token is invalid or expired
/mcp, pick manifold, then Re-authenticate. In the Claude app, remove the connector and add it again (that's how Claude's help center says to change one).InsufficientCredits
BudgetExceeded
max_credits cap, so Manifold refused it and charged nothing. That's the cap doing its job. Ask for fewer rows or fewer questions, or raise the cap once you've said yes to the price.NoData
The AI-answer check sits on pending
get_task, which is free. If Claude gives up, ask it to check the task again. Results stay there for 30 days.Same question, different answer on another day
The rankings look national, not local
Claude says the result was too big and saved it to a file
ConcurrencyLimit
NotConnected on a Search Console or Analytics question
You can't find Manifold in a Claude app chat
Searching “Manifold” finds a prediction market
https://mcp.manifoldmcp.com/mcp.You want it gone
claude mcp remove manifold, which also deletes the sign-in it stored. Claude app: Customize, Connectors, then Remove (or the three dots) next to Manifold. Manifold says it deletes your account data within 30 days of you deleting the workspace or asking it to close your account.That's the setup
One plug, four questions and a to-do list for your own site, with the price of every check before it runs. Today's snapshot, not a verdict.
Would you rather have someone work that list on a site you own? That's our Custom SEO.
Checked on Oct 12, 2026 against
Every claim about a third-party tool in this guide (plans, prices, menu paths, commands, limits) was checked against these official pages on Oct 12, 2026. These screens change often: if something looks different, trust the page over this guide.
- Manifold MCPWhat it is, the server address, the setup per client (Claude Code, the Claude app and others), read-only, 250 free credits.
- Manifold: PricingFree 250 credits once, no card; Pro from $20 for 2,500; Max from $250; top-ups at 1¢ a credit; no overage (checked 2026-10-12).
- Manifold: PlansEvery Pro and Max size, top-ups that never expire, the Billing page, the same limits on every plan.
- Manifold: CreditsWhat each call costs, the free tools, estimate-hold-settle,
dry_run,max_credits, NoData at 1 credit, cache at 25%. - Manifold: Errors and limitsBudgetExceeded, InsufficientCredits, NoData, NotConnected, ConcurrencyLimit, TaskPending, and the rate limits.
- Manifold: AuthenticationSign-in with Google or email, 250 credits on the first sign-in, the expired-token error and its fix.
- Manifold: Getting startedAdd, sign in, ask; the workspace with 250 free credits and no card.
- Manifold: Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http manifold ...,--scope user,/mcpto sign in, permission on the first tool call. - Manifold: ClaudeSettings, Connectors, Add custom connector, Connect, the chat's tools menu.
- Manifold: AI answer tools
aeo_run_ai_answers(per-app prices, 10 questions and 10 names a run, snapshot, kept 30 days, never cached),aeo_search_prompts, the freeaeo_get_site_readinessand its tiers. - Manifold: SEO toolsDomain overview, ranked keywords, position, keyword gap, SERP: parameters and prices.
- Manifold: Ad library toolsFacebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and Google ad libraries, 1 credit a page, 25 for Google ad text, spend and reach as ranges.
- Manifold: Facebook toolsProfile and posts at 1 credit each.
- Manifold: Instagram toolsProfile and posts at 1 credit a page.
- Manifold: Search Console toolsConnecting Google and Bing, the read-only permission, the free console tools.
- Manifold: Google Analytics toolsLeave both permissions ticked, No Analytics and Reconnect, free and rate limited.
- Manifold: Shared parameters
dry_run,max_credits,credits_charged, background tasks andget_task. - Manifold: PrivacyWho runs it, what it logs, DataForSEO and the other providers, read-only Search Console, retention and deletion.
- Manifold MCP on Product HuntThe launch, and the launch post's 500-credit line.
- Claude Code: MCP
claude mcp add --transport http, local and user scopes,/mcpsign-in,claude mcp listandremove, Re-authenticate, the 10,000 and 25,000 token output limits. - Claude Code: Advanced setupInstall commands,
claude --version, a paid plan required (the free plan doesn't include Claude Code). - Claude Code: Memory (CLAUDE.md)CLAUDE.md is loaded at the start of every session, as context, not enforced configuration.
- Claude Help: Custom connectorsCustomize, Connectors, + Add, Add custom connector, the sign-in options, the + menu in a chat, Allow always, one custom connector on the free plan, Team and Enterprise owners, removing one.
- Claude: Plans and pricingFree with connectors and without Claude Code; Pro at $20 monthly or $17 a month billed yearly ($200 up front); Max from $100 (checked 2026-10-12).
