dataforseo-cli

name	dataforseo-cli
description	LLM-friendly keyword research CLI for AI agents. Check search volume, CPC, keyword difficulty, and competition via DataForSEO API. Find related keywords, analyze competitor rankings. Outputs TSV by default (optimized for agent context windows). Use when doing SEO research, content planning, or competitive keyword analysis.

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 USD
• competition — LOW / MEDIUM / HIGH
• trend — 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

1. Start with seed keyword: dataforseo-cli volume "your topic"
2. Expand: dataforseo-cli related "your topic" -n 30
3. Filter: Pick keywords with volume > 100, difficulty < 60
4. Check competitors: dataforseo-cli competitor competitor-domain.com -n 20
5. 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 --location for local/international SEO
• Use locations and languages without arguments to see all available options
• Difficulty scale: 0-30 easy, 31-60 medium, 61-100 hard