Paperboy for Gemini CLI
Run gemini mcp add once, then ask Gemini CLI to find your page-two queries and write the article that fits them.
Set up
You will register Paperboy with one gemini mcp add command, or add the same entry to settings.json by hand.
Run the gemini mcp add command above. The --scope user flag writes to ~/.gemini/settings.json so the key stays out of your project folder.
Or edit the settings.json file yourself and add the paperboy entry under mcpServers. Use httpUrl, not url.
Run gemini mcp list in your shell and check that paperboy shows as Connected.
Start gemini and run /mcp to see the server status and its tools.
Ask Gemini to use a Paperboy tool. When it asks for confirmation, choose Proceed once, Always allow this tool, Always allow this server, or Cancel.
gemini mcp add --scope user --transport http --header "Authorization: Bearer pb_live_YOUR_KEY" paperboy https://paperboyseo.com/mcpReplace pb_live_YOUR_KEY with a key from Settings, API keys, and never commit it. The MCP docs list every client we cover.
How to tell it worked
Run gemini mcp list in your shell, or /mcp inside a session. Look for paperboy with status CONNECTED and its tools listed. A failing server can show DISCONNECTED.
How to remove it
Run gemini mcp remove --scope user paperboy. The default scope is project, so add --scope user if you added it with user scope. gemini mcp disable paperboy turns it off without removing it.
What you get
Eight tools, the same engine as the dashboard. Reads are free. A pack is $20 for 100 credits; see how credits work.
get_sitesLists your sites with plan, publishing method and whether Search Console is connected. Every other call starts from a site id.
suggest_topicsReturns the next articles to write, each with the search data that is the reason for it.
write_articleStarts a fact-checked article and returns an id at once. The run takes a few minutes. It does not publish unless you pass publish: true.
get_articleReturns the article's status, its fact-check verdict and every source. Poll it after write_article until it reads published or needs_review.
check_claimsFact checks any public URL or pasted Markdown and returns each cited claim with the sources it was compared against.
publish_articlePublishes an article that passed the fact check to the site's publishing target. It changes the live site, so the agent should ask first.
get_performanceSearch Console clicks, impressions and average position for a site, by day and by article.
get_queriesThe queries a site, or one article, appears for in Search Console. This is where page-two keywords show up.
Try it
Plain requests. The tools each one uses are listed under it.
“Use paperboy to find my page-two queries, pick the best topic, write the article, and save the markdown to content/blog/.”
Uses get_queriessuggest_topicswrite_article
“Fetch my latest Paperboy article, run a claims check on it, and fix the flagged sentences in the local markdown file.”
Uses get_articlecheck_claims
“Summarize Paperboy performance for the last 30 days and write a short report to reports/seo.md.”
Uses get_sitesget_performance
Why
Gemini CLI has a one-line add command and a settings.json block, and one field name matters. In settings.json, httpUrl selects HTTP streaming and url selects the older SSE transport. Paperboy needs httpUrl.
The add command defaults to project scope, which writes your key into a file in the current folder. Add --scope user so the key lands in your home directory. Never set trust on the server, because that skips every confirmation, including the one before publish_article.
Compare
Same engine, two ways in. Pick the one that fits how you already work.
| Feature | Dashboard | Gemini CLI | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where you work | paperboyseo.com/app: sites, calendar, fact checks | Brings Gemini models into your terminal to understand code and automate tasks. | Gemini CLI docs: MCP serversRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| How it connects | Sign in and paste your site address. The first article is free. | Remote MCP. Gemini CLI supports Streamable HTTP MCP servers with custom headers, through a gemini mcp add command or the mcpServers block in settings.json. | Gemini CLI docs: MCP serversRead Oct 29, 2026 |
| Does it publish without asking? | Your choice: autopilot, or approve each article by email. | No. write_article defaults to publish: false, and the tool descriptions tell the agent to ask first. | MCP docsPaperboy docs |
| Fact check | Every number and cited sentence is compared with the saved text of its source. An article that fails gets one rewrite, then is held for you. | The same engine and the same check. The verdict comes back to the agent: verified, or held with the reason. | How the check worksPaperboy docs |
| What it costs | Plans from $49 a month per site. The first article is free, no card. | Credits: 12 per article, 1 per topic suggestion, 2 per fact check. $20 buys 100. | CreditsPaperboy docs |
| Search Console | Optional read-only Search Console connection. It picks topics from your impressions and reports clicks per article. | get_performance and get_queries return the same read-only data, by day, by article and by query. | Security and dataPaperboy docs |
Facts about Gemini CLI come from the pages linked in the Source column, read on the date shown. Tools change their docs, so confirm there if a step does not match.
Honest notes
Quirks of this client that can cost you an afternoon.
gemini mcp add defaults to --scope project, which writes .gemini/settings.json in the current folder. Your API key would sit in the project directory, so use --scope user. gemini mcp remove also defaults to project scope.
In settings.json, url selects the SSE transport and httpUrl selects the HTTP streaming endpoint. Paperboy needs httpUrl. Tool names get the prefix mcp_{serverName}_{toolName}, such as mcp_paperboy_get_sites, and the docs warn not to use underscores in the server name.
Each tool call asks for confirmation unless the server has trust set to true, which bypasses all prompts. Do not set trust for Paperboy. Use --include-tools or --exclude-tools (includeTools and excludeTools in settings.json) to limit tools. excludeTools wins if a tool is in both lists.
FAQ
Run gemini mcp add --scope user --transport http --header "Authorization: Bearer pb_live_YOUR_KEY" paperboy https://paperboyseo.com/mcp. The docs show the --transport http and --header flags for HTTP servers.
url is the SSE endpoint and httpUrl is the HTTP streaming endpoint. Use httpUrl for Paperboy's Streamable HTTP server.
Run gemini mcp list from your shell or /mcp inside a session. Both show the connection status, and /mcp also lists the server's tools.
Yes. Use the --exclude-tools flag on gemini mcp add or excludeTools in settings.json to leave out write_article and publish_article. You can also use includeTools as an allowlist.
The tools that read cost nothing. Suggesting topics costs 1 credit, writing a fact-checked article costs 12 credits (refunded if the run fails) and a fact check on its own costs 2 credits. A pack is $20 for 100 credits.
Only if you let it. write_article defaults to publish: false, so a finished article waits for a human, and the tool descriptions tell the agent to ask before publishing. You can also give the agent a read-only key.
Sources
Everything about Gemini CLI comes from the pages below, read on Oct 29, 2026. Tools change their docs, so check there if a step does not match. If we got something wrong, write to hello@paperboyseo.com.
Keep going
Add the MCP server, ask for a topic, and read the fact check before anything goes live.
claude mcp add --transport http paperboy https://paperboyseo.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer pb_live_..."npx @paperboyseo/cli coming soonPrefer the dashboard? Write my first article free. Prefer to run it yourself? Self-host it (repo coming soon).