Where to Find OpenSEO Documentation: A Complete Guide to Official Resources

OpenSEO's main documentation lives in the repository's README.md file and the docs/ folder, with additional hosted guides available at openseo.so/docs.

If you're looking to self-host, integrate the MCP server, or contribute to the every-app/open-seo project, you'll need to navigate multiple documentation sources. This guide maps every official resource with direct links to source files and practical setup commands.

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Primary Documentation Locations

OpenSEO splits its documentation between in-repository markdown files and a public website. The in-repo docs are version-controlled and always reflect the latest main branch state.

Repository README: Your Starting Point

The README.md file at the repository root provides the high-level overview every new user needs. According to the open-seo source code, this file contains:

• Project description and hosted version details
• Main SEO workflows and cost structure
• Quick-start instructions and links to deeper documentation

View the source: README.md

The docs/ Folder: Comprehensive Technical Guides

The docs/ directory contains seven specialized guides covering deployment, configuration, and development:

File	Purpose	Key Topics
SELF_HOSTING_DOCKER.md	Docker deployment	Prerequisites, .env setup, telemetry, image pinning
SELF_HOSTING_CLOUDFLARE.md	Cloudflare Workers	Access configuration, KV bindings, deployment commands
DATAFORSEO_API_KEY.md	API authentication	Base64 encoding format for email:password
LOCAL_DEVELOPMENT.md	Dev environment	pnpm dev, dependency installation, MCP server
CONTRIBUTING.md	Contributor workflow	Code style, testing, PR process, linting

Browse all docs: docs/

Official Website Documentation

The hosted documentation at openseo.so/docs provides:

• Searchable end-user reference
• MCP and agent skills documentation
• API usage examples

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Quick Reference: Essential Setup Commands

These snippets demonstrate how to interact with OpenSEO after consulting the appropriate documentation source.

Start a Docker Self-Hosted Instance

From docs/SELF_HOSTING_DOCKER.md:

# Copy the example environment file and start the container

cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d

Full guide: SELF_HOSTING_DOCKER.md

Run Local Development Server

From docs/LOCAL_DEVELOPMENT.md:

pnpm install          # install dependencies

pnpm dev              # start Vite dev server (http://localhost:5173)

Additional setup (DataForSEO API key): LOCAL_DEVELOPMENT.md

Connect to the MCP Server

From the README and MCP setup guides:

import { createMCPClient } from '@every-app/sdk';

const client = createMCPClient({
  baseUrl: 'http://localhost:3001',   // or your deployed URL
  apiKey: process.env.DATAFORSEO_API_KEY,
});

await client.project.list(); // example MCP call

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Key Source Files for Documentation

Understanding the repository structure helps locate relevant documentation context. These files work alongside the markdown guides:

File/Directory	Documentation Relevance
package.json	Available scripts (dev, build, deploy), dependency list
src/	Core application code (MCP server implementation, React UI, database schema)
drizzle-pg/	Postgres migration scripts referenced in self-hosting guides
drizzle.config.ts	Database configuration for SQLite/D1 deployments

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Summary

• Start with README.md for project overview and quick links
• Use docs/ folder for detailed deployment, configuration, and development guides
• Visit openseo.so/docs for searchable hosted documentation
• Check version-controlled sources to ensure you're reading current information from the main branch
• Reference package.json and src/ when documentation points to implementation details

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find the main overview of OpenSEO?

The main overview is in [README.md](https://github.com/every-app/open-seo/blob/main/README.md) at the repository root. It covers project description, hosted version information, cost structure, and links to all specialized documentation.

How do I self-host OpenSEO using Docker?

See [docs/SELF_HOSTING_DOCKER.md](https://github.com/every-app/open-seo/blob/main/docs/SELF_HOSTING_DOCKER.md) for complete instructions. The guide covers prerequisites, environment variable configuration via .env, telemetry control, image version pinning, and troubleshooting steps.

What documentation exists for setting up the DataForSEO API key?

[docs/DATAFORSEO_API_KEY.md](https://github.com/every-app/open-seo/blob/main/docs/DATAFORSEO_API_KEY.md) explains how to format the required Base64-encoded email:password string and where to place it in your environment configuration.

Is there a guide for contributing to OpenSEO?

Yes—[docs/CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/every-app/open-seo/blob/main/docs/CONTRIBUTING.md) covers code style requirements, testing procedures, pull request workflow, and linting commands (pnpm lint, pnpm format:check).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}