Install
With Homebrew (macOS and Linux):
brew install youcited/cited/cited
Use the full name: Homebrew 7 only installs from taps you trust, and the full name trusts just this formula. If you installed with brew tap before, run brew trust --formula youcited/cited/cited once, then brew upgrade cited.
Or with uv or pipx (Python 3.11+):
uv tool install cited-cli # or: pipx install cited-cli
To try it without installing anything, uvx --from cited-cli cited audit free example.com runs a one-off copy.
Free audit, no login
cited audit free example.com
It starts the same free audit as the homepage prompt and prints the result when it's done.
Sign in
cited login # opens your browser
cited login --email you@example.com # password sign-in
cited status # who you are, credits, businesses and the next step
cited logout
A paid audit, start to finish
Commands that need a business take --business (-b), which you can leave out when you have one business. Audit commands use your newest audit unless you give an id.
cited business setup --website example.com # add your business
cited audit questions # draft the buyer questions, then review them
cited audit quote # what the audit costs
cited audit run # shows the price and asks first; --yes skips it
cited audit get --wait # the report when it's done
cited recommend list # what to change
cited fix generate --all # fix files and steps (asks before spending)
cited fix get <fix_id> --save ./fixes # write a fix's files to disk
cited fix done <fix_id> # after you put it on your site
cited fix verify <fix_id> # check the live site (free)
cited audit schedule --every 30 # re-check every 30 days
cited audit compare <audit_id> # citations won and lost since the audit before
To replace the drafted questions, pass your own: cited audit questions -q "Best bakery in Austin?" -q "...". Mark a recommendation with cited recommend set <item_key> done (or dismissed, or open to undo).
Credits and docs
cited credits buy <pack_id> # prints a Stripe checkout link
cited credits buy --one-audit # a single audit, no pack
cited credits buy --voucher CODE # redeem a voucher
cited docs search "llms.txt" # no login needed
Every command has --help. Add --json right after cited for machine-readable output. It's the same JSON an AI agent gets from the matching tool:
cited --json status
You can make JSON the default with cited config set output json, and switch back for one command with --text. cited tools list shows every tool, and cited tools call <name> '{...}' runs one with JSON arguments.
Connect your AI agents
cited agent setup
adds Cited's hosted MCP connector to Claude Code, Cursor and Codex on your computer. See Connect your AI assistant.
For agents with no account
An agent can create its own account and key:
cited agent signup --email you@example.com
The key is saved for the CLI and never printed. The command prints a claim link and a 6-digit code for a person to claim the account. See Agent signup and buying.
Exit codes
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | Success |
| 1 | Error |
| 2 | Not signed in |
| 3 | Not found |
| 4 | Invalid input |
| 5 | Rate limited |
| 6 | Payment required (not enough credits) |