How to Install LocalSEOSkills (Three Paths, Step-by-Step)

Getting started with LocalSEOSkills takes five minutes or thirty minutes depending on which path you choose. There are three options: Claude.ai upload for the fastest start with no coding, Claude Code clone for power users who want full functionality, and API integration for developers building LocalSEOSkills into their own products.

Each path has trade-offs. This guide walks through all three with exact steps and helps you verify everything works correctly.

Which Installation Path Is Right for You

Feature	Claude.ai Upload	Claude Code Clone	API Integration
Setup time	5 minutes	15-20 minutes	30+ minutes
Coding required	None	Minimal (copy commands)	Yes
MCP tool connections	No	Yes	Yes
File system access	No	Yes	Yes
Persistent context	Session only	Persistent	Custom
Best for	Quick start, testing	Production use, agencies	Custom products

Choose Claude.ai upload if you want to test the skills immediately without any setup. You’ll get all 36 skills working through natural language prompts. Limitation: no live data connections (LocalSEOData, Local Falcon, etc.) without MCP.

Choose Claude Code clone if you’re a practitioner who wants the full-power experience: MCP tool connections for live data, file system access for batch processing, and production-grade workflows. This is the recommended path for serious use.

Choose API integration if you’re building LocalSEOSkills into your own application, product, or automated workflow.

Path 1: Claude.ai Upload (5 Minutes)

This path requires no coding and works entirely in the browser.

What you get: All 36 skills available in Claude.ai conversations. Works immediately. Natural language prompts route through the dispatch skill.

What you don’t get: MCP tool connections. Data-dependent features (pulling live GBP data, running geogrid scans, citation audits) require tool connections that Claude.ai upload doesn’t support. You’ll have analysis and recommendation skills, but not live data pulling.

Steps

1. Go to the LocalSEOSkills GitHub repository
2. Click the green “Code” button and select “Download ZIP”
3. Extract the downloaded ZIP file
4. Open Claude.ai in your browser
5. Click Settings (bottom left of the interface)
6. Navigate to Customize → Skills
7. Click Upload and select the extracted folder
8. Wait 30-60 seconds for processing

Verification

Start a new conversation and run this prompt:

What local SEO skills do you have available and what can you help me with?

Claude should respond with a list of available skills, routing through the dispatch skill. If Claude doesn’t recognize the skills, the upload didn’t process correctly — try extracting and uploading again.

Limitations

Without MCP tool connections, Claude can’t pull live data. You can ask Claude to analyze local SEO scenarios, generate recommendations, and draft strategies — but prompts that require LocalSEOData endpoints (like “run a GBP audit for this business”) won’t have data to work with.

For full functionality, proceed to the Claude Code installation path.

Path 2: Claude Code Clone (Recommended)

This path provides the complete LocalSEOSkills experience: all skills plus MCP tool connections for live data.

What you get: Full skill library, MCP tool connections to LocalSEOData and other tools, file system access, production-grade workflows, persistent context across sessions.

Prerequisites

• Claude Code installed (if not installed: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
• Node.js v18 or later
• Terminal access (Mac Terminal, Windows Command Prompt/PowerShell, or Linux terminal)

Steps

Open your terminal and run:

# Clone the repository into Claude's skills directory
git clone https://github.com/garrettjsmith/localseoskills ~/.claude/skills/localseoskills

# Verify the directory structure
ls ~/.claude/skills/localseoskills
# Should show: skills/ tools/ docs/ CLAUDE.md AGENTS.md README.md

The repository is now cloned into Claude Code’s skills directory. Claude Code will discover these skills on next launch.

Connect LocalSEOData (Do This Next)

The skills become most powerful when connected to live data. LocalSEOData is the recommended starting point — one connection covers the majority of local SEO data needs.

1. Sign up at localseodata.com and get your API key (format: sk_live_...)
2. Open Claude Code settings: claude settings or through the Claude Code interface
3. Navigate to MCP Servers → Add Server
4. Enter:
   • Name: LocalSEOData
   • URL: https://mcp.localseodata.com/mcp?key=YOUR_API_KEY
5. Save and restart Claude Code

Verification

Run Claude Code and enter this prompt:

Run a quick check — what local SEO skills and data tools do you have available?
List the skills and confirm LocalSEOData is connected.

Claude should list the available skills and confirm the LocalSEOData connection. If skills aren’t recognized, verify the repository path. If LocalSEOData isn’t connected, verify the API key format and MCP configuration.

First Real Prompt to Try

What are the top 3 local businesses ranking for "coffee shop" in Austin, TX
and what does their GBP profile look like?

This prompt exercises the dispatch skill, the local_pack endpoint, and the business_profile endpoint. If it returns actual business data, your installation is complete.

Path 3: API Integration (For Developers)

For developers building LocalSEOSkills into applications, the API path provides programmatic access.

The skill files can be uploaded via Anthropic’s /v1/skills endpoint. MCP tool connections are handled via the mcp_servers parameter in API calls.

Refer to Anthropic’s API documentation for the complete skills integration guide. The LocalSEOSkills repository includes example code for API integration in the examples/ directory.

Connecting Your Data Tools

LocalSEOData (Start Here)

LocalSEOData is the recommended default data source. One MCP connection provides 36 endpoints covering local pack data, GBP profiles, citation audits, review data, keyword research, geogrid scans, AI visibility testing, and more.

Setup: Add the MCP server as described in Path 2 above.

Adding Local Falcon

Local Falcon adds geogrid trend tracking over time — historical data that LocalSEOData’s point-in-time scans don’t provide.

Add when: You need ranking trend analysis, campaign performance measurement, or automated GBP monitoring (Falcon Guard).

Setup: Get Local Falcon API key, add MCP server with their endpoint URL.

Adding LSA Spy

LSA Spy provides Local Services Ads market intelligence — which businesses appear in LSA, their rank changes over time, and market-level competitive data.

Add when: You manage LSA campaigns or evaluate LSA opportunities for clients.

Setup: Get LSA Spy API key, add MCP server with their endpoint URL.

Other Tool Connections

Additional tool skills exist for Semrush, Ahrefs, DataForSEO, BrightLocal, and Whitespark. Each requires their respective API key and MCP configuration. Add these as needed based on your workflow requirements.

Verifying Everything Works

After installation, verify each capability:

Skills verification:

List the local SEO skills available and explain what each does.

Expected: Claude lists all 36 skills with descriptions.

Data connection verification:

Pull the GBP profile data for any coffee shop in Seattle.

Expected: Claude returns actual business profile data. If Claude says it can’t access data, the LocalSEOData connection isn’t working.

Dispatch routing verification:

Run a GBP audit for [any business name and address].

Expected: Dispatch routes to gbp-optimization skill, which invokes localseodata-tool. Output includes completeness score and recommendations.

Keeping Skills Updated

The skill library is updated periodically with new skills, improved routing, and bug fixes.

To update:

cd ~/.claude/skills/localseoskills
git pull origin main

Check VERSIONS.md in the repository for changelog. Review what changed before pulling — significant updates may include new skills or changed behavior.

After pulling updates, restart Claude Code to load the new versions.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Skills Not Recognized

Claude.ai upload: Verify the .zip structure. The skills/ folder should be directly inside the uploaded content, not nested in another folder.

Claude Code: Verify the repository path is exactly ~/.claude/skills/localseoskills. The skills/ folder should be inside that directory.

LocalSEOData Not Connecting

• Verify API key format (should start with sk_live_)
• Verify MCP server URL is exactly as specified with no trailing spaces
• Restart Claude Code after adding the MCP configuration
• Check that your LocalSEOData account is active

Dispatch Routing Incorrectly

The dispatch skill routes based on prompt content. Add specificity:

Instead of: “Check my listings” Try: “Run a citation audit for [Business Name] at [Address]”

Explicit task names (GBP audit, citation audit, geogrid scan, competitor analysis) route more reliably than vague requests.

Data Requests Timing Out

Large data requests (full audits, multi-keyword geogrid scans) may take longer. LocalSEOData endpoints have timeout limits. For very large requests, break them into smaller batches.

Get Help

Discord community: Join the LocalSEOSkills Discord for troubleshooting help, workflow questions, and community support. Link in the GitHub repository README.

GitHub Issues: For bugs, missing functionality, or feature requests, open an issue on the GitHub repository.

CONTRIBUTING.md: If you want to improve skills or add new ones, the contribution guide explains the process.