> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.agentlinkops.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Discover backlinks
> Query a configured owned corpus for bounded candidates with dated evidence.
`discover_backlinks`
Query a configured owned corpus for bounded candidates with dated evidence. Candidates remain unchecked and coverage stays limited to that corpus. No supplier spending or monitoring enrollment. Reuse idempotencyKey for retries. Where owned discovery is not configured, the error names the operator change required; retrying cannot configure it, and import\_backlinks remains available for exports you already own.
Available in the deployed MCP and HTTP bundle. Confirm access and inputs with your connected catalog. Workspace scopes and enabled providers still apply.
| Access | Behavior |
| ----------------- | --------------------- |
| `discovery:write` | Writes or admits work |
Provider-backed admission requires enabled configuration and available allowance; registration alone does not make retrieval available. Inspect usage and the run’s coverage before interpreting results.
## Example request
Connect through [MCP](/guides/connect-mcp), [CLI](/guides/connect-cli), or [HTTP](/guides/connect-http). Replace example identifiers with records from your workspace.
```json MCP theme={null}
{
"jsonrpc": "2.0",
"id": 1,
"method": "tools/call",
"params": {
"name": "discover_backlinks",
"arguments": {
"projectId": "project_example",
"targetKind": "domain",
"target": "example.com",
"includeSubdomains": false,
"backlinksStatus": "live",
"excludeInternalBacklinks": false,
"pageLimit": 1,
"rowLimit": 1,
"idempotencyKey": "docs-request-001"
}
}
}
```
```bash CLI theme={null}
agentlinkops call discover_backlinks --args '{"projectId":"project_example","targetKind":"domain","target":"example.com","includeSubdomains":false,"backlinksStatus":"live","excludeInternalBacklinks":false,"pageLimit":1,"rowLimit":1,"idempotencyKey":"docs-request-001"}'
```
```bash HTTP theme={null}
curl "$AGENTLINKOPS_API_URL/v1/commands/discover_backlinks" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $AGENTLINKOPS_API_KEY" \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data '{"projectId":"project_example","targetKind":"domain","target":"example.com","includeSubdomains":false,"backlinksStatus":"live","excludeInternalBacklinks":false,"pageLimit":1,"rowLimit":1,"idempotencyKey":"docs-request-001"}'
```
## Returned result
Illustrative data validated against the documented response schema. IDs and dates are examples, not a live account capture. MCP returns this data in `structuredContent` and in a text content block; generic HTTP and CLI return the JSON result directly.
```json theme={null}
{
"v": 1,
"id": "dr_example",
"workspace_id": "ws_example",
"project_id": "project_example",
"provider": "linktrail_corpus",
"data_mode": "owned_corpus",
"query": {
"target_kind": "domain",
"target": "example.com",
"include_subdomains": false,
"backlinks_status_type": "live",
"exclude_internal_backlinks": false,
"mode": "as_is",
"filters": null,
"order_by": [
"first_seen,desc"
],
"rank_scale": null,
"page_limit": 1,
"row_limit": 1
},
"status": "queued",
"created_at": "2026-09-13T12:00:00.000Z",
"started_at": null,
"finished_at": null,
"coverage": "pending",
"coverage_reason": null,
"provider_total_count": null,
"usage": {
"unit": "discovery",
"currency": "USD",
"quote_id": "owned_example",
"max_cost_microusd": 0,
"reserved_cost_microusd": 0,
"provider_reported_cost_microusd": null,
"request_count": 0,
"returned_rows": 0,
"accepted_candidates": 0,
"rejected_rows": 0,
"duplicate_rows": 0
},
"operation": "backlinks",
"coverage_scope": "corpus_subset",
"whole_web_coverage": false,
"replayed": false
}
```
## Input fields
Omit optional fields when you do not want to supply them. Null is accepted only where listed. Unknown input properties are rejected.
| Field | Type | Presence | Meaning and constraints |
| -------------------------- | ------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `projectId` | string | Required | Identifier of the project returned by its create or list operation. pattern: "^\[a-zA-Z0-9\_-]\{1,128}\$" |
| `targetKind` | string | Required | Whether target identifies an exact URL or a domain. values: "domain", "exact\_url" |
| `target` | string | Required | Exact URL or domain to query, interpreted according to targetKind. minLength: 1; maxLength: 4096 |
| `includeSubdomains` | boolean | Required | Include subdomains of the selected domain in this query. |
| `backlinksStatus` | string | Required | Supplier-reported backlink status filter; this is not AgentLinkOps verification. values: "live", "lost", "all" |
| `excludeInternalBacklinks` | boolean | Required | Exclude supplier rows linking within the queried site. |
| `pageLimit` | integer | Required | Maximum supplier rows requested per page, within the total row limit. minimum: 1; maximum: 1000 |
| `rowLimit` | integer | Required | Maximum total supplier rows admitted for this discovery run. minimum: 1; maximum: 1000 |
| `idempotencyKey` | string | Required | Caller-generated key reused only for retries of the same operation and arguments in this workspace. pattern: "^\[\x21-\x7e]\{1,200}\$" |
### Validation and omitted values
includeSubdomains, backlinksStatus, excludeInternalBacklinks, pageLimit and rowLimit are required explicit choices. Provider and ordering are selected by server configuration, not request fields.
Owned-corpus query order is first\_seen descending with no authority-rank scale. Supplier fixture order uses rank descending with its provider scale; that fixture branch does not activate hosted supplier admission.
## Output fields
Fields inside optional or nullable parents apply only when that parent exists. [Common schema conventions](/reference/schemas) explain evidence states, empty lists and extensions.
* **`v`** (number, required): must equal 1
* **`id`** (string, required): Resource identifier returned by the operation. minLength: 1; maxLength: 128; pattern: "^\[a-zA-Z0-9\_-]+\$"
* **`workspace_id`** (string, required): Workspace that owns this record. minLength: 1; maxLength: 128; pattern: "^\[a-zA-Z0-9\_-]+\$"
* **`project_id`** (string, required): Project that owns this record. minLength: 1; maxLength: 128; pattern: "^\[a-zA-Z0-9\_-]+\$"
* **`provider`** (string, required): values: "linktrail\_corpus", "dataforseo", "imported"
* **`data_mode`** (string, required): values: "synthetic", "owned\_corpus", "provider\_index", "imported"
* **`query`** (object, required): additional fields rejected
* **`status`** (string, required): Resource lifecycle status. values: "queued", "running", "succeeded", "partial", "failed", "reconciliation\_required"
* **`created_at`** (string, required): UTC timestamp when the record was created. format: "date-time"; pattern: "^(?:(?:\d\d\[2468]\[048]|\d\d\[13579]\[26]|\d\d0\[48]|\[02468]\[048]00|\[13579]\[26]00)-02-29|\d\{4}-(?:(?:0\[13578]|1\[02])-(?:0\[1-9]|\[12]\d|3\[01])|(?:0\[469]|11)-(?:0\[1-9]|\[12]\d|30)|(?:02)-(?:0\[1-9]|1\d|2\[0-8])))T(?:(?:\[01]\d|2\[0-3]):\[0-5]\d:\[0-5]\d\\.\d\{3}(?:Z))\$"
* **`started_at`** (string / null, required).
* **`finished_at`** (string / null, required).
* **`coverage`** (string, required): Dataset scope and completeness, including limits on what these results establish. values: "pending", "complete\_for\_query", "capped", "partial", "unknown"
* **`coverage_reason`** (string / null, required).
* **`provider_total_count`** (integer / null, required).
* **`usage`** (object, required): additional fields rejected
* **`operation`** (string, required): must equal "backlinks"
* **`coverage_scope`** (string, required): values: "customer\_import", "corpus\_subset", "provider\_query"
* **`whole_web_coverage`** (boolean, required): False: these results do not measure the whole web. must equal false
* **`replayed`** (boolean, optional): True when the response reuses an earlier request with the same idempotency value.
| Field | Type | Presence | Meaning and constraints |
| --------------------------------------- | -------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `v` | number | Required | must equal 1 |
| `id` | string | Required | Resource identifier returned by the operation. minLength: 1; maxLength: 128; pattern: "^\[a-zA-Z0-9\_-]+\$" |
| `workspace_id` | string | Required | Workspace that owns this record. minLength: 1; maxLength: 128; pattern: "^\[a-zA-Z0-9\_-]+\$" |
| `project_id` | string | Required | Project that owns this record. minLength: 1; maxLength: 128; pattern: "^\[a-zA-Z0-9\_-]+\$" |
| `provider` | string | Required | values: "linktrail\_corpus", "dataforseo", "imported" |
| `data_mode` | string | Required | values: "synthetic", "owned\_corpus", "provider\_index", "imported" |
| `query` | object | Required | additional fields rejected |
| `query.target_kind` | string | Required | values: "domain", "exact\_url" |
| `query.target` | string | Required | minLength: 1; maxLength: 4096 |
| `query.include_subdomains` | boolean | Required | |
| `query.backlinks_status_type` | string | Required | values: "live", "lost", "all" |
| `query.exclude_internal_backlinks` | boolean | Required | |
| `query.mode` | string | Required | must equal "as\_is" |
| `query.filters` | null | Required | |
| `query.order_by` | array | Required | minItems: 1; maxItems: 1 |
| `query.rank_scale` | string / null | Required | |
| `query.page_limit` | integer | Required | minimum: 1; maximum: 1000 |
| `query.row_limit` | integer | Required | minimum: 1; maximum: 1000 |
| `status` | string | Required | Resource lifecycle status. values: "queued", "running", "succeeded", "partial", "failed", "reconciliation\_required" |
| `created_at` | string | Required | UTC timestamp when the record was created. format: "date-time"; pattern: "^(?:(?:\d\d\[2468]\[048]\|\d\d\[13579]\[26]\|\d\d0\[48]\|\[02468]\[048]00\|\[13579]\[26]00)-02-29\|\d\{4}-(?:(?:0\[13578]\|1\[02])-(?:0\[1-9]\|\[12]\d\|3\[01])\|(?:0\[469]\|11)-(?:0\[1-9]\|\[12]\d\|30)\|(?:02)-(?:0\[1-9]\|1\d\|2\[0-8])))T(?:(?:\[01]\d\|2\[0-3]):\[0-5]\d:\[0-5]\d\\.\d\{3}(?:Z))\$" |
| `started_at` | string / null | Required | |
| `finished_at` | string / null | Required | |
| `coverage` | string | Required | Dataset scope and completeness, including limits on what these results establish. values: "pending", "complete\_for\_query", "capped", "partial", "unknown" |
| `coverage_reason` | string / null | Required | |
| `provider_total_count` | integer / null | Required | |
| `usage` | object | Required | additional fields rejected |
| `usage.unit` | string | Required | must equal "discovery" |
| `usage.currency` | string | Required | must equal "USD" |
| `usage.quote_id` | string | Required | Identifier returned by the related operation. minLength: 1; maxLength: 128; pattern: "^\[a-zA-Z0-9\_-]+\$" |
| `usage.max_cost_microusd` | integer | Required | minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.reserved_cost_microusd` | integer | Required | minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.provider_reported_cost_microusd` | integer / null | Required | |
| `usage.request_count` | integer | Required | minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.returned_rows` | integer | Required | minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.accepted_candidates` | integer | Required | minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.rejected_rows` | integer | Required | minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.duplicate_rows` | integer | Required | minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `operation` | string | Required | must equal "backlinks" |
| `coverage_scope` | string | Required | values: "customer\_import", "corpus\_subset", "provider\_query" |
| `whole_web_coverage` | boolean | Required | False: these results do not measure the whole web. must equal false |
| `replayed` | boolean | Optional | True when the response reuses an earlier request with the same idempotency value. |
[Download input schema](/schemas/discover_backlinks.input.json) · [Download output schema](/schemas/discover_backlinks.output.json)
## Errors and retries
The command is annotated idempotent. Reuse an accepted idempotency key when the input provides one; changing the payload under a reused key can conflict.
See [error recovery](/reference/errors) for status, scope, cooldown, cursor and retry handling. Unknown observations are result data and do not establish loss.
## HTTP resource routes
These existing resource routes share the operation’s domain behavior. Their parameter placement, status and response envelope can differ from generic invocation. See [HTTP route details](/reference/http/routes).
| Method and route | Success | Details |
| ------------------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `POST /v1/discovery/runs` | 202 | Remaining arguments go in a JSON object body. Supply idempotencyKey as the Idempotency-Key header on this resource route. |
## Continue
[get\_discovery\_run](/reference/commands/get_discovery_run) · [list\_discovery\_candidates](/reference/commands/list_discovery_candidates)
Follow the [related workflow](/guides/import-and-verify), inspect [capability status](/capability-status), or return to the [command index](/reference/index).