Site API connection test fails

The Site API lets SEOAsist send fixes, content and llms.txt to a site you built yourself. The Test connection button calls your site's /manifest endpoint with a signed request. If the test fails, the connection stays in Error and nothing is sent.

#Symptoms

The Site API card on the site's Fix channels tab says “Test failed: …”. The text after the colon tells you why:

#Fix

1. 401 / 403: The token in the panel must match your site's SEOASIST_SITE_TOKEN environment variable exactly. Restart the site after setting the variable. If you lost the token, generate a New token; the old one stops working right away.
2. On Apache, the server may not pass the Authorization header to PHP. Add this line to your .htaccess: SetEnvIf Authorization "(.*)" HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=$1
3. Signature errors: The signature is HMAC-SHA256(token, "<timestamp>.<raw body>"). The body is empty for GET requests. Timestamps older than 300 seconds are rejected, so the server clock must be correct.
4. 404: Enter the common root of the endpoints as the API base URL (e.g. https://example.com/api/seoasist). Don't add /manifest; SEOAsist appends it. After changing it, click Save URL.
5. Redirects: The Site API must never redirect. Save the final address from the error text (e.g. with https:// or www) as the API base URL.
6. Timeouts: Make sure the site is reachable from the public internet. Local and internal network addresses are refused. Firewalls and bot protection must not block SEOAsist's requests.
7. Manifest: /manifest must return JSON like {"spec":"seoasist-site-api/1","capabilities":["rules","content","files"]}. List only the capabilities you actually built.
8. Click Test connection again. Once it passes, pending rules are sent right away.

#Still not working?

#The test passed, so why don't the rules show on the page?

The test only checks /manifest. Applying the rules on the server while the page renders is up to your code. If the card shows “last push … rules”, the rules reached your site. Compare your code with the Site API reference.

#I want to set it up from scratch. Where do I start?

Copy the Setup prompt from the card and give it to the AI coding assistant or developer working on your project. For the steps, see Site API setup.