> ## 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. Requires owned-corpus admission and a loaded corpus; unavailable configurations need an operator change. Import owned exports with import\_backlinks while admission is unavailable. Reuse idempotencyKey for retries after configuration or network recovery.
Hosted MCP registration verified. These schemas describe the development contract; confirm supported inputs with tools/list. Generic CLI/HTTP calls require a matching development server. Configure LINKTRAIL\_API\_URL; production does not expose these command routes.
| 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}
linktrail 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 "$LINKTRAIL_API_URL/v1/commands/discover_backlinks" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $LINKTRAIL_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 Linktrail 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.
| Field | Type | Presence | Meaning and constraints |
| --------------------------------------- | -------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `v` | number | Required | v recorded for this result. 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 | provider recorded for this result. values: "linktrail\_corpus", "dataforseo", "imported" |
| `data_mode` | string | Required | data mode recorded for this result. values: "synthetic", "owned\_corpus", "provider\_index", "imported" |
| `query` | object | Required | query recorded for this result. additional fields rejected |
| `query.target_kind` | string | Required | target kind recorded for this result. values: "domain", "exact\_url" |
| `query.target` | string | Required | target recorded for this result. minLength: 1; maxLength: 4096 |
| `query.include_subdomains` | boolean | Required | include subdomains recorded for this result. |
| `query.backlinks_status_type` | string | Required | backlinks status type recorded for this result. values: "live", "lost", "all" |
| `query.exclude_internal_backlinks` | boolean | Required | exclude internal backlinks recorded for this result. |
| `query.mode` | string | Required | mode recorded for this result. must equal "as\_is" |
| `query.filters` | null | Required | filters recorded for this result. |
| `query.order_by` | array | Required | order by recorded for this result. minItems: 1; maxItems: 1 |
| `query.rank_scale` | string / null | Required | rank scale recorded for this result. |
| `query.page_limit` | integer | Required | page limit recorded for this result. minimum: 1; maximum: 1000 |
| `query.row_limit` | integer | Required | row limit recorded for this result. 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 | started at recorded for this result. |
| `finished_at` | string / null | Required | finished at recorded for this result. |
| `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 | coverage reason recorded for this result. |
| `provider_total_count` | integer / null | Required | provider total count recorded for this result. |
| `usage` | object | Required | usage recorded for this result. additional fields rejected |
| `usage.unit` | string | Required | unit recorded for this result. must equal "discovery" |
| `usage.currency` | string | Required | currency recorded for this result. must equal "USD" |
| `usage.quote_id` | string | Required | quote id recorded for this result. minLength: 1; maxLength: 128; pattern: "^\[a-zA-Z0-9\_-]+\$" |
| `usage.max_cost_microusd` | integer | Required | max cost microusd recorded for this result. minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.reserved_cost_microusd` | integer | Required | reserved cost microusd recorded for this result. minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.provider_reported_cost_microusd` | integer / null | Required | provider reported cost microusd recorded for this result. |
| `usage.request_count` | integer | Required | request count recorded for this result. minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.returned_rows` | integer | Required | returned rows recorded for this result. minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.accepted_candidates` | integer | Required | accepted candidates recorded for this result. minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.rejected_rows` | integer | Required | rejected rows recorded for this result. minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `usage.duplicate_rows` | integer | Required | duplicate rows recorded for this result. minimum: 0; maximum: 9007199254740991 |
| `operation` | string | Required | operation recorded for this result. must equal "backlinks" |
| `coverage_scope` | string | Required | coverage scope recorded for this result. 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).