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LocalASO

MCP and AI agents

Connect LocalASO to the Codex CLI for App Store keyword work

You can register LocalASO in the Codex CLI with one codex mcp add command or by adding a [mcp_servers.localaso] table to config.toml. After that, Codex can call the five LocalASO tools to read your keyword board and run rank checks.

Updated

Option 1: the command

Codex's documentation gives this form for a stdio server: codex mcp add <server-name> --env VAR=VALUE -- <stdio server-command>. For the installed LocalASO app that becomes:

codex mcp add localaso --env ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE=1 -- \
  /Applications/LocalASO.app/Contents/MacOS/LocalASO \
  /Applications/LocalASO.app/Contents/Resources/app.asar/out/main/mcp.js

Option 2: config.toml

Codex stores MCP servers in config.toml, by default ~/.codex/config.toml. Trusted projects can scope servers with .codex/config.toml. The same entry written by hand:

[mcp_servers.localaso]
command = "/Applications/LocalASO.app/Contents/MacOS/LocalASO"
args = ["/Applications/LocalASO.app/Contents/Resources/app.asar/out/main/mcp.js"]

[mcp_servers.localaso.env]
ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE = "1"

Codex's documentation shows environment variables as a [mcp_servers.<name>.env] table, which is the form used here. The values are the same three as in the MCP server docs. The ChatGPT desktop app, the Codex CLI and the IDE extension share this configuration, so you set it up once.

Two different Codex roles

LocalASO and Codex connect in two directions, and people often mix them up.

DirectionWhat happensWhere it is set
Codex as MCP clientCodex calls board_get, keywords_check and the other toolsThis page, in Codex's config
Codex as AI providerLocalASO runs codex exec to localize keywords or rewrite listingsLocalASO Settings, AI provider

The second direction is described in the AI providers docs. With the first, the model behind Codex does the reasoning and LocalASO supplies data; with the second, LocalASO supplies the prompt and Codex only answers.

A first session

Start codex in any folder and try these example prompts. The tool in brackets is the one Codex should call.

  1. "List my LocalASO apps." (board_get, no app)
  2. "Show the board for my first app and group keywords by verdict." (board_get with app)
  3. "Check rank and difficulty for the keywords that have never been checked, in the US only." (keywords_check with countries: ["US"])

If a call comes back with a license message, open the LocalASO app and enter your key; the tools refuse to run without a valid license. If keywords_check reports remaining above zero, ask Codex to call it again. The keywords_check page explains why.

Other clients

The same three values work everywhere: see Cursor, Gemini CLI and the generic client page. To understand what the tools are for before you wire anything up, read what an ASO MCP server is.

Next step

Open the MCP docs for the tool reference, then run your first board read.

Questions

Is this the same as choosing Codex as my AI provider in LocalASO?
No. As an MCP client, Codex calls LocalASO's tools. As an AI provider, LocalASO calls Codex to localize or rewrite text. You can use either or both.
Where does Codex keep the MCP configuration?
In config.toml, by default ~/.codex/config.toml. Trusted projects can add .codex/config.toml.

Sources

Do this for every country, in minutes

LocalASO checks your rank, volume and difficulty for every keyword in 50+ App Store countries, in each local language. It runs on your Mac. $29 once, no subscription.
Buy lifetime license, $29See the features