1What FoxPlug reads from Google Search Console
These are the exact things it reads, and nothing else.
| What | The details it takes |
|---|---|
| The sites your Google account can see | each property's siteUrl and permissionLevel; unverified-user properties are left out |
| Searches (queries) in the recent window | per search: the query text, clicks and impressions, up to 1000 rows, for the last 28 days (ending 3 days ago because Search Console data lags) |
| Searches in the 28 days before that | the same fields for the previous 28 days, used only to tell which searches are new and how clicks and impressions moved |
| Pages in the recent window | per page: the page address, clicks and impressions, up to 1000 rows, last 28 days |
| Pages in the 28 days before that | the same, to find a page whose clicks are climbing |
| Totals and changes | worked out from the rows: clicks, impressions, the change in percent on the 28 days before, the number of new searches, up to 5 examples of new searches, and the climbing page |
| The email of the connected Google account | asked for through the openid and email permissions, to show which Google account is connected |
2Moments it finds, and what each becomes
A moment is one thing that happened in Google Search Console worth a second look. Each one is scored, then it becomes a post, a changelog entry, a thing to fix or an idea to email, or it is skipped.
5 or more searches got impressions in the last 28 days that got none in the 28 days before
The moment is titled like this: example.com is ranking for 12 new searches
A made-up site, example.com, shows up for 12 searches it did not appear for in the 28 days before. The moment reads 'example.com is ranking for 12 new searches' and its line names three of them in quotes. Reading again in the same week does not add it twice.
a page has 10 or more clicks and is up by half or more on the 28 days before
The moment is titled like this: A page is climbing on example.com
The page example.com/guide went from 12 to 31 clicks in 28 days. FoxPlug writes 'A page is climbing on example.com' with the line 'went from 12 to 31 clicks in 28 days. Write the next post on the same topic.' It becomes a write-next card in the Today brief for two weeks and is never posted (so it is not a post, a changelog entry or a fix-first card).
clicks and impressions move between the two 28 day windows
The moment is titled like this: no moment: a line in Settings, 'Last 28 days: N clicks (+X%), N impressions, N new searches'
The trend is shown in Settings only. Nothing is posted and nothing is added to the brief for it.
a Search Console site matches none of your projects' addresses and you chose no route
The moment is titled like this: no moment is filed under any project
With several projects, a moment is filed under the project whose address matches the site, or the one you picked. If neither applies it is held rather than put under a default project.
3How the brain uses it
The rules below are the ones that apply to Google Search Console. The same rules, with worked examples, are on the brain page.
- Five or more searches your site now shows up for that it did not show up for in the 28 days before (at least 3 impressions each) become an update, 'ranking for N new searches'. How the brain decides
- A page with 10 or more clicks that is up by half or more on the 28 days before becomes a 'write the next post on that topic' card in the Today brief for two weeks. It is never posted. How the brain decides
- Nothing is read until you press Read my searches. How the brain decides
4Set up Google Search Console in a few steps
Access: OAuth (Connect with Google); the long-lived grant is kept as the connection key and traded for a short-lived access token on each read. What to give it: the one permission asked for is to view Search Console data.
- Press Connect with Google.
- Choose the Google account that owns your site in Search Console.
- Press Allow on the Google page. It asks only to view Search Console data.
- Back in FoxPlug, pick your site from the list (a project whose address matches a Search Console site is matched automatically).
- Press Read my searches.
5Limits worth knowing
Where it stops, so nothing surprises you.
- Compares the last 28 days with the 28 before, ending 3 days ago; at most 1000 query rows and 1000 page rows per window.
- Needs 5 new searches with at least 3 impressions each before a post is written.
- Only one climbing page is reported, the one with the biggest gain, and it needs 10 or more clicks.
- A re-read in the same week does not add the same moment again.
- One Google sign-in, one site per project: each project's own property is read (the one you chose, else the property matching its address; a domain property beats a URL-prefix one), and a site that matches no project is not filed anywhere.
- If Google no longer allows the connection, the app asks you to Disconnect and connect again.
6What it never reads
Read only means read only, and the list below is what the code leaves alone.
- Your Google password (you sign in on Google's own page)
- Anything beyond viewing Search Console data (the one data permission asked for is read-only; nothing is changed in Google)
- Your Gmail, Drive or other Google data (only Search Console, plus the account email, are in the permission request)
7How Google Search Console differs from the tools next to it
Bing Webmaster Tools ends in the same analysis but uses your own API key and Bing's daily query and page rows; Search Console uses a Google sign-in with a view-only permission and the searchAnalytics query for each 28 day window.
8Questions
What does FoxPlug do with my Search Console data?
It reads which searches and pages got clicks and impressions for the last 28 days against the 28 before, then turns a burst of new searches into an update and a climbing page into a write-next idea. The trend numbers are shown in Settings.
Can FoxPlug change anything in my Google account?
No. The permission asked for is to view Search Console data. The panel says FoxPlug never changes anything in Google, and you can press Disconnect or revoke it in your Google account.
I have several projects. Do I connect Google once per project?
No. You sign in once. Each project reads the site whose address matches it, or the one you pick from the list beside the project.
Why are the newest three days missing?
Search Console data lags, so FoxPlug ends each 28 day window three days ago.
Does it read all the time?
No. It reads when you press Read my searches or Check for what's new.
Checked with a real connected account of ours: Saul's real Google account, real reads of sc-domain:mentionfox.com (179 clicks, 7,253 impressions, 215 new searches) on 2026-11-10 and of 5 real sites in T1703.
FoxPlug reads this tool only when you press Check for what's new, and only to read. Plans and limits are on the pricing page. Questions: support.