# AI Citation Monitor (`nextgen.api/spark-agent-commerce-ai-citation-monitor`) Actor

Check if Google AI Overview cites your brand for a batch of prompts. Get cited true/false, the answer snippet, and citation URLs as JSON. Pay per prompt — no GEO SaaS subscription. Schedule runs, export CSV, or call the API.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/nextgen.api/spark-agent-commerce-ai-citation-monitor.md
- **Developed by:** [Logan Bryant](https://apify.com/nextgen.api) (community)
- **Categories:**
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $15.00 / 1,000 prompt checkeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## What is AI Citation Monitor?

**Check whether Google AI Overview cites your brand or domain for a batch of prompts.** Paste the questions your buyers actually ask. Get back `cited: true/false`, the answer snippet, and the citation URLs — as structured JSON you can schedule, pipe into a CRM, or call from an API.

This is a GEO / AEO monitor for Google AI Overview. It is **not** a ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot, or Gemini tracker (those engines are not live on this Actor).

### What this Actor does

- Runs each prompt through Google search with AI Overview capture
- Matches citations against **your brand name** and **your domain**
- Returns one result row per prompt: cited flag, snippet, citation URLs, match type
- Rolls up `citation_rate` so you can trend share of AI voice over scheduled runs
- Runs on Apify: proxies, scheduling, webhooks, dataset export (JSON / CSV / Excel), API, and integrations (Make, n8n, Zapier)

### Who it is for

- SEO / GEO consultants doing a one-off brand audit without a $99–$299/mo SaaS seat
- In-house marketing teams watching whether AI Overviews still cite the site after a content change
- Agencies that need a prompt-level CSV they can drop into a client deck

### How to use it

1. Click **Try for free** on this page (or run it from Console).
2. Set **Brand Name** (e.g. `NVIDIA`) and **Primary Domain** (e.g. `nvidia.com`).
3. Add 5–50 natural-language prompts — the questions a buyer would type, not keywords.
4. Leave **AI Search Engines** on `google-overview`.
5. Run. Open the default dataset. Export or pull via API.

#### Input example

```json
{
  "brand": "NVIDIA",
  "domain": "nvidia.com",
  "prompts": [
    "What are the best AI chips for training large language models?",
    "Which companies are leading in generative AI infrastructure?",
    "Compare NVIDIA H100 vs AMD MI300 for AI workloads"
  ],
  "ai_engines": ["google-overview"],
  "exclude_own_domain": true,
  "country": "US",
  "language": "en"
}
```

#### Output example

```json
{
  "prompt": "What are the best AI chips for training large language models?",
  "ai_engine": "google-overview",
  "cited": true,
  "answer_snippet": "NVIDIA's H100 GPU is widely considered the industry standard...",
  "citation_urls": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/data-center/h100/",
      "title": "NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPU",
      "position": 1,
      "match_type": "exact_domain"
    }
  ],
  "source": "Google AI Overview",
  "num_citations": 1
}
```

`cited: false` with an empty `citation_urls` array means an Overview existed but did not link your domain. That row is a GEO target, not a failed run.

### How much does it cost?

Pay per event. No monthly subscription.

| Event | What you pay |
| --- | --- |
| Actor start | ~$0.00005 per GB of memory (typically a fraction of a cent) |
| Prompt checked | **$0.022** on the free Store tier; volume tiers go down to **$0.015** |

A 100-prompt audit is about **$2.20** plus a few cents of start/compute. A 1,000-prompt weekly monitor is about **$15–$22** depending on your Apify user tier.

You are charged for prompts that are checked, including prompts where Google did not render an AI Overview (`cited` will be unknown/false, not a silent skip). Failed Actor crashes are not a successful check.

Compare: dedicated GEO SaaS is typically $99–$299/month. This Actor is for teams that want a fresh check on demand, not a dashboard seat.

### Related Actors

| Actor | Use it when |
| --- | --- |
| **AI Citation Monitor** (this one) | You need to know if **your** brand is cited |
| [AI Citation Lead Extractor](https://apify.com/nextgen.api/spark-agent-commerce-ai-citation-lead-extractor) | You need the **domains Google cites instead** (competitor / link-prospect list) |

### FAQ

#### Does this scrape ChatGPT or Perplexity?

No. Live coverage is **Google AI Overview** only. Other engine names in older docs are not implemented. Do not select them.

#### What if Google does not show an AI Overview for a prompt?

You still get a row. `cited` will not be `true`. That is a Google coverage gap, not an Actor bug.

#### Can I schedule it?

Yes. Save a task, attach a schedule (daily/weekly), and optionally a webhook. Apify keeps a dataset per run so you can diff citation rate over time.

#### Is this legal / ToS-safe?

You are querying public Google results via Apify infrastructure. Use it for your own brand and public SERP research. Do not use it to break a site's terms or to collect personal data you have no right to process.

#### I need a custom GEO pipeline

Open an issue on the Actor page or contact the developer via the Store profile (`nextgen.api`). Companion product: Lead Extractor for who-is-cited lists.

# Actor input Schema

## `brand` (type: `string`):

Brand or company name to check for citations (e.g., 'NVIDIA', 'Spark Agent Commerce')

## `domain` (type: `string`):

Primary domain for URL matching (e.g., 'nvidia.com', 'spark-agent-commerce.nousresearch.com')

## `prompts` (type: `array`):

Natural-language queries to check for AI Overview citations

## `ai_engines` (type: `array`):

Live coverage is Google AI Overview only. Other engine names are accepted for compatibility but are skipped at runtime.

## `exclude_own_domain` (type: `boolean`):

If true, exclude results from the specified domain (to find external citations only)

## `country` (type: `string`):

Google search country code

## `language` (type: `string`):

Google search language code

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "brand": "NVIDIA",
  "domain": "nvidia.com",
  "prompts": [
    "What are the best AI chips for training large language models?",
    "Which companies are leading in generative AI infrastructure?",
    "Compare NVIDIA H100 vs AMD MI300 for AI workloads"
  ],
  "ai_engines": [
    "google-overview"
  ],
  "exclude_own_domain": true,
  "country": "US",
  "language": "en"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

One row per prompt: cited true/false, snippet, citation URLs

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "brand": "NVIDIA",
    "domain": "nvidia.com",
    "prompts": [
        "What are the best AI chips for training large language models?",
        "Which companies are leading in generative AI infrastructure?",
        "Compare NVIDIA H100 vs AMD MI300 for AI workloads"
    ],
    "ai_engines": [
        "google-overview"
    ],
    "country": "US",
    "language": "en"
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("nextgen.api/spark-agent-commerce-ai-citation-monitor").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "brand": "NVIDIA",
    "domain": "nvidia.com",
    "prompts": [
        "What are the best AI chips for training large language models?",
        "Which companies are leading in generative AI infrastructure?",
        "Compare NVIDIA H100 vs AMD MI300 for AI workloads",
    ],
    "ai_engines": ["google-overview"],
    "country": "US",
    "language": "en",
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("nextgen.api/spark-agent-commerce-ai-citation-monitor").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "brand": "NVIDIA",
  "domain": "nvidia.com",
  "prompts": [
    "What are the best AI chips for training large language models?",
    "Which companies are leading in generative AI infrastructure?",
    "Compare NVIDIA H100 vs AMD MI300 for AI workloads"
  ],
  "ai_engines": [
    "google-overview"
  ],
  "country": "US",
  "language": "en"
}' |
apify call nextgen.api/spark-agent-commerce-ai-citation-monitor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,nextgen.api/spark-agent-commerce-ai-citation-monitor"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/bUp4MechD1ggjoO9k/builds/pirJOyH8n0o3VcrR7/openapi.json