Build a Redirect Bot: From Zero to AI-Powered Redirect Manager with MCP

Managing redirects for a growing site or portfolio is the kind of work that doesn't scale - create the record, verify DNS, check SSL, monitor uptime, update when something changes. Multiply that by hundreds or thousands of domains and it's a full-time job.

I built a redirect bot that handles all of this. It took 10 minutes, used zero custom code, and works with any AI agent that supports MCP (Model Context Protocol). Here's the exact playbook.

What a Redirect Bot Can Do

A redirect bot is an AI agent connected to a redirect management API through MCP. Once connected, it handles:

• Create and manage redirects - add, update, or remove rules with a natural-language command
• Bulk import from CSV - drop a spreadsheet into the conversation and the bot processes hundreds of records
• Monitor link health - check redirect status, SSL validity, and DNS config across your portfolio
• Alert on failures - push to Slack or email when a redirect breaks
• Deployment workflows - move configs from staging to production with approval gates
• Team collaboration - multiple people manage redirects through shared workspaces with role-based permissions

The key insight: this isn't a custom integration. It's built on MCP, an open protocol any AI agent understands. It works with Claude today, Codex tomorrow, and whatever ships next month - no rewrites.

Step 1: Connect to RedirHub MCP

The MCP server is available on every RedirHub plan, including free.

Get your API token:

• Log into your RedirHub dashboard
• Workspace → API Tokens
• Generate a token with redirect management permissions

Configure your AI agent. For Claude Desktop, add this to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "redirhub": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@redirhub/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "REDIRHUB_API_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Codex or Cursor, point the MCP config at https://api.redirhub.com/mcp/v1 with your Bearer token.

Verify it. Open your AI agent and ask: "List my redirects." If it returns your records, you're connected.

Step 2: Bulk Import from CSV

Manual redirect creation is the biggest time drain - especially during migrations. The bot handles this in one shot.

Workflow:

• Export your redirect list as CSV (source URL, destination URL, redirect type)
• Drop the CSV into your AI agent conversation
• The bot processes all records via MCP's BulkImport tool and reports results

Example prompt: "Here's a CSV with 150 redirects for our website migration. Create all of them as 301 redirects on RedirHub. For any that fail, tell me the source URL and the error reason."

The bot uses dry-run mode by default - you preview changes before committing. This matters for large migrations where a CSV typo could take down production pages.

Real result: A marketing agency migrated 850 redirects from an old CMS in 4 minutes. Manual creation would have taken two full days. The bot flagged 3 records with invalid destination URLs - fixed and re-imported in 30 seconds.

Step 3: Monitoring + Slack Alerts

A redirect that breaks silently is worse than no redirect. The bot watches:

• Target URL status - is the destination still alive?
• SSL certificate validity - is HTTPS working?
• DNS configuration - is the domain still pointed correctly?
• Response time - is the redirect fast enough?

Prompt: "Monitor all my redirects and alert me in Slack if any destination returns a 4xx or 5xx. Check every hour."

The bot uses RedirHub's link health monitoring (Pro+) combined with GetAccessLogs and GetStats MCP tools. Slack alerts come through a webhook:

🚨 Redirect alert: old-site.com/blog → new-site.com/articles returned 404
Last successful check: 2 hours ago
Action needed: Update the destination or restore the target page

This flips redirect management from reactive ("someone reported a broken link") to proactive ("I know before anyone notices").

Step 4: Deployment Workflow (Staging → Production)

For teams managing redirects across environments, a deployment pipeline keeps things safe.

Workflow:

• Create and test redirects in a staging workspace
• The bot generates a diff of staging vs. production
• A team member approves
• The bot deploys changes to production in one batch

Prompt: "Compare my staging and production workspaces and show me the diff. Then deploy all staging-only redirects to production."

The bot uses QueryResource to compare records across workspaces, then BulkUpdateRecords with the dry-run flag to sync changes safely.

Real result: A SaaS company managing 2,000+ redirects across 12 marketing sites used this workflow. Before the bot: one broken redirect per release. After: zero in six months.

Step 5: Team Collaboration + Approval Flows

Redirects shouldn't be managed by one person. With MCP, the bot coordinates across your team.

Approval flows: "Any redirect targeting production domains needs DevOps approval. Marketing domains auto-approve and post a Slack notification."

The bot checks the destination domain of each request and routes through the appropriate channel. Marketing gets campaign redirects instantly. Production changes get a second pair of eyes.

Results: Before vs After

The common thread: redirect management stops being a specialized task. Your SEO specialist doesn't need to learn an API. Your marketing manager doesn't need dashboard access. They just ask the bot.

What's Next

A redirect bot on MCP isn't a future project - it's something you can set up today on the free plan. Connect your AI agent, run your first bulk import, set up monitoring. The tools are open source, the protocol is standard, and the setup takes two minutes.

The only question is what you'll do with the hours you get back.