Detect and resolve redirect chains automatically

The chain detection engine builds a directed graph of all your redirect rules, where each node is a URL pattern and each edge is a redirect. It then traverses the graph looking for paths longer than one hop — sequences where URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects to URL C.

When a chain is found, the engine records the full hop path and hop count so you can trace the redirect sequence. For loops (where the chain circles back to a previously visited URL), the engine flags the cycle and identifies which rule creates the circular dependency.

Chain scanning is available on Pro (10 manual runs per month) and Enterprise (automatic cron every 5 minutes) tiers. Each detected chain includes the hop count and whether it forms a circular loop, helping you prioritize which chains to fix first.

Redirect chains are one of the most common SEO issues for sites that manage a large number of redirects. Each hop in a chain adds latency, wastes search engine crawl budget, and can dilute the link equity being passed from the original URL to the final destination. Google recommends keeping redirect chains to a single hop wherever possible.

The chain detection engine goes beyond simple A→B→C detection. It identifies complex patterns including diamond chains (where multiple paths converge), fan-out chains (where one URL triggers multiple downstream redirects), and mixed-status chains (where 301s and 302s are combined in unexpected ways).

The chain detection engine identifies complex patterns including multi-hop chains and circular loops. Detected chains include detailed path traces showing each hop, making it straightforward to manually update rules and collapse chains to single-hop redirects. Enterprise tier also enforces chain detection at save time, blocking rules that would create new chains.