Source-backed crawler reference
PerplexityBot Robots.txt Checker
PerplexityBot is Perplexity's search and retrieval crawler token. Use robots.txt to express whether PerplexityBot may request specific public paths.
Last verified:
User agent
The robots.txt user-agent token to test is PerplexityBot. Use this exact token when checking allow and block rules for PerplexityBot.
User-agent: PerplexityBot
What PerplexityBot is used for
Use this reference when the concern is AI answer-engine retrieval and potential citation paths. PerplexityBot should be tested on the exact page URL that may be used as a source.
Perplexity documents crawler and user-agent controls for its search and retrieval systems.
Search indexing, AI training, AI answers, or retrieval impact
Allowing PerplexityBot may keep direct retrieval open, but it does not guarantee a Perplexity visit or citation. Blocking it can reduce direct retrieval opportunities.
Blocking may reduce direct retrieval opportunities, while allowing does not guarantee a visit or citation.
How to allow PerplexityBot
Add an allow rule when this crawler should be permitted to request public pages. Test the deployed robots.txt file on the exact URL path, because a homepage allow can coexist with deeper disallow rules.
User-agent: PerplexityBot Allow: / User-agent: * Allow: /
How to block PerplexityBot
Add a block rule only when the policy intent is to restrict this crawler. Blocking is a public directive for compliant crawlers, not authentication and not a ranking control.
User-agent: PerplexityBot Disallow: / User-agent: * Allow: /
Common verification notes
- Test PerplexityBot on guide, docs, pricing, and support paths.
- Confirm that answer-ready pages are not blocked while the homepage is allowed.
- Use server logs and Search Console trends as follow-up evidence.
How to interpret a robots.txt checker result
An allow result means the matched robots.txt directive does not block this compliant crawler on the tested path. It does not guarantee a visit, indexing, inclusion, ranking, or citation. A block is a public crawler directive, not authentication or access control.
Recommended action: Allow it when Perplexity discovery matches your policy and verify behavior against current official documentation.
Official source
Perplexity documentation for PerplexityBot
See the AI Index Check methodology for verification, scoring, limitations, and correction policy.