AI Crawler / robots.txt Checker

What This Checks

Use this AI crawler robots.txt checker to test whether important search and AI-related crawlers are allowed or blocked for a specific URL. The report checks OAI-SearchBot, Googlebot, Google-Extended, GPTBot, ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot, and other documented tokens without merging their distinct purposes.

The robots checker accepts a public URL, fetches robots.txt, parses user-agent groups, and reports the matched group, directive, path pattern, and status for the exact requested path.

The result is meant to reduce avoidable crawl and extraction friction. It does not guarantee LLM inclusion, ranking, indexing, training use, or citation.

Check Google and AI Crawler Access

A google robots check should test Googlebot and Google-Extended separately. Googlebot is tied to Google Search crawling, while Google-Extended is a different control token for certain AI uses.

This robot checker also reviews OAI-SearchBot, GPTBot, ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, CCBot, Applebot-Extended, Amazonbot, Bytespider, and wildcard crawler rules.

Test Allow and Block Rules in robots.txt

Use the checker as an AI crawler test before changing production policy. It evaluates whether robots.txt allows, blocks, or leaves each crawler unspecified for the exact submitted path.

For a robots.txt checker test allow block crawler workflow, test the homepage first, then important paths such as documentation, pricing, support, and guide pages.

Googlebot vs Google-Extended vs GPTBot

Googlebot, Google-Extended, and GPTBot represent different crawler policy surfaces. Blocking Google-Extended should not be described as blocking Google Search indexing.

OAI-SearchBot is used for OpenAI search discovery, GPTBot is documented for model training, and ChatGPT-User is used for user-initiated requests.

AI Crawler Test Results

The report classifies crawler status as allowed, blocked, or unspecified. Unspecified means no specific matching rule was found; it is not proof that a crawler will or will not visit.

Use the result as a policy audit, then confirm crawler behavior with server logs, Search Console, and official crawler documentation.

Common robots.txt Blocking Mistakes

Common mistakes include leaving development blocks in place, assuming User-agent: * explains every crawler, and blocking useful public content such as docs or pricing pages.

Another common crawler check mistake is treating Googlebot and Google-Extended as one crawler. They should be reviewed separately.

What to Fix If an AI Crawler Is Blocked

First decide whether the block is intentional. If it is accidental, update the most specific user-agent group, retest robots.txt, and check path-specific rules.

If the block is intentional, document why the crawler is restricted and make sure sitemap, llms.txt, canonical tags, and internal links do not send conflicting signals.

OAI-SearchBot, GPTBot, and ChatGPT-User checks

OAI-SearchBot is documented for OpenAI search discovery, GPTBot for model training, and ChatGPT-User for user-initiated requests. The checker evaluates each token separately for the submitted path.

An allowed result does not guarantee crawling, training inclusion, ranking, or citation. It only describes the matching deployed robots.txt directive, and OpenAI notes that robots.txt may not apply to user-initiated ChatGPT-User actions.

Google-Extended robots.txt check

Google-Extended is separate from Googlebot. It is a control token for certain Gemini and Vertex AI uses, not the same crawler that Google Search uses to discover and refresh pages.

Do not describe a Google-Extended block as blocking Google Search. If Google Search indexing is the concern, review Googlebot, canonical tags, noindex directives, sitemap inclusion, and server responses separately.

ClaudeBot robots.txt check

ClaudeBot can be allowed or blocked with a dedicated user-agent group. The checker highlights whether the deployed file gives ClaudeBot an explicit rule or leaves it to the wildcard policy.

If your policy intent is specific to Anthropic crawling, explicit ClaudeBot rules are easier to audit than relying on broad wildcard rules copied from another site.

PerplexityBot robots.txt check

PerplexityBot is associated with answer engine crawling and retrieval. For sites that care about AI search citations, check whether important public resources are allowed for PerplexityBot and not only the homepage.

A page can be allowed in robots.txt and still be weak for AI search if the content is thin, hidden behind scripts, missing canonical signals, or lacks clear answerable passages.

How AI Crawler Policy Is Interpreted

robots.txt is a public instruction file for compliant crawlers. The checker reads user-agent groups, allow and disallow directives, wildcard patterns, and the most relevant rule for major AI-related crawlers. It reports whether each crawler appears allowed, blocked, or unspecified for the exact submitted path.

Unspecified does not always mean a crawler will visit, and blocked does not replace authentication. It simply means the public policy does or does not allow a compliant crawler to request matching paths.

Difference between Googlebot and Google-Extended

Googlebot and Google-Extended are not the same policy surface. Googlebot is associated with Google Search crawling, while Google-Extended is a control token for certain Gemini and Vertex AI uses. GPTBot and ChatGPT-User are also different: GPTBot is associated with OpenAI crawling, while ChatGPT-User is tied to user-initiated browsing requests.

Because these agents have different purposes, a single robots.txt decision can have different business implications. The checker summarizes status, but site owners should review official crawler documentation before making policy changes.

Common robots.txt mistakes for AI crawlers

A common mistake is copying a broad Disallow rule without understanding which agents it affects. Another is blocking all bots during development and forgetting to loosen the rule after launch. Some sites allow the homepage but block documentation, pricing, or support pages that would be more useful for answer engines.

The safest workflow is to define policy intent first, then translate it into robots.txt rules. If you want public search discovery, avoid accidental blocks on canonical content. If you want to restrict training or AI-specific access, use the documented user agents for that purpose.

AI crawler allow and block examples

Use explicit examples when reviewing crawler policy. The first example allows GPTBot while blocking Google-Extended. The wildcard rule remains open for other compliant crawlers.

The second pattern blocks a specific crawler without changing Googlebot. Always test the final deployed file because redirects, staging rules, and path-specific rules can change the effective result.

How To Review The Crawler Table

Use the crawler table as a triage view. A blocked status deserves review when the crawler supports a channel you care about, such as public search discovery or answer-engine retrieval. An allowed status deserves review when your policy intent is to restrict a crawler from specific content areas. Unspecified status is not automatically wrong, but explicit policy is easier to audit during migrations, compliance reviews, and crawler documentation changes.

When changing rules, test specific paths instead of only the homepage. A root-level allow may coexist with deeper disallow rules that block documentation, pricing, support, or article pages. Likewise, a broad wildcard rule may catch more user agents than intended. Keep comments in robots.txt short and operational, then document policy decisions internally so future teams know why a crawler was allowed or blocked.

After updating robots.txt, fetch it through the final canonical host, check the content type, and confirm the sitemap location. Then run a fresh AI crawler check and compare the result with server logs over time. Robots rules are public hints; they should match both the technical configuration and the site owner's business intent.

Example

User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /

User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /

User-agent: Google-Extended
Disallow: /

User-agent: Googlebot
Allow: /

User-agent: *
Allow: /

Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

Example Input

URL: https://example.com/guides/example
Path tested: /guides/example
Crawlers: OAI-SearchBot, GPTBot, ChatGPT-User, Googlebot, Google-Extended, PerplexityBot

Example Output

OAI-SearchBot: allowed for /guides/example
Matched group: User-agent: *
Matched directive: Allow: /
Purpose: OpenAI search discovery

GPTBot: blocked by User-agent: GPTBot / Disallow: /
ChatGPT-User: unspecified
Google-Extended: blocked independently from Googlebot

An allow does not guarantee crawling, inclusion, or citation.

Supported AI Crawler Checks

Each row links to a crawler detail page with the user-agent token, robots.txt examples, policy effect, official source, and related crawler references. Use the AI crawler directory when you need crawler-specific context before running a robots.txt checker test allow block crawler workflow.

Common Errors Detected

• A broad User-agent: * Disallow rule blocks important public content by accident.
• Development robots.txt rules remain in place after launch.
• Googlebot and Google-Extended are treated as the same crawler policy.
• Rules are reviewed only for the homepage while docs, pricing, or support paths remain blocked.

Recommended Fix Steps

1. Decide the policy intent for each crawler before editing robots.txt.
2. Use explicit user-agent groups for AI crawlers that need separate allow or block rules.
3. Test important paths such as /docs, /pricing, /support, and article URLs, not only /.
4. Check the deployed robots.txt from the final canonical host after every policy change.

Before Requesting Indexing

Before submitting this page in Search Console, confirm that the page returns 200 on the canonical host, has a self-referencing canonical tag, appears in the reduced sitemap only when it is index-worthy, and contains enough visible text to stand on its own. Check that ad placeholders do not interrupt the main workflow, that structured data matches visible content, and that the page does not claim AI search visibility is guaranteed.

For a new domain, it is better to request indexing for a small group of strong pages than to push every thin route at once. Re-run the relevant AI Index Check tool after publishing and keep a record of changes so future crawler, schema, or content updates can be audited.

Recommended Workflow

1. generate an llms.txt file
2. validate your llms.txt
3. check AI crawler access
4. test schema extractability
5. run an AI citation readiness report

Related Checks And Guides

Related AI Search Guides

FAQ