Checker online · free check, no sign-upHow our crawler reads your site →
Guide · 5 min read

robots.txt and AI crawlers: what to allow and what to block

A simple policy: allow search-type AI crawlers, decide for yourself on training crawlers.

Search crawlers vs training crawlers

Some AI crawlers fetch pages to answer a user's question right now (OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot). Others collect content for training models (GPTBot, Google-Extended).

A sensible default

Allow the search-type crawlers so AI tools can find and cite you. Decide on training crawlers based on how you feel about your content being used for training.

Common accident

Security plugins and some hosts add blanket AI blocks. Check your robots.txt after installing plugins or moving hosts.

Check it

Run a free GEO Guru check: the report lists every AI crawler and whether it's allowed.

Check your own site now

Free, no sign-up, about 20 seconds.

← All resources