Robots.txt AI analyzer
Upload or check your robots.txt file to instantly see which AI crawlers (GPTBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended) can access your site, and get actionable recommendations.
Why your robots.txt matters for AI visibility
Your robots.txt file is the gatekeeper between your website and AI crawlers. When GPTBot (ChatGPT's crawler), PerplexityBot, or ClaudeBot (Claude's crawler) visits your site, the first thing they check is robots.txt. If your file blocks these crawlers — even unintentionally — AI engines have no direct access to your content and must rely entirely on third-party sources to describe your brand.
Many website owners don't realize they're blocking AI crawlers. Default CMS configurations, overly aggressive security plugins, or broadly written User-agent rules can inadvertently shut out the exact crawlers you want indexing your content. This tool identifies those issues instantly.
When to use this tool
Run the robots.txt analyzer in these situations:
- Initial audit — Check whether your current configuration allows or blocks AI crawlers. Many sites have never reviewed their robots.txt with AI visibility in mind
- After CMS or plugin updates — Security plugins and CMS updates can modify robots.txt without notification. Check after any infrastructure change
- When AI visibility drops — If your visibility score decreases, a robots.txt misconfiguration is one of the first things to investigate
- Before optimization campaigns — Ensure AI crawlers can access the content you're creating before investing in generative engine optimization
What the results tell you
The analyzer breaks down your robots.txt into actionable intelligence:
Crawler-by-crawler status. See exactly which AI crawlers are allowed, blocked, or subject to conditional rules. You might allow GPTBot but block PerplexityBot without realizing it, creating uneven visibility across engines.
Common misconfiguration detection. The tool flags patterns like broad User-agent: * Disallow rules that block all crawlers including AI bots, conflicting rules that create ambiguous behavior, and missing explicit AI crawler directives.
Impact assessment. Understand which blocked crawlers have the highest impact on your AI visibility, so you can prioritize fixes.
Recommended configuration. Get a tailored robots.txt recommendation that balances AI visibility with any legitimate blocking needs (private content, staging environments, admin areas).
Best practices for AI crawler configuration
For maximum brand visibility across AI engines, explicitly allow the major AI crawlers: GPTBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, and CCBot. Block them only from genuinely private content (admin panels, staging environments, premium paywalled content). Use the AI brand mention checker alongside this tool to verify that unblocking crawlers translates into improved AI representation.
Also consider implementing an llms.txt file alongside your robots.txt for additional AI-specific guidance.
Features
- Detect all AI-specific crawler rules in your robots.txt
- Coverage for GPTBot, PerplexityBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, CCBot
- Clear allow/block status for each AI crawler
- Recommendations for optimal AI crawler configuration
- Check for common misconfigurations
- Comparison with industry best practices
How it works
- 1Enter your website URL
- 2We fetch and parse your robots.txt file
- 3Each AI crawler directive is analyzed for access permissions
- 4You receive a report with current status and recommendations
Frequently asked questions
Which AI crawlers should I allow?
For maximum AI visibility, allow GPTBot (ChatGPT), PerplexityBot (Perplexity), and ClaudeBot (Claude). Google-Extended controls AI training but not Google Search. CCBot feeds Common Crawl, used by many AI models.
Will allowing AI crawlers hurt my SEO?
No. AI crawlers are separate from search engine crawlers like Googlebot. Allowing AI crawlers doesn't affect your traditional SEO and can improve your AI search visibility.
What if I don't have any AI crawler rules?
If your robots.txt doesn't mention AI crawlers specifically, most will follow your general User-agent: * rules. It's best to explicitly allow AI crawlers you want to access your content.
Can I allow AI crawlers for some pages but not others?
Yes. You can use Allow and Disallow directives for specific paths. For example, allow AI crawlers for your blog and documentation but block them from private or premium content.
How do I know if blocking AI crawlers is hurting my visibility?
Check your AI visibility score before and after unblocking AI crawlers. If your score improves after allowing access, the blocking was likely limiting your AI presence. You can also compare AI responses about your brand before and after the change to see if AI engines provide more accurate, detailed information when they can crawl your site directly.
What is Google-Extended and should I allow it?
Google-Extended is Google's crawler for AI training data collection (used for Gemini and other AI products). It's separate from Googlebot, which handles regular Google Search indexing. Allowing Google-Extended helps your content inform Google's AI models, potentially improving your visibility in Google AI Overviews and Gemini responses, without affecting your traditional search rankings.
Can security plugins accidentally block AI crawlers?
Yes, this is a common issue. Security plugins and WAF (Web Application Firewall) configurations sometimes block bot traffic broadly, including legitimate AI crawlers. If your robots.txt looks correct but AI crawlers still can't access your site, check your security plugin settings, CDN configuration (Cloudflare, etc.), and server-level bot filtering rules.
What is llms.txt and do I need one?
llms.txt is a proposed standard that provides a concise, markdown-formatted map of your site's most important resources for AI systems. While robots.txt controls crawler access, llms.txt helps AI models discover your key pages — documentation, product information, and guides — without crawling your entire site. Adoption is growing (hundreds of thousands of sites have implemented it), though major AI platforms have not confirmed they read these files yet.
Analyze your robots.txt for AI crawlers
Find out which AI bots can access your site and get optimization recommendations.
