Tools / robots.txt AI policy checker
robots.txt AI policy checker
Decode how robots.txt treats common AI crawlers and whether agent access policy is explicit, consistent, and aligned with public business content.
Selected check · POL-006-7 pts
What this checks
robots.txt exists
Standard policy file is reachable.
AI bot rules
Checks known AI crawler user agents.
Conflicts
Flags contradictory directives.
Default posture
Highlights inherited wildcard behavior.
FAQ
- What AI crawler policy does this checker read?
- It fetches robots.txt and evaluates explicit rules for known AI crawler user agents, wildcard behavior, sitemap references, and conflicting allow or disallow directives.
- Is robots.txt a privacy control?
- No. Robots.txt is a public crawling preference file. Sensitive or private content needs real access control, not a disallow rule in a public text file.
- Should I allow every AI crawler?
- Not automatically. The right policy depends on your public content strategy, licensing expectations, and support burden. The important part is making the policy intentional and consistent.
- Can robots.txt pass while public fetching still fails?
- Yes. A site can allow crawlers in robots.txt but still serve WAF challenges, CAPTCHA pages, or access-denied responses that make public content hard for agents to read.