What is robots.txt
robots.txt is a crawler instruction file placed at the root of a website. It helps search engines and other crawlers understand which paths should be crawled or avoided.
Selnox SEO Tools
Robots.txt Tester & Generator
Download, parse, validate, and generate robots.txt with search engine, AI crawler, sitemap, and SEO issue analysis.
Robots parserAI bot checksSitemap validation
Test crawler access before it hurts SEO
Audit robots rules, AI crawler access, sitemap directives, redirects, syntax issues, and crawlability recommendations.
Robots.txt Generator
Build production-ready robots.txt rules with AI and search crawler policies.
User-agent: * Allow: / Disallow: /admin/ Disallow: /api/ User-agent: GPTBot Allow: / User-agent: ChatGPT-User Allow: / User-agent: OAI-SearchBot Allow: / User-agent: ClaudeBot Allow: / User-agent: PerplexityBot Allow: / User-agent: CCBot Allow: / Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
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How search engines use robots.txt
Search engines read robots.txt before crawling. Clear rules help protect private paths while keeping important content crawlable.
How AI crawlers use robots.txt
AI crawlers such as GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, CCBot, and others may use robots rules to decide whether they can access content.
Should GPTBot be blocked?
Blocking GPTBot is a business decision. Publishers who want strict AI training controls may block it, while brands seeking AI visibility may allow it.
What is Google-Extended?
Google-Extended lets publishers express preferences for certain Google AI uses while keeping regular Googlebot crawling separate.
Difference between robots.txt and meta robots
robots.txt limits crawling. Meta robots can prevent indexing on a page that has already been crawled.
Common mistakes
Common issues include Disallow: /, missing sitemaps, duplicate sitemap URLs, malformed directives, and blocking important content folders.
Best practices
Use simple rules, include a sitemap, avoid blocking key landing pages, document AI crawler policy, and test after deployments.
Robots.txt Tester FAQs
What is robots.txt?
robots.txt is a public text file that tells crawlers which parts of a site they may or may not crawl.
Can robots.txt block Google?
Yes. A Disallow rule for Googlebot or all user agents can block Google crawling, though it does not remove already indexed URLs by itself.
How do AI crawlers use robots.txt?
Many AI crawlers check robots.txt user-agent rules before crawling content for training, search, or answer systems.
Should GPTBot be blocked?
It depends on your content strategy. Blocking GPTBot can reduce AI training access, while allowing it may support broader AI discovery.
What is Google-Extended?
Google-Extended is a crawler control token Google provides for some AI training and Gemini-related uses, separate from normal Google Search crawling.
Is robots.txt the same as meta robots?
No. robots.txt controls crawling at the file level, while meta robots controls indexing and snippet behavior on individual pages.
Can this tool validate sitemaps?
Yes. It extracts Sitemap directives and checks reachability, redirects, duplicate entries, and XML validity.
Does this tool fetch robots.txt server-side?
Yes. The API fetches robots.txt from the server to avoid browser CORS issues.
Can I generate robots.txt?
Yes. The visual builder creates a production-ready robots.txt preview with search and AI bot policies.
Is this robots.txt tester free?
Yes. It is a free SEO tool from Selnox Infotech.