What is robots.txt and who actually reads it?

robots.txt is a plain-text file served at the root of a domain (e.g. example.com/robots.txt) that gives crawling instructions to automated clients. Search engines like Google and Bing read it, but so do AI crawlers such as GPTBot, Google-Extended, CCBot and ChatGPT-User, plus countless scrapers and monitoring bots.

Why did my robots.txt fail to load?

This tool now fetches the file server-side via our API, so CORS issues are avoided. If it fails, the server may not have a robots.txt file, or there may be a network error.

If a bot has no rule, is it blocked?

No. A "No rule" result means the bot is not explicitly named in robots.txt. By long-standing convention, crawlers without a matching rule are permitted to access the site freely. "Allowed" or "Disallowed" reflects an actual matched group — either an explicit rule for that bot or the * wildcard fallback.

How do I block AI crawlers like GPTBot or Google-Extended?

Add a dedicated group, for example "User-agent: GPTBot" followed by "Disallow: /" to deny that crawler. The same pattern works for Google-Extended and CCBot. Keep in mind that robots.txt is a request, not enforcement — well-behaved bots obey it, but malicious scrapers may ignore it entirely.

Crawler Directive Inspector

Robots.txt directives,decoded for every crawler.

Inspect a domain's robots.txt directives and see exactly how search and AI crawlers are permitted to access your site.

FREE

Crawlers checked

Live robots.txt

Resources mapped

0/7

Free to run

#robots.txt#user-agent#disallow#allow#sitemap directive#crawl-delay#wildcard rules#bot access#indexability#robots.txt#user-agent#disallow#allow#sitemap directive#crawl-delay#wildcard rules#bot access#indexability

#googlebot#bingbot#gptbot#google-extended#ccbot#chatgpt-user#ai crawlers#render blocking#crawl budget#googlebot#bingbot#gptbot#google-extended#ccbot#chatgpt-user#ai crawlers#render blocking#crawl budget

Ready to inspect

Enter a domain above and fetch its robots.txt to analyze crawler permissions in real time.

Directive simulation lab

Test any bot,
any path, instantly.

User-agent plus URL-path simulation against live robots rules — preview allow / disallow outcomes for Googlebot, AI crawlers and SEO tools.

Agent picker

Googlebot, Bingbot, GPTBot, ClaudeBot and major SEO crawlers preloaded with correct tokens.

GooglebotGPTBottokenspresets

benchmarkagent library

Path probing

Any URL path tested against the live rule set with match-trace showing which line decided.

pathsmatchtracelines

benchmarkverdict + trace

Rule precedence

Longest-match and allow-vs-disallow precedence resolved exactly per specification.

precedencelongestspecresolve

benchmarkspec-exact

Surprise detection

Blocked assets, APIs and feeds you never meant to gate — surfaced per simulation.

assetsAPIsfeedssurprises

benchmarksurprise scan

Batch scenarios

Run path sets per agent — staging checklists and migration QA in one sweep.

batchsetsQAsweep

benchmarkscenario runs

Fix directives

Precise rule edits that produce the intended verdicts without collateral blocks.

editsverdictsprecisesafe

benchmarkedit plan

How it works

Simulate before you ship rules.

Robots edits are production deploys. Preview every outcome like one.

Step 01

Point at a domain

Live robots rules load as your simulation baseline.

baseline

Step 02

Pick agent + path

Choose the crawler and the URL you care about.

scenario

Step 03

Get the verdict

Allowed or blocked — with the deciding line quoted.

verdict

Step 04

Ship the right rule

Apply the suggested edit and re-simulate to confirm.

confirmed

Simulation, decoded

Never guess what bots see.

Rule interactions surprise even veterans. Simulation replaces folklore with verdicts.

Binary answers, quoted proof

Every simulation returns allowed or blocked plus the exact line responsible — debuggable in seconds.

Verdict per scenario
Deciding-line quotation
Precedence explanation

Dimension benchmark89/100

quoted lines end robots debates instantly

Why Amaris vs. the rest

Capability

Amaris

Generic

Manual

Live rule simulation per agent

Deciding-line match tracing

Batch scenario QA runs

Minimal-edit fix suggestions

Free with instant verdicts

Fleet-wide policy sync

Test robots now

Free · Live · No signup

Preview the gate

Simulate first, deploy calm.

Test any bot against any path, read the verdict with proof, and ship robots changes fearlessly.

Test robots now Talk to an expert

Free · No signup · Instant verdicts

Robots.txt Tester FAQ

Common questions about crawler directives, AI bots, and why some reads fail.

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