What is a robots.txt file?

A robots.txt file is a plain text file placed at the root of your website (e.g., example.com/robots.txt) that tells web crawlers which pages or directories they can or cannot access. It follows the Robots Exclusion Protocol standard.

How do I block AI bots like GPTBot and ClaudeBot?

Add a User-agent block for each AI bot (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, ChatGPT-User, CCBot, Bytespider, etc.) with 'Disallow: /' to block them from crawling your entire site. This generator has a one-click 'Block AI Bots' button to do this automatically.

Does robots.txt affect my SEO rankings?

Robots.txt itself does not directly affect rankings, but blocking important pages can prevent them from being indexed. Make sure you only block pages you do not want in search results. Use noindex meta tags for pages you want crawled but not indexed.

Where do I upload the robots.txt file?

Upload the robots.txt file to the root directory of your website so it is accessible at yourdomain.com/robots.txt. Most hosting providers and CMS platforms allow you to edit this file directly from their settings or file manager.

What is the difference between Disallow and Allow in robots.txt?

Disallow tells crawlers not to access a specific path (e.g., 'Disallow: /admin'). Allow overrides a Disallow for a more specific path (e.g., 'Allow: /admin/public'). Together they let you fine-tune which sections are accessible to each bot.

Free Tool — No Signup Required

Robots.txt Generator

Name: RobotSpeed
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.9 (127 reviews)
Author: RobotSpeed

Create a perfectly formatted robots.txt file for your website. Choose a preset or build custom rules for each bot.

Preset

Quick Actions

User-Agent Rules

User-Agent

Disallow Paths

Allow Paths

User-Agent

Disallow Paths

Allow Paths

User-Agent

Disallow Paths

Allow Paths

User-Agent

Disallow Paths

Allow Paths

Sitemap URL

Crawl-delay (seconds)

Generated robots.txt

User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin
Disallow: /private
Disallow: /api

User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /

User-agent: ClaudeBot
Disallow: /

User-agent: Bytespider
Disallow: /

No sitemap URL specified. Adding a sitemap helps search engines discover your pages.

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How It Works

Choose a preset

Start with a recommended preset or go fully custom to define rules for each bot.

Add user-agent rules

Specify which paths to allow or disallow for each crawler, including AI bots.

Copy or download

Copy your robots.txt to clipboard or download it, then upload to your site root.

Why Use a Robots.txt File?

A robots.txt file tells search engine crawlers which pages or sections of your site they can or cannot access. It is essential for controlling how bots interact with your website.

With the rise of AI crawlers like GPTBot and ClaudeBot, having a well-configured robots.txt is more important than ever. You can selectively block AI training bots while keeping your site indexed by search engines.

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