Robots.txt Generator

Create and validate robots.txt files for your website.

Quick Presets

User-Agent Rules

User-Agent

Options

Sitemap URLs

Show Crawl-Delay

Add delay between crawler requests (in seconds)

Your robots.txt is valid

Generated robots.txt

# robots.txt generated by Toolbox
# Generated on: 2026-01-08

User-agent: *
Disallow:

How to Use

Configure user-agent rules using the presets or manual options
Add sitemap URLs to help search engines discover your content
Copy the generated robots.txt content
Save it as robots.txt in your website's root directory

What is robots.txt?

Robots.txt is a text file placed in your website's root directory that tells web crawlers which pages or sections they can or cannot access. It's part of the Robots Exclusion Protocol (REP), a standard used by websites to communicate with web crawlers and bots. This file is essential for SEO as it helps control how search engines index your site.

Why is robots.txt Important for SEO?

A properly configured robots.txt file is crucial for search engine optimization and website management:

Directs search engine crawlers to your most important pages, improving indexing efficiency
Optimizes your crawl budget by preventing bots from wasting time on unimportant pages
Protects sensitive directories like admin panels, user data, and internal tools from being indexed
Reduces server load by blocking aggressive bots and setting crawl delays

Understanding Robots.txt Directives

User-agent: Specifies which bot the rules apply to. Use * (asterisk) to target all bots
Allow: Explicitly permits access to specific paths, useful when combined with Disallow rules
Disallow: Blocks access to specific paths. An empty value means nothing is blocked
Sitemap: Points crawlers to your XML sitemap location for better content discovery
Crawl-delay: Sets seconds between requests. Note: Google ignores this directive

Path Pattern Matching in Robots.txt

Use * as a wildcard to match any sequence of characters (e.g., /*.pdf blocks all PDF files)
Use $ to match the end of a URL exactly (e.g., /*.php$ blocks PHP files)
Trailing slash /path/ matches the directory and all its contents recursively
No trailing slash /path matches that specific path only, not subdirectories

Common Robots.txt Mistakes to Avoid

Placing robots.txt in a subdirectory instead of the root domain (must be at yourdomain.com/robots.txt)
Accidentally blocking CSS, JavaScript, or images that search engines need to render your pages
Forgetting to include sitemap URLs, which helps crawlers discover all your pages
Using incorrect case sensitivity - paths are case-sensitive on most servers
Creating conflicting rules that confuse crawlers about which paths are allowed

Blocking AI Training Bots

With the rise of AI, many websites want to prevent their content from being used to train AI models. Here are the main AI crawlers to consider blocking:

GPTBot and ChatGPT-User: OpenAI's crawlers for training and browsing. Block both to prevent OpenAI access
Claude-Web and anthropic-ai: Anthropic's crawlers. Block to prevent Claude AI training on your content
CCBot: Common Crawl's bot, whose data is used by many AI companies for training datasets

Robots.txt Best Practices

Always place robots.txt in your domain's root directory (e.g., https://example.com/robots.txt)
Remember that paths are case-sensitive on most web servers
Test your robots.txt using Google Search Console's robots.txt Tester before deploying
Always include your sitemap URL to help crawlers discover all your content
Keep rules simple and specific - overly complex rules can cause unexpected behavior
Regularly monitor crawl stats in Google Search Console to ensure proper indexing

Frequently Asked Questions

Does robots.txt actually block pages from appearing in search results?

No, robots.txt only prevents crawling, not indexing. Pages can still appear in search results if linked from other sites. To truly block indexing, use the noindex meta tag or X-Robots-Tag HTTP header.

How quickly do search engines read updated robots.txt files?

Most search engines cache robots.txt for about 24 hours. Google typically refreshes its cache daily, but you can request a re-crawl via Search Console for faster updates.

Can I use robots.txt to hide sensitive information?

No, robots.txt is publicly accessible and only a suggestion to well-behaved bots. Malicious actors can ignore it. For sensitive data, use proper authentication, firewalls, or server-level restrictions.

What happens if I don't have a robots.txt file?

Without a robots.txt file, search engines assume they can crawl your entire site. This is fine for most sites, but you may want control over which sections are indexed and how often bots visit.

Robots.txt Generator

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