What is ChatGPT-User?
ChatGPT-User is not a crawler in the usual sense. It fetches a page when someone using ChatGPT or a Custom GPT asks a question that needs it, and when GPT Actions call external applications.
OpenAI says it isn't used for automatic web crawling and isn't used to decide whether your site can appear in ChatGPT search; that is OAI-SearchBot's job.
- Robots.txt token:
ChatGPT-User - Purpose: User-requested fetch
- Feeds: pages ChatGPT opens when a user asks
Who runs ChatGPT-User?
ChatGPT-User is run by OpenAI. Everything on this page comes from OpenAI's own documentation: OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI crawlers. We last checked it on 21 October 2026.
OpenAI uses 2 other tokens, each with its own robots.txt group:
- OAI-SearchBot: AI search & answers (ChatGPT search answers)
- GPTBot: Model training (training data for OpenAI's foundation models)
How to allow ChatGPT-User in robots.txt
ChatGPT-User is allowed unless a rule blocks it. If your * group blocks it, give it its own group:
User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Allow: /
Disallow: /admin/A named group replaces your User-agent: * group for ChatGPT-User, so copy in any private folders you still want blocked, like /admin/ above.
How to block ChatGPT-User in robots.txt
User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Disallow: /Records that you don't want ChatGPT opening your pages on request; OpenAI says it may not apply to user-initiated visits.
To block one folder only, list just that path:
User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Disallow: /members/Things to know about ChatGPT-User
- OpenAI says robots.txt rules may not apply because these visits are started by a user.
- Because each visit is started by a person, OpenAI says robots.txt rules may not apply to ChatGPT-User.
- A Disallow rule still records your preference, but if a page must stay private, protect it with a login or a server-side rule instead.
- Seeing ChatGPT-User in your logs usually means someone asked ChatGPT about a specific page of yours or shared its link in a chat.
- robots.txt only grants permission. A CDN or firewall can still block ChatGPT-User even when your rules allow it.
Check every AI crawler at once
The checker above tests ChatGPT-User and every other AI crawler on this list against your live robots.txt. The full AI Crawler Checker explains how to read the results. For help beyond robots.txt, see technical SEO, AI search optimisation and GEO services.
AI search & answers
- OAI-SearchBot (OpenAI): ChatGPT search answers
- Claude-SearchBot (Anthropic): Claude's search results
- PerplexityBot (Perplexity): Perplexity's search results and citations
- Googlebot (Google): Google Search, including AI Overviews and AI Mode
- Applebot (Apple): Siri, Spotlight and Safari search and answers
- Bingbot (Microsoft): Bing search and Microsoft Copilot answers
User-requested fetch
- Claude-User (Anthropic): pages Claude opens when a user asks
- Perplexity-User (Perplexity): pages Perplexity opens when a user asks
Model training
- GPTBot (OpenAI): training data for OpenAI's foundation models
- ClaudeBot (Anthropic): training data for Anthropic's models
- Meta-ExternalAgent (Meta): training data for Meta's foundation AI models
- CCBot (Common Crawl): Common Crawl's open web archive, widely used as AI training data
- Amazonbot (Amazon): Amazon products and services, including Amazon AI models
Robots.txt control token
- Google-Extended (Google): Gemini model training and grounding
- Applebot-Extended (Apple): Apple foundation model training
FAQ
ChatGPT-User questions
Not reliably. OpenAI's documentation says that because these actions are initiated by a user, robots.txt rules may not apply.
No. Search eligibility is decided by OAI-SearchBot. ChatGPT-User only opens pages when a user asks, and OpenAI says it isn't used to determine search eligibility.
Put the page behind a login or block it at your server or CDN. robots.txt is a request, and OpenAI says it may not apply to user-initiated visits.
Someone asked ChatGPT or a Custom GPT a question that needed one of your pages, pasted your link into a chat, or used a GPT Action that calls your site.
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