What is Perplexity-User?
When someone asks Perplexity a question, Perplexity-User may visit a page to help answer it and include a link to that page in the response.
Perplexity says it isn't used to crawl the web automatically or to collect data for training AI foundation models.
- Robots.txt token:
Perplexity-User - Purpose: User-requested fetch
- Feeds: pages Perplexity opens when a user asks
Who runs Perplexity-User?
Perplexity-User is run by Perplexity. Everything on this page comes from Perplexity's own documentation: Perplexity: Perplexity crawlers. We last checked it on 21 October 2026.
Perplexity uses one other token, each with its own robots.txt group:
- PerplexityBot: AI search & answers (Perplexity's search results and citations)
How to allow Perplexity-User in robots.txt
Perplexity-User is allowed unless a rule blocks it. If your * group blocks it, give it its own group:
User-agent: Perplexity-User
Allow: /
Disallow: /admin/A named group replaces your User-agent: * group for Perplexity-User, so copy in any private folders you still want blocked, like /admin/ above.
How to block Perplexity-User in robots.txt
User-agent: Perplexity-User
Disallow: /Records your preference, but Perplexity says this fetcher generally ignores robots.txt.
To block one folder only, list just that path:
User-agent: Perplexity-User
Disallow: /portal/Things to know about Perplexity-User
- Perplexity says this fetcher generally ignores robots.txt rules because a user requested the page.
- Perplexity says this fetcher generally ignores robots.txt rules, so a Disallow line here records your preference but may not be followed.
- To keep a page away from on-request fetches, put it behind a login or block it at the server or CDN.
- Its robots.txt setting is independent of PerplexityBot's: allowing one doesn't allow the other.
- robots.txt only grants permission. A CDN or firewall can still block Perplexity-User even when your rules allow it.
Check every AI crawler at once
The checker above tests Perplexity-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
- ChatGPT-User (OpenAI): pages ChatGPT opens when a user asks
- Claude-User (Anthropic): pages Claude 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
Perplexity-User questions
You can add the rule, but Perplexity says this fetcher generally ignores robots.txt because a user requested the page. Use a login or server rule for anything private.
No. Perplexity says it isn't used for web crawling or for collecting training data.
PerplexityBot crawls to index and link sites in Perplexity search. Perplexity-User only fetches a page when a user's question needs it.
Your rules still show your intent, and the checker reports them. The result note says Perplexity may not follow them for this agent.
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