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GPTBot

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GPTBot is OpenAI’s web crawler for collecting content that may be used to train its generative AI models. It is separate from OAI-SearchBot, which surfaces sites in ChatGPT search. OpenAI says each setting is independent, so a site can block GPTBot (training) while allowing OAI-SearchBot (search visibility).

What does GPTBot do?

OpenAI: GPTBot “is used to make our generative AI foundation models more useful and safe” and crawls content that “may be used in training.” Disallowing it “indicates a site’s content should not be used in training generative AI foundation models.”[1]

How do GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT-User differ?

AgentPurpose
GPTBotTraining data
OAI-SearchBotSurfacing sites in ChatGPT search
ChatGPT-UserUser-initiated visits; robots.txt rules “may not apply”

OpenAI publishes IP ranges for its crawlers, including gptbot.json and searchbot.json.[1]

How do you block GPTBot?

User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /

User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /

See AI crawlers for other engines.

Does blocking GPTBot hurt ChatGPT visibility?

Not for search, per OpenAI: the settings are independent, and sites opted out of OAI-SearchBot will not be shown in ChatGPT search answers, though they may still appear as navigational links.[1]

Frequently asked questions

Should I block GPTBot?

It is a business decision about training use; blocking it does not remove you from ChatGPT search.

How do I verify GPTBot traffic?

Check requests against OpenAI’s published IP ranges.

Does GPTBot respect robots.txt?

OpenAI documents robots.txt control for GPTBot.

References

Sources accessed October 14, 2026 unless another date is given. See all sources.

  1. “Overview of OpenAI Crawlers”. OpenAI. accessed October 14, 2026.
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