Robots.txt Generator and AI Crawler Policy Tool

Use this robots.txt generator to draft and validate a crawl policy before you publish it. Start with the directories and crawlers you actually need to control, generate the file, then test the final version against the rules your site can support. A robots.txt file manages crawling; it does not reliably remove an already indexed URL from search results.

How to use the generator, validator and path tester

Build a policy from crawler groups and paths, or paste existing robots.txt text into the validator. Read the line-specific messages, then test a representative path against the intended crawler group. Copy or download the result only after reviewing the output. The tool does not load the robots.txt file from your website.

Build a robots.txt file in the right order

1. Choose the site paths that should remain crawlable, including the CSS and JavaScript needed to render public pages.
2. Add narrow Disallow rules only for paths you truly want crawlers not to fetch. Test a representative URL before you deploy.
3. Include the canonical sitemap location when you operate a public sitemap.
4. Set any AI crawler directives as a deliberate policy decision. Access rules can affect crawling behavior; they do not guarantee inclusion, citations, or visibility in an AI answer.
5. Publish the file at the site root, then re-test the live response and keep a dated copy of the prior policy for rollback.

What the validator checks

The validator is useful for flagging malformed or unsupported directives, invalid sitemap URLs when supplied, repeated crawler groups and potentially broad asset blocks. The separate path test explains the matching rule for a selected crawler. It cannot prove how every crawler will interpret a policy, and it cannot replace a live crawl or indexation check.

Robots.txt is not a noindex control

If a page must stay out of search results, use a crawlable noindex directive or an X-Robots-Tag where appropriate. Blocking a URL in robots.txt can prevent search engines from seeing the noindex signal. See noindex vs. disallow for the decision path, and use the robots.txt guide for directive syntax and examples.

Before you publish

• Confirm the file is served from /robots.txt with a 200 response.
• Confirm public resources needed for rendering are not blocked.
• Confirm the sitemap URL, canonical host, and environment are correct.
• Keep Staging behind authentication and noindex; do not copy its robots policy to Production without review.

Try a small rule example

User-agent: *
Disallow: /drafts/
Allow: /drafts/public-example.html

In the local path test, compare /drafts/notes.html with /drafts/public-example.html. The first should match Disallow and the second the more specific Allow. These are illustrative paths: replace them with paths you actually intend to control. A matching result explains this tool’s model, not a crawler’s recorded visit.

A missing Sitemap line is not automatically invalid robots.txt. Include your real sitemap when useful; do not add a placeholder just to satisfy a checklist. Crawler access policies for search and AI training are separate decisions and should follow each operator’s documentation.