PerplexityBot: user agent, IP ranges and robots.txt
PerplexityBot crawls the web to surface and link websites in Perplexity's search results. Perplexity says it is not used to crawl content for AI foundation models.
- Operator
- Perplexity
- Type
- AI search · Indexes pages so an assistant can cite them in answers
- robots.txt token
PerplexityBot- Follows robots.txt
- Yes
- Official docs
- docs.perplexity.ai
PerplexityBot user agent
User agent
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; PerplexityBot/1.0; +https://perplexity.ai/perplexitybot)
Published as an example; the version may change, so match on "PerplexityBot".
How to block or allow PerplexityBot in robots.txt
Perplexity documents robots.txt as the way to manage PerplexityBot, separately from Perplexity-User.
Block PerplexityBot
User-agent: PerplexityBot Disallow: /
Allow PerplexityBot
User-agent: PerplexityBot Allow: /
Put the rules in /robots.txt at the root of each host. Check the result with our AI Crawler Checker, which also catches firewall and CDN blocks that robots.txt doesn't show.
Should you block PerplexityBot?
Allow it if you want to be cited in Perplexity. It isn't a training crawler, so blocking it only costs you visibility.
How to verify real PerplexityBot traffic
Perplexity recommends checking both the user agent and the IP against its published list. It doesn't publish a reverse DNS hostname.
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To check every request in your server log at once, use the free AI Bot Log Analyzer. It runs in your browser and flags requests that use a bot's name from outside its official IP list.
Frequently asked questions
What is PerplexityBot?
PerplexityBot crawls the web to surface and link websites in Perplexity's search results. Perplexity says it is not used to crawl content for AI foundation models.
How do I block PerplexityBot?
Add "User-agent: PerplexityBot" followed by "Disallow: /" to your robots.txt. To block only part of the site, disallow those paths instead of "/". Perplexity documents robots.txt as the way to manage PerplexityBot, separately from Perplexity-User.
Is a request claiming to be PerplexityBot really from Perplexity?
Not necessarily: anyone can copy a user agent. Perplexity recommends checking both the user agent and the IP against its published list. It doesn't publish a reverse DNS hostname.
Checked against Perplexity's documentation on 2026-11-06. Vendors change user agents and policies, so confirm in the official docs before relying on them.
Related crawlers
- Perplexity-UserPerplexity · User request
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- All AI crawlersThe full list with user agents and purposes.
The free AI Crawler Checker tests robots.txt and firewall rules for 14 AI crawlers in one run.