# What is ChatGPT-User? AI crawler guide Canonical URL: https://trakkr.ai/bots/chatgpt-user Published: 2026-06-11 Last updated: 2026-06-11 Learn what ChatGPT-User is, who operates it, its verified user-agent, robots.txt posture, and how blocking it can affect AI search, citations, training, or agent visibility. User-triggered OpenAI fetcher for ChatGPT and Custom GPT actions. ## What is ChatGPT-User? ChatGPT-User is a fetcher operated by OpenAI. It is triggered when a person using ChatGPT or a Custom GPT asks the assistant to read or interact with a specific web page. Unlike broad crawlers that scan the web automatically, this bot only visits URLs that a user explicitly requests. Its user-agent token is ChatGPT-User. OpenAI documents this as user-initiated, meaning the request originates from a real-time conversation rather than a scheduled crawl. The full user-agent string includes a reference to openai.com/bot for verification. ## What it's for When ChatGPT-User visits your site, it typically means a user has asked ChatGPT to fetch or act on a particular page. This could be to summarize content, answer a question, or perform a task through a Custom GPT. For site owners, this represents direct, user-driven traffic rather than automated indexing. It may increase visibility if your content is useful in AI-assisted conversations, but it does not guarantee inclusion in training data or search results. ## How to handle ChatGPT-User You can block ChatGPT-User via robots.txt using the token ChatGPT-User. However, because the fetcher is user-initiated, robots.txt rules may not always apply. If you want to prevent ChatGPT from accessing your content in response to user prompts, adding a Disallow rule for this user-agent is the primary method. Keep in mind that blocking may not be absolute, as the request is tied to a user action. ## robots.txt rule User-agent: ChatGPT-User Disallow: / ## Blocking cost Blocking ChatGPT-User may prevent your content from being used in ChatGPT responses, which could reduce visibility in AI-assisted interactions. ## Examples - A user asks ChatGPT to summarize a news article, and ChatGPT-User fetches the article to generate the summary. - A Custom GPT configured for product research retrieves a product page to compare features for a user. - A user requests ChatGPT to extract data from a public document, prompting ChatGPT-User to access the document. ## Related bots - Perplexity-User: Also tracked as a interaction crawler. - MistralAI-User: Also tracked as a interaction crawler. - ChatGPT Agent: Another OpenAI interaction crawler to compare. - Google-NotebookLM: Also tracked as a interaction crawler. - Meta-ExternalFetcher: Also tracked as a interaction crawler. - Claude-User: Also tracked as a interaction crawler. - Google-Agent: Also tracked as a interaction crawler. - AmazonBuyForMe: Also tracked as a interaction crawler. - Claude-Code: Also tracked as a interaction crawler. - ChatGPT-User: ChatGPT-User is the glossary definition behind this crawler guide. - ChatGPT: ChatGPT-User gives crawler context for ChatGPT. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is ChatGPT-User a crawler? No, it is not a broad crawler. It only fetches pages when a user explicitly asks ChatGPT to access them. ### Can I block ChatGPT-User with robots.txt? Yes, you can add a Disallow rule for the ChatGPT-User user-agent. However, because the fetcher is user-initiated, robots.txt rules may not always be honored. ### Does a visit from ChatGPT-User mean my page will be used for AI training? Not necessarily. A visit indicates a user request, but it does not confirm that the content will be included in training data. ### How can I verify a request is from ChatGPT-User? Check the user-agent string, which contains 'ChatGPT-User/1.0' and a reference to openai.com/bot. ### What is the difference between ChatGPT-User and other OpenAI bots? ChatGPT-User is specifically for real-time, user-initiated fetches, while other OpenAI bots may perform automated crawling or indexing. ## Data And Sources - [OpenAI documentation](https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/bots) - Primary source for ChatGPT-User crawler details. - [ChatGPT-User live crawler data](https://trakkr.ai/data/crawlers/chatgpt-user) - Trakkr crawler telemetry for this user agent.