What is PerplexityBot? AI crawler guide
PerplexityBot is a crawler or fetcher associated with Perplexity. See source-graded user-agent, robots.txt, verification, and observation guidance.
What is PerplexityBot?
PerplexityBot is a documented Perplexity crawler or fetcher. Perplexity crawler for surfacing and linking websites in Perplexity search results.
Evidence status
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Evidence | Officially documented |
| Lifecycle | Active |
| Purpose | search |
| robots.txt posture | honors |
| Source checked | 2026-08-18 |
Documented user-agent
Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; PerplexityBot/1.0; +https://perplexity.ai/perplexitybot)
Allowing PerplexityBot creates the possibility of retrieval. To find out whether Perplexity actually cites or recommends you, track your Perplexity mentions over time.
To see why PerplexityBot access is worth checking rather than assuming, read a crawler-only fault found in the logs, fixed, and cited twelve days later.
robots.txt allow example
User-agent: PerplexityBot Allow: /
robots.txt block example
User-agent: PerplexityBot Disallow: /
What the rule can and cannot do
Robots.txt expresses an access policy to compliant automated crawlers. It does not authenticate the sender, remove content already collected, or guarantee that a model will use or not use content.
How to verify a request
- Match the complete documented user-agent where one exists. A match is only a clue.
- Use the operator-published check: Published IP ranges.
- Keep the observed request, operator documentation, and any inference as separate fields.
Observed in Trakkr connected-site data
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Matching signature | PerplexityBot |
| Classified requests | 155220 |
| Sites in sample | 85 |
| Window | 2026-07-18 through 2026-08-17 |
| Method | Finalized daily crawler summaries from connected Trakkr sites, grouped by the crawler signature detected in each request. |
| Limits | This is a connected-site sample, not a representative sample of the web. A matching user-agent or signature does not prove that the named operator sent the request. Counts describe classified request signatures, not market share or unique pages crawled. |
JavaScript behavior
The cited operator material does not verify JavaScript rendering. Serve useful HTML before client-side JavaScript where possible.
Related bots
- OAI-SearchBot: Also tracked as a search crawler.
- Kimi-SearchBot: Also tracked as a search crawler.
- MistralAI-Index: Also tracked as a search crawler.
- Amzn-SearchBot: Also tracked as a search crawler.
- ExaSearchBot: Also tracked as a search crawler.
- Kagibot: Also tracked as a search crawler.
- YouBot: Also tracked as a search crawler.
- Claude-SearchBot: Also tracked as a search crawler.
- Meta-WebIndexer: Also tracked as a search crawler.
- PerplexityBot: PerplexityBot is the glossary definition behind this crawler guide.
- Perplexity: PerplexityBot connects this operator term to its crawler behavior.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PerplexityBot?
PerplexityBot is a officially documented crawler or fetcher record associated with Perplexity.
What user-agent does PerplexityBot use?
Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; PerplexityBot/1.0; +https://perplexity.ai/perplexitybot). Check the evidence status before attributing a matching request.
Can PerplexityBot be blocked in robots.txt?
The record identifies PerplexityBot as the token to review. Robots.txt is a request policy, not proof of model use or non-use.
How can I verify a PerplexityBot request?
Start with the full user-agent, then use published ip ranges from the operator. A user-agent match alone is not proof.
Data & Sources
- Perplexity documentation - Primary source for PerplexityBot crawler details.
- PerplexityBot verification: Published IP ranges - Verification information published for PerplexityBot.