Robots.txt Tester: Validate Crawl Rules Fast

Robots.txt controls which parts of your site search engines can crawl. A small mistake can block your entire site or expose pages you meant to hide. A robots.txt tester helps you check rules quickly and safely.

This guide explains how robots.txt works and how to validate it.

What robots.txt does

• Allows or disallows crawl access for bots
• Sets rules by user agent
• Points crawlers to your sitemap

Fast workflow

1. Enter your site URL.
2. Fetch the robots.txt file.
3. Set a user agent and path.
4. Check if the path is allowed.

Common mistakes

• Blocking the entire site with Disallow: /.
• Forgetting to allow key pages.
• Using the wrong user agent name.

Best practices

• Keep rules short and clear.
• Include a sitemap URL.
• Test new rules before publishing.

Checklist

• Homepage is allowed
• Important sections are crawlable
• Private pages are blocked
• Sitemap URL is included

FAQ

Why does the tool show a CORS error? Some sites block browser requests. That does not mean your robots.txt is broken.

Should I use robots.txt to hide private data? No. Use authentication or proper access controls.

Can I test multiple user agents? Yes, set the user agent field and run the test again.

Try the tool