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Claude-SearchBot user agent

Operated by Anthropic · AI search index · Finding you

robots.txt token
Claude-SearchBot

Claude-SearchBot identifies itself with the token Claude-SearchBot. That is the case-insensitive substring to grep for in access logs, and the exact name to put after User-agent: in robots.txt. It builds the index an AI search product answers from.

Allow or block Claude-SearchBot in robots.txt

Robots.txt applies the most specific matching group, so a group naming Claude-SearchBot overrides your User-agent: * rules for this bot alone.

Allow
User-agent: Claude-SearchBot
Allow: /
Block
User-agent: Claude-SearchBot
Disallow: /

What blocking costs you: Claude's search index can't include your pages, so its search answers are less likely to cite you.

To see which AI crawlers your robots.txt allows right now, run your domain through the AI crawler access checker. To check whether AI answers actually cite you, use the AI citation checker.

Anthropic's other crawlers

Blocking one Anthropic bot does not block the others — each token is a separate group.

Anthropic's own documentation: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8896518

FAQ

What is the Claude-SearchBot user agent?
Claude-SearchBot announces itself with the User-Agent token "Claude-SearchBot". That token is the case-insensitive substring to match in server logs and the exact name to put after "User-agent:" in robots.txt. Anthropic does not publish one fixed full string, so match on the token rather than the whole line.
Who operates Claude-SearchBot and what does it collect?
Claude-SearchBot is run by Anthropic and builds the index an AI search product answers from. In the AI picture that puts it under "Finding you": Building the AI index that decides who gets cited.
How do I block Claude-SearchBot?
Add a robots.txt group naming the token exactly: User-agent: Claude-SearchBot followed by Disallow: /. Robots.txt matches the most specific group, so a Claude-SearchBot group overrides whatever your User-agent: * group says. Claude's search index can't include your pages, so its search answers are less likely to cite you.
Should I block Claude-SearchBot?
That depends on what you lose. Claude's search index can't include your pages, so its search answers are less likely to cite you. Sites chasing AI citations usually keep the live-answer and AI-search bots open and make a separate decision about the training crawlers. Run your domain through the AI crawler access checker to see which ones your robots.txt lets in today.
Can Claude-SearchBot be spoofed?
Yes. A User-Agent header is self-reported, so any scraper can claim to be Claude-SearchBot. The token is fine for reporting and for robots.txt, but if you are rate-limiting or firewalling on it, verify the request IP against Anthropic's published ranges before you trust the name.

Paste a full User-Agent line and identify any crawler with the AI bot user agent list and lookup, or see every token side by side.