# AI Crawler Policy Lookup — robots.txt & llms.txt Checker (`accountable_eel/ai-crawler-policy-lookup`) Actor

Check what a website's robots.txt says about AI crawlers (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended, PerplexityBot, and more) and whether it publishes an llms.txt. Reads the site's own public files directly — no API key, no third-party service. Charged only when an explicit AI policy or llms.txt is found.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/accountable\_eel/ai-crawler-policy-lookup.md
- **Developed by:** [Adrian Voss](https://apify.com/accountable_eel) (community)
- **Categories:** AI, SEO tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 successful lookups

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## AI Crawler Policy Lookup — robots.txt & llms.txt Checker

Check what a website's `robots.txt` says about AI crawlers — GPTBot, ClaudeBot,
Google-Extended, PerplexityBot, CCBot, Bytespider, and a dozen more — and whether it
publishes an `llms.txt` file describing what AI agents may use. This actor reads the
site's own public `robots.txt` and `llms.txt` directly — no third-party API, no
scraping of rendered pages.

### Features

- **Per-agent policy breakdown.** For each of 16 known AI/LLM crawler user-agents
  (GPTBot, ChatGPT-User, OAI-SearchBot, ClaudeBot, Claude-Web, anthropic-ai,
  Google-Extended, GoogleOther, PerplexityBot, Perplexity-User, Bytespider, CCBot,
  Applebot-Extended, FacebookBot, meta-externalagent, Diffbot, Amazonbot), reports
  whether it's named and whether it's disallowed at the root.
- **llms.txt detection.** Fetches `/llms.txt` and includes up to a 4,000-character
  excerpt when the file exists and is non-empty.
- **Domain-only queries.** Feed in bare domains or full URLs — the actor normalizes
  to the site root before requesting `/robots.txt`.
- **Pay only for signal.** A domain with no AI-agent mentions in `robots.txt` and no
  `llms.txt` costs nothing — see [Pricing](#pricing).
- **Built for bulk.** Submit many domains at once; concurrency is configurable.

### How to use AI Crawler Policy Lookup — robots.txt & llms.txt Checker

1. **In the Apify Console.** Open the actor page and click **Start** — the `items` field is already pre-filled with a working example. Results land in the run's dataset as soon as each item is found.
2. **Via the API.** Call it directly with a POST request — no Console needed once you have an API token:
   ```bash
   curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~ai-crawler-policy-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>" \
     -X POST \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"items":["nytimes.com"]}'
   ```
3. **On a schedule.** Save this actor as an Apify **Task** with the input you want, then add a **Schedule** (hourly, daily, weekly) so it runs on its own — no server of your own required.

### Input

```json
{
  "items": ["nytimes.com", "docs.anthropic.com"],
  "maxConcurrency": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true }
}
```

`items` is the list of domains or URLs to check — bare domains work fine, the actor
adds the scheme and strips any path before requesting `/robots.txt`. `maxConcurrency`
controls parallel requests (default 5); this target has no browser fallback, so
keeping it conservative avoids blocks on high-traffic sites. `proxyConfiguration`
routes requests through Apify Proxy; residential is recommended for
anti-bot-sensitive targets.

### Output

One row per domain, for example:

```json
{
  "query": "nytimes.com",
  "found": true,
  "data": {
    "domain": "nytimes.com",
    "aiAgentsReferenced": 7,
    "aiAgentPolicies": [
      { "agent": "GPTBot", "blocked": true, "rules": [{ "type": "disallow", "path": "/" }] },
      { "agent": "ClaudeBot", "blocked": true, "rules": [{ "type": "disallow", "path": "/" }] }
    ],
    "hasLlmsTxt": false,
    "llmsTxtExcerpt": null
  },
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-20T12:00:00.000Z"
}
```

A domain where none of the known AI agents are named in `robots.txt` and no
`llms.txt` exists comes back as `found: false` with no `data` — and is never charged.
An agent that simply isn't mentioned by name (rather than explicitly disallowed) is
recorded as "not referenced," which is a different signal from "allowed."

### Use cases

- Audit whether your own site's `robots.txt` blocks the AI crawlers you intend to
  block (or forgot to).
- Check a partner or publisher's AI-training opt-out posture before a content
  licensing conversation.
- Build a dataset of which sites block GPTBot vs ClaudeBot vs Google-Extended.
- Track `llms.txt` adoption across a list of domains as the convention spreads.
- Feed AI-policy signals into a larger domain-enrichment or compliance pipeline.

### Pricing

$5 per 1,000 results, plus a $0.005 start fee. Misses (`found:false`) are never charged.

### Use it from Clay, n8n, Make, or an AI agent

This actor runs synchronously over plain HTTP — call it directly from a script, a workflow tool, or an AI agent, no Apify Console needed once you have an API token.

```bash
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~ai-crawler-policy-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>" \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"items":["nytimes.com"]}'
```

**n8n.** Add an HTTP Request node: Method `POST`, URL `https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~ai-crawler-policy-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>`, Body Content Type `JSON`, JSON Body `{"items":["nytimes.com"]}` (swap in an expression from an earlier node for a real value).

**Clay.** Add an "HTTP API" column: Method `POST`, URL `https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~ai-crawler-policy-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>`, Body `{"items":["{{value}}"]}`, mapping the row's value into the `items` array.

**MCP.** In Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client with the Apify MCP server, ask for "AI Crawler Policy Lookup | Apify" — the agent will find and run this actor.

### FAQ

**What counts as "found"?** At least one of the 16 known AI-crawler user-agents must
be explicitly named in `robots.txt`, or `/llms.txt` must exist and be non-empty. A
`robots.txt` with only generic `User-agent: *` rules and no `llms.txt` returns
`found: false`.

**Does "not referenced" mean "allowed"?** No — it means the site's `robots.txt` never
mentions that specific agent by name, so there's no explicit signal either way. Only
agents that appear in their own `User-agent:` group are reported with a `blocked`
value.

**Does this actor render JavaScript or bypass anti-bot protection?** No. It fetches
`robots.txt` and `llms.txt` as plain text over HTTP, exactly like any crawler would.
There's no browser fallback, which is why `maxConcurrency` defaults low.

**Can I pass a full URL instead of a bare domain?** Yes — `https://example.com/some/path`
and `example.com` resolve to the same request (`https://example.com/robots.txt`).

**Is the robots.txt parsing spec-complete?** It's a minimal parser that groups
`User-agent`/`Disallow`/`Allow` lines per agent and checks for a root-level
disallow. It doesn't resolve wildcard precedence or nested-path rules — it answers
"is this agent blocked at the root," not a full robots.txt compliance check.

**Do I need a proxy?** Apify Proxy is enabled by default. Residential proxies help
on sites with stricter anti-bot rules, though most `robots.txt`/`llms.txt` requests
succeed on datacenter IPs.

# Actor input Schema

## `items` (type: `array`):

One item per line — see the item shape and examples below. Only the items we actually find are charged — never per run, and never for a miss.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Parallel requests. Keep conservative — this target has no browser fallback, so getting blocked costs more than slow-and-steady.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Apify Proxy config. Residential recommended for anti-bot-sensitive targets.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "items": [
    "nytimes.com"
  ],
  "maxConcurrency": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "items": [
        "nytimes.com"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("accountable_eel/ai-crawler-policy-lookup").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "items": ["nytimes.com"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("accountable_eel/ai-crawler-policy-lookup").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "items": [
    "nytimes.com"
  ]
}' |
apify call accountable_eel/ai-crawler-policy-lookup --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,accountable_eel/ai-crawler-policy-lookup"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/ukgdFJrXqthDRPXOz/builds/UcnGxDZQkZ79ShxFB/openapi.json