1 minute readReference note
How do you check AI crawler controls without confusing search access and training use?
In brief
Inventory the actual access route and the desired use before changing a crawler rule. A provider can use separate agents for search discovery, potential training collection and a user-requested page visit. One setting should not be treated as a universal control over every representation of the company.
OpenAI documents OAI-SearchBot, GPTBot and ChatGPT-User as distinct agents with different roles. Review the current provider instructions, robots rules, server responses and any CDN or firewall restrictions together. A permissive robots file will not repair a request blocked by infrastructure. Verify claimed crawler identity using provider guidance rather than trusting an arbitrary user-agent label.
Keep the broader information record in view. A changed access rule concerns that route to the controlled site; existing learned information, supplied documents and external references can still be relevant to the investigation. Test the public reference through the intended experience and inspect available request or retrieval evidence. Record access success separately from source selection and answer accuracy. That identifies a technical block without promising that allowing a crawler will produce a particular brand description.