Robots.txt Tester

Make sense of your robots.txt rules

Robots.txt Checker gives you one place to fetch, paste, and inspect robots rules before crawlers run into problems. At the top of the page, two tabs guide your work: “Analyze Robots.txt” and “Test URL Access.” The Analyze tab focuses on loading and parsing a file, while the Test tab uses that analyzed file to check individual or bulk URLs. Below the tabs, a live results area shows rule counts, user-agent blocks, sitemaps, crawl-delay, and syntax validation.

In the Analyze tab, you see a “Website URL” field with a Fetch button, plus a large “Robots.txt Content” textarea. The hint under the URL explains that you can either fetch the file from a site or paste content directly. Action buttons labeled Analyze Robots.txt, Clear, and Load Sample sit under the textarea. The Test tab adds fields for URL paths, user-agents, and bulk lists, along with a result card that tells you if each path is allowed or blocked.

Using the tool step by step

1. In the Analyze tab, type your site’s address into the “Website URL” field, such as “abc.com”, and click Fetch, or skip this step and paste robots.txt content straight into the textarea.
2. Review or edit the robots content in the textarea, then click “Analyze Robots.txt” to update the results area.
3. Switch to the “Test URL Access” tab once analysis is complete, and enter a URL path like “/admin/” or “/blog/post-1” in the “URL Path to Test” field. Choose a user-agent from the dropdown and click “Test Access” to see the status for that combination.
4. To check many paths at once, paste several lines into the “Bulk Test URLs” box and click “Test All URLs” to fill the bulk results panel.

How Robots.txt Checker ties analysis and testing together

The tool keeps analysis and testing in separate tabs so you always know which step you are on. First you confirm that the robots file itself looks sensible, then you move to checking how it behaves for real paths. This split helps avoid confusion between editing the rules and confirming access for specific URLs.

By running both steps on the same page, you reduce handoffs between SEO and engineering teams. One person can fetch or paste the file, run the analyzer, and then share the screen or results while others suggest paths to test. Because the results section remains below the tabs, everyone is looking at the same live summary while they talk through changes.

Why this layout reduces trial and error

The Analyze tab removes the need to guess what your robots file contains on the live site. The Website URL field and Fetch button pull that content into view, so you can confirm that the version you are testing matches what crawlers read. If you have a draft or alternative file, you can paste it instead and run analysis on that version without touching the live site yet.

Once analysis is done, the Test URL Access tab takes over. You no longer have to read patterns by hand and infer whether a specific path is allowed. Instead, you enter that path and user-agent in clear fields and rely on the result card and rule message. For audits or migrations, the bulk test area cuts hours of manual checking into a short loop of pasting paths and reading results.

Understanding the Analyze tab results

Fetching and editing robots.txt

In the Analyze panel, the “Website URL” field is your starting point when you want to inspect a live site. Enter the base URL, click Fetch, and the robots.txt content appears in the textarea below. This gives you a direct view of what crawlers see. If you want to work on a draft, you can paste text into the same box instead of fetching.

The Load Sample button fills the textarea with an example robots file. This sample includes common elements like user-agent lines, Disallow and Allow paths, and a sitemap entry. It serves as a learning aid or baseline, not as a finished file. Clear removes any content from the textarea, which is handy when switching between projects.

Rule counts and user-agent summary

After you click “Analyze Robots.txt,” the summary row in the results area updates. “Total Rules” shows the full number of Allow and Disallow directives the tool found. “Allow Rules” and “Disallow Rules” break that number down by type, giving you a quick sense of whether the file leans open or restrictive. The “User-Agents” card shows how many distinct user-agent groups appear in the content.

Below the summary cards, the “User-Agent Rules” section lists each agent group with its own block. This layout helps you see, for example, if Googlebot has extra rules beyond the default “*” group, or if some bots are missing entries. When reviewing a complex file, these blocks make it much easier to spot gaps, overlaps, or older groups that may no longer be needed.

Sitemaps and crawl delay

The Sitemaps section in the results area highlights any sitemap URLs declared in the robots content. If none are present, you see a short message that no sitemaps were found. This reminder is helpful because many sites rely on sitemaps for crawling but forget to list them in robots.txt. Adding them here can give crawlers another clue about where to find your main index files.

The Crawl Delay section shows any crawl-delay directives detected in the file, or confirms that none are set. A missing crawl-delay is not always a problem, but seeing that status in a fixed place makes it easier to align expectations with your hosting and performance limits. If your server struggles under heavy crawl, this area can prompt a discussion about adding or adjusting delay values.

Issues, recommendations, and syntax validation

Under the main sections, the “Potential Issues & Recommendations” panel collects warnings in one list. Items here may point out unusual patterns, conflicting rules, very broad blocks, or other concerns that deserve a closer look. Treat this area as a checklist for review meetings. You can skim each item and decide if it reflects a real risk or a choice made for a clear reason.

The “Syntax Validation” box sits at the bottom of the results area. It reports whether the file passes basic syntax checks and can include notes if something looks off. A “Valid” message here is a good sign that crawlers can parse the file cleanly. If syntax concerns appear, it is a cue to fix directive names, spacing, or line order before you publish or rely on the file.

Working in the Test URL Access tab

The Test tab starts with a small info row reminding you to analyze a robots.txt file first. Under that, the “URL Path to Test” group contains a path input and a “Test Access” button. Here you only type the path part, such as “/admin/dashboard” or “/blog/”, since the analyzer already knows which site the rules came from.

The User-Agent dropdown lists several common bots, from major search engines to social and SEO crawlers, plus a Custom option. When you pick Custom, an extra input under the dropdown is ready for your own user-agent string. This setup lets you test both standard crawlers and internal or new agents that matter to your monitoring.

The single-path test result card shows two lines. The status text explains whether access is allowed or blocked for the chosen path and agent. The rule line gives more context, often tying the decision back to a specific Allow or Disallow pattern. This pairing helps you understand not just the outcome, but also which line in robots.txt drives it.

Bulk testing many URLs at once

Below the single-path tester, the “Bulk Test URLs” area handles larger path lists. You paste several lines into the textarea, one path per row, and then click “Test All URLs.” The bulk results panel then fills with rows that match each path you entered.

This feature is useful during site moves, large redesigns, or security reviews. You can pull a list of key sections, paste them in one block, and then check which ones are visible to a given crawler. The bulk view makes patterns stand out, such as all admin paths being blocked while all blog paths remain open.

What the checker does not do

The tool does not publish changes to your live robots.txt file. Fetching gives you a snapshot and analysis works on the content you see on screen only. To change what crawlers read, you still need to edit and deploy the file through your hosting or content system.

It also does not track indexing, rankings, or traffic. Robots rules are only one part of search behavior. Crawlers may still decide how often to visit pages based on many signals outside this file. Any strategy choices around blocking, allowing, or slowing crawlers should include data from analytics and other sources, not just this checker.

Practical tips for using the tool

Use the Analyze tab each time you plan a change to robots.txt. Fetch the live file, confirm rule counts, review user-agent blocks, and skim the issues list. Save a copy of this state before edits, so you can compare old and new versions if something unexpected happens later.

When you launch new sections or lock down private areas, go straight to the Test URL Access tab. Test a few key paths for major bots and run a bulk check for groups of URLs, such as admin paths, landing pages, or file folders. Keep Robots.txt Checker open while you deploy and re-test, so you always have a clear, current view of how your rules treat the paths that matter most.