---
title: "robots.txt blocks AI search or user-triggered fetchers (geo/search-bots-blocked)"
description: "geo/search-bots-blocked: OpenAI: sites opted out of OAI-SearchBot aren't shown in ChatGPT search answers."
canonical: https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/geo/search-bots-blocked
lastModified: 2026-09-16
---

# robots.txt blocks AI search or user-triggered fetchers

`geo/search-bots-blocked` · severity **error** · category AI search · detected by `void geo` and `void audit`

## Why it matters

OpenAI: sites opted out of OAI-SearchBot aren't shown in ChatGPT search answers. The same applies to Claude-SearchBot and PerplexityBot. Blocking user fetchers (ChatGPT-User, Claude-User) stops assistants opening pages a user asks about (warning).

## How to fix it

Allow OAI-SearchBot, Claude-SearchBot and PerplexityBot (and the user fetchers) in their own robots group. Block training bots separately if you want. Set geo.intent = "block-all" in config if blocking is deliberate.

## References

- https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/bots
- https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8896518-does-anthropic-crawl-data-from-the-web-and-how-can-site-owners-block-the-crawler
- https://docs.perplexity.ai/guides/bots

## More ai search rules

`void geo` reports 41 rules in this category. Generative-engine optimisation: whether AI crawlers that don't run JavaScript see the same content, valid and visible JSON-LD, an explicit AI robots policy, llms.txt, Markdown mirrors and answer-first writing.

- `llms-txt-missing` No /llms.txt — [geo/llms-txt-missing](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/geo/llms-txt-missing)
- `llms-txt-error` /llms.txt returns a server error — [geo/llms-txt-error](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/geo/llms-txt-error)
- `llms-txt-invalid` /llms.txt doesn't follow the llms.txt format — [geo/llms-txt-invalid](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/geo/llms-txt-invalid)
- `llms-txt-broken-links` /llms.txt links to URLs that fail — [geo/llms-txt-broken-links](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/geo/llms-txt-broken-links)
- `llms-txt-not-linked` llms.txt exists but isn't linked from the home page — [geo/llms-txt-not-linked](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/geo/llms-txt-not-linked)
- `robots-ai-policy` AI crawler policy (allow/deny matrix from robots.txt) — [geo/robots-ai-policy](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/geo/robots-ai-policy)
- `training-bots-blocked` robots.txt blocks AI training crawlers — [geo/training-bots-blocked](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/geo/training-bots-blocked)
- `content-signal` No Content-Signal usage preferences — [geo/content-signal](https://void-design.vercel.app/rules/geo/content-signal)

Detected by `void geo` and `void audit`. Explain it in a terminal: `void rules geo/search-bots-blocked`