Applebot is Apple’s web crawler. It collects content for search features in Spotlight, Siri and Safari. Applebot-Extended is an additional robots.txt token with which a site tells Apple whether the content Applebot has crawled may be used to train Apple’s generative AI models.
At a glance
- Operator
- Apple
- Purpose
- Search (Spotlight, Siri, Safari); data may also feed training of Apple's foundation models
- robots.txt token
Applebot,Applebot-Extended- Respects robots.txt
- yes; without its own rule Applebot follows Googlebot rules; no Crawl-delay
- IP list
- yes (JSON with CIDR ranges)
Last checked:
What does Apple say?
According to Apple, Applebot gathers publicly available content that powers its search features and also provides data for training the foundation models behind features such as Apple Intelligence. Applebot-Extended does not crawl pages itself. It only governs how Applebot’s data may be used. Blocking it excludes training use, and the content can still appear in Apple’s search features.
| Bot | Operator | Purpose | robots.txt token | robots.txt according to the operator | IP list published? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google-Extended | Controls Gemini training and grounding (no crawler of its own) | Google-Extended | robots.txt token only; fetching is done by existing Google crawlers | n/a (no user agent of its own) | |
| GPTBot | OpenAI | Training | GPTBot | Disallowing it signals content should not be used to train foundation models | yes (openai.) |
| OAI-SearchBot | OpenAI | Search (ChatGPT) | OAI-SearchBot | opted-out sites are not shown in ChatGPT search answers | yes (openai.) |
| ChatGPT-User | OpenAI | User-triggered fetch | ChatGPT-User | robots.txt rules may not apply, says OpenAI (user-initiated) | yes (openai.) |
| ClaudeBot | Anthropic | Training | ClaudeBot | yes, Anthropic says its bots honor robots.txt | yes (claude.) |
| Claude-SearchBot | Anthropic | Search (Claude) | Claude-SearchBot | yes, Anthropic says its bots honor robots.txt | yes (claude.) |
| PerplexityBot | Perplexity | Search (Perplexity), not used for model training | PerplexityBot | controllable via robots.txt; the docs contain no explicit compliance statement | yes (perplexity.) |
| Applebot-Extended (this term) | Apple | Controls AI training (does not crawl, says Apple) | Applebot-Extended | robots.txt token only, applies to content Applebot already crawled | n/a (no crawler of its own) |
| CCBot | Common Crawl | Open web crawl archive | CCBot | can be blocked via robots.txt, says Common Crawl | yes (index.) |
| Meta-ExternalAgent | Meta | Training foundation AI models, improving products | meta-externalagent | can be blocked via robots.txt, says Meta | not stated by the operator |
A selection of ten AI bots from major operators, not a complete list. All values come from each operator's own documentation (as of 8 October 2026). The table does not show whether a bot actually complies with robots.txt; it only reflects what operators state. User agents can be spoofed; published IP lists or reverse DNS identify genuine requests. Sources: OpenAI: Overview of OpenAI Crawlers; Anthropic: Does Anthropic crawl data from the web, and how can site owners block the crawler? (updated 2026-04-07); Perplexity: Perplexity Crawlers; Google: Google's common crawlers (last updated 2026-07-14); Google: Overview of Google crawlers and fetchers (last updated 2026-06-12); Google: Verifying Google crawlers and fetchers (IP range files); Apple: About Applebot (2026-09-04); Meta: Meta Web Crawlers; Common Crawl: CCBot. Last checked: .
Controlling the bots with robots.txt
- Applebot follows standard robots.txt rules. If robots.txt mentions Googlebot but not Applebot, Apple says Applebot follows the Googlebot instructions. Applebot does not follow Crawl-delay.
- Applebot-Extended is controlled with its own entry.
User-agent: Applebot-Extended
Disallow: /
Recognizing genuine requests
User agent names can be faked, so Apple offers two checks. The reverse DNS name of a genuine request is in the applebot.apple.com domain. Apple also publishes its IP ranges as a JSON file.
Further controls
Apple notes that publishers can also use nosnippet or isAccessibleForFree: false schema markup to restrict how content is used.
- The IETF publishes the Robots Exclusion Protocol as RFC 9309 on the Standards Track. It defines how crawlers interpret the rules in a robots.txt file.Source: rfc-editor.org
- OpenAI introduces web crawler permissions for AI. Site owners can use them to state whether their content may be used for AI training.Source: openai.com
- Google introduces Google-Extended. This robots.txt token controls whether content helps improve Bard and the Vertex AI generative APIs.Source: blog.google
- After Bard is renamed, Google's documentation lists Gemini Apps as a product affected by Google-Extended.Source: developers.google.com
- Apple introduces the foundation models behind Apple Intelligence. Publishers can opt out of training use, according to Apple's documentation via Applebot-Extended.Source: machinelearning.apple.com
- Cloudflare lets customers block AI bots, scrapers and crawlers with a single click.Source: blog.cloudflare.com
- With the SearchGPT prototype, OpenAI separates search from training. Sites can appear in search results even if they opt out of AI training.Source: openai.com
- Google adds Google-CloudVertexBot to its list of crawlers. It crawls sites at the owner's request to build Vertex AI Agents.Source: developers.google.com
- Based on publisher feedback, Google clarifies the description of the Google-Extended token.Source: developers.google.com
- Cloudflare proposes that bots and agents cryptographically sign their requests, based on HTTP Message Signatures (RFC 9421).Source: blog.cloudflare.com
- Cloudflare changes its default to block AI crawlers unless site owners decide otherwise.Source: blog.cloudflare.com
- Cloudflare launches pay per crawl as a private beta. Crawlers either pay per request or receive a 402 status code with a price.Source: blog.cloudflare.com
OpenAI only says “last summer” for its crawler permissions (post of May 7, 2024); the often-cited August 2023 date for GPTBot comes from press reports. ClaudeBot, Claude-SearchBot, Claude-User, PerplexityBot, Perplexity-User, OAI-SearchBot, ChatGPT-User, Meta-ExternalAgent and CCBot are documented by their operators, but without a verifiable launch date. Last checked: .
Common mistakes
- Blocking JavaScript, CSS or XHR in robots.txt. According to Apple, pages may then not render properly.
- Setting Crawl-delay. According to Apple, Applebot does not follow this directive.
- Blocking Applebot-Extended to disappear from Siri or Spotlight. According to Apple, the token only governs use for training. Applebot-Extended does not crawl pages itself.
FAQ
Does blocking Applebot-Extended remove my site from Siri and Spotlight? According to Apple, it does not. It only affects use for training Apple’s generative models.
Sources
- About Applebot – Apple Supportsupport.apple.com
- Applebot model training and individual privacy rights – Apple Supportsupport.apple.com
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