Perplexity · User-initiated fetcher

Perplexity-User

Perplexity-User is the agent that fetches a page in real time when a Perplexity user asks a question that requires it. Perplexity has argued that user-initiated requests are not the same as automated crawling and may not be subject to robots.txt the way PerplexityBot is. Because of that position and Cloudflare's 2024–2026 reports, you should not assume a robots.txt block alone reliably stops Perplexity-User — verify with server logs or WAF rules.

Last updated July 2026

User-agent token: Perplexity-User
Operator: Perplexity
Feeds: Perplexity live answer fetches
robots.txt: Partially / disputed

Perplexity has argued user-initiated fetches are not standard crawling; honoring of robots.txt for Perplexity-User has been disputed.

How to control Perplexity-User in robots.txt

Edit the robots.txt file at the root of your domain (for example https://example.com/robots.txt), add one of the groups below, then save and re-deploy. Remember: a named User-agent: Perplexity-User group overrides your global User-agent: * rules, so repeat any private Disallow paths inside it.

Allow Perplexity-User (recommended for AI visibility)

# Welcome Perplexity-User, but keep private areas blocked.
# A named user-agent group overrides "User-agent: *", so repeat
# your own private Disallow rules inside this group.
User-agent: Perplexity-User
Allow: /
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /account/
Disallow: /cart/
Disallow: /checkout/

# Welcome Perplexity-User, but keep private areas blocked.
# A named user-agent group overrides "User-agent: *", so repeat
# your own private Disallow rules inside this group.
User-agent: Perplexity-User
Allow: /
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /account/
Disallow: /cart/
Disallow: /checkout/

Block Perplexity-User

# Block Perplexity-User from the entire site.
User-agent: Perplexity-User
Disallow: /

# Block Perplexity-User from the entire site.
User-agent: Perplexity-User
Disallow: /

FAQ

Can I block Perplexity-User with robots.txt?

You can add the rule, but Perplexity treats user-triggered fetches differently from bulk crawling, so enforcement has been inconsistent. A WAF or server-level block is more reliable if you need to guarantee it.

Why is Perplexity controversial among publishers?

Cloudflare alleged Perplexity used undeclared, stock-browser user agents to reach content that publishers had blocked. Perplexity disputes this, but it is why many site owners verify Perplexity behavior in logs rather than trusting robots.txt alone.

Is your site visible to AI crawlers?

Run a free AI-visibility audit to see which AI crawlers can reach your content and how often you get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews.

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Part of the Cite Hustle AI crawler directory. For the full framework on AI search visibility, read the GEO methodology.