What Is OAI-SearchBot? | CrawlReady AI
Understand OpenAI's OAI-SearchBot crawler, how it differs from GPTBot, and how to control access in robots.txt.
OAI-SearchBot is OpenAI's robots.txt user-agent token for crawling content used in search-related products. Website owners control access the same way as for Googlebot: via robots.txt at the domain root.
OAI-SearchBot vs GPTBot
| Crawler | Typical purpose |
|---|---|
| OAI-SearchBot | Search indexing and retrieval for ChatGPT search |
| GPTBot | Broader crawling associated with model training and OpenAI services |
| ChatGPT-User | User-triggered browsing actions from ChatGPT |
Example robots.txt entries
To allow OAI-SearchBot on public pages while blocking an admin area:
User-agent: OAI-SearchBot
Allow: /
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /dashboard/
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xmlHow to verify access
Use the OAI-SearchBot Checker — enter your website URL and review whether robots.txt permits the homepage and key paths.
Official references
Policies change. Always confirm current guidance in OpenAI's bots documentation before updating production robots.txt.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is OAI-SearchBot used for? ▼
OAI-SearchBot is OpenAI's crawler associated with search and retrieval use cases, helping surface web content in ChatGPT search experiences.
Is OAI-SearchBot the same as GPTBot? ▼
No. They are separate user-agent tokens in robots.txt. You can allow one and block the other if your policy requires it.
How do I allow OAI-SearchBot? ▼
Add a User-agent: OAI-SearchBot block in robots.txt without Disallow: / for public pages, or use Allow: / with path-specific disallows for private areas.
Important disclaimer
This guide is for educational purposes only. No tool or technique guarantees search rankings, AI inclusion, or specific traffic results. Refer to official documentation from search engines and AI providers for current policies.