Free Tool
Robots.txt Checker
Confirm crawlers can read your robots rules before indexing stalls.
What it calculates
Fetch of /robots.txt on the apex host: availability, status code, and blocking signals when detectable.
Why it matters
A missing or error robots.txt leaves crawl policy ambiguous; accidental disallow rules can zero out organic traffic.
The Learn Domains moat
Check → Diagnose → Activate → Ship fixes → Measure lift
Monitoring tools stop at the score. Learn Domains turns gaps into ranked actions inside your command center.
- 1Check
You ran the checker on your domain and topic.
Done - 2Diagnose
Readiness score + live mention gaps on missed prompts.
Learn more - 3Activate
Connect site, add Knowledge Base, generate Mission Brief.
Learn more - 4Ship + measure
Growth Orders → content drafts → Signal AI referrals.
Learn more
Apex domain only — no paths, IPs, or ports.
What this checker verifies
HTTP availability and status of /robots.txt on the apex domain.
Scans run from Learn Domains infrastructure against the apex domain you submit. We do not crawl arbitrary URLs, probe ports, or run penetration tests. Results describe observed configuration at scan time.
Treat output as operator signal — not a security certification, ranking guarantee, or legal attestation.
How to interpret the result
404 or 5xx on robots.txt means crawlers lack explicit guidance. Review disallow rules manually in the file.
Severity labels rank urgency: critical issues often block traffic or trust; high issues degrade deliverability or crawl efficiency; medium and low items are worth scheduling before they compound.
When a finding is marked inference or needs human review, confirm in your DNS host, CDN, or registrar before shipping a production change.
Common causes of this issue
CDN returning 404 for robots.txt, WAF rules, or static export hosts without the file.
Misconfigured migrations, partial CDN setups, and copied DNS templates are the usual culprits. Compare www and apex behavior when redirects look inconsistent.
If you recently changed hosts, allow TTL propagation before re-checking — a stale cache can look like a failure for up to 48 hours.
How to fix it
Publish robots.txt at the site root. Remove staging disallow rules before launch.
Document what you changed and when. Technical change detection inside Learn Domains compares future scans to this baseline so regressions surface in the Operator.
For email posture issues, coordinate with whoever owns your ESP (Google Workspace, SendGrid, etc.) so SPF and DMARC align with live senders.
When to re-check
After every deploy that touches static assets or edge routing.
Re-run after DNS TTL windows, certificate renewals, or deploys that touch edge configuration. Weekly monitoring catches drift before launch deadlines.
Connected workspaces in Learn Domains store scan history — public checks are ephemeral snapshots for visitors.
Related Learn Domains workflows
Combine with XML Sitemap checker and AI Visibility tools for full discovery posture.
Learn Domains AI Search Intelligence layers robots analysis with llms.txt and citation readiness in the Operator.
Start a $1 trial to connect the domain, run full Technical Preflight in the Operator (/tech), turn findings into Growth Orders, and monitor technical health alongside Mission Brief priorities.
Examples
Staging merge
Scenario: Disallow: / shipped to production robots.txt.
Outcome: Checker flags missing file or crawl-blocking signals worth human review.
Use cases
- Launch QA
- Crawl debugging
- AI crawler policy audits
Learn Domains perspective
Learn Domains AI Search Intelligence layers robots analysis with llms.txt and citation readiness in the Operator.
FAQ
- Is the Robots.txt Checker free?
- Yes. Anonymous visitors can run a limited number of checks per day. Results are cached briefly to keep scans fast. Full history, change detection, and Growth Orders require a Learn Domains workspace.
- Does this scan my entire site?
- No. Public tools inspect DNS, HTTPS entry points, robots.txt, sitemap discovery, mail records, and response headers for the apex domain. They do not brute-force paths or audit every URL.
- Can I scan any domain?
- You can check publicly registered domains you have permission to evaluate. We block internal networks, localhost, and platform abuse targets. Rate limits apply per visitor and per domain.
- How is this different from Learn Domains in the app?
- The app runs the same Technical Intelligence engine with saved history, workspace context, AI Operator interpretation, and one-click Growth Orders. Public tools deliver a snapshot; the product runs the operating loop.