Paste or type your robots.txt file content to validate
Robots.txt Validator
How It Works
- Step 1: Paste robots.txt file content including User-agent directives, Disallow/Allow rules, Sitemap URLs, and Crawl-delay settings for validation.
- Step 2: The validator parses robots.txt syntax checking directive format (User-agent:, Disallow:, Allow:), path patterns (wildcards *, $), and proper line structure.
- Step 3: Validates rules against Robots Exclusion Protocol standard, identifying syntax errors (missing colons, invalid directives), conflicting rules, and deprecated directives.
- Step 4: Provides validation report with errors, warnings for SEO issues (blocking important pages), and recommendations for Googlebot, Bingbot, and other crawler configurations.
Manual vs Automated Robots.txt Validation
| Feature | Manual Testing | AI-Powered Validator |
|---|---|---|
| Syntax Checking | Deploy and hope crawlers understand it | Instant syntax validation before deployment |
| Error Detection | Wait for Google Search Console reports | Catches missing colons, invalid directives immediately |
| Conflict Detection | Manually compare Allow/Disallow rules | Identifies conflicting rules automatically |
| SEO Impact | Accidentally block important pages | Warns about blocking critical SEO pages |
| Crawler Support | Test with multiple crawler tools | Validates for Googlebot, Bingbot, and others |
| Standards Compliance | Read Robots Exclusion Protocol spec | Built-in protocol standard validation |
Robots.txt Validation Examples
Example: Robots.txt Syntax Validation
User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /private
Allow: /public/
User-agent: Googlebot
Disallow /api/
Crawl-delay: 10
User-agent: Bingbot
Disallow: *.pdf$
Allow: /docs/
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
Sitemap https://example.com/sitemap2.xmlValidation Report:
❌ ERRORS (2):
Line 8: Missing colon after directive
Disallow /api/
^ Expected ':' after 'Disallow'
Fix: Disallow: /api/
Line 16: Missing colon after directive
Sitemap https://example.com/sitemap2.xml
^ Expected ':' after 'Sitemap'
Fix: Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap2.xml
⚠️ WARNINGS (3):
Line 3: Disallow rule blocks /admin/ path
Impact: Admin pages won't be crawled
SEO: Good (prevents indexing of admin area)
Line 12: Wildcard pattern may not work in all crawlers
Disallow: *.pdf$
Issue: Some crawlers don't support wildcards
Recommendation: Use path-based blocking instead
Line 9: Crawl-delay directive not supported by Googlebot
Crawl-delay: 10
Note: Google ignores Crawl-delay, use Search Console instead
✅ VALID ROBOTS.TXT (After Fixes):
User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /private/
Allow: /public/
User-agent: Googlebot
Disallow: /api/
User-agent: Bingbot
Disallow: /files/*.pdf$
Allow: /docs/
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap2.xml
Rule Analysis:
For All Crawlers (*):
✓ Block: /admin/ (admin panel)
✓ Block: /private/ (private content)
✓ Allow: /public/ (public content)
For Googlebot:
✓ Block: /api/ (API endpoints)
ℹ️ Note: Crawl-delay ignored by Google
For Bingbot:
✓ Block: PDF files in /files/
✓ Allow: /docs/ (documentation)
Sitemaps Declared:
✓ https://example.com/sitemap.xml
✓ https://example.com/sitemap2.xml
Summary:
Total Directives: 12
Errors: 0 (after fixes)
Warnings: 3 (non-critical)
User-agents Configured: 3
Sitemaps: 2Key Changes:
The validator enforces Robots Exclusion Protocol syntax, catching missing colons after directives—a common error that causes crawlers to ignore rules. The 'Disallow /api/' without colon is treated as invalid by most crawlers, potentially exposing API endpoints to indexing. The validator identifies wildcard patterns (*.pdf$) that may not work consistently across crawlers—Googlebot supports wildcards, but older crawlers may ignore them. The Crawl-delay directive is flagged because Googlebot ignores it, requiring Google Search Console configuration instead. The validator checks rule precedence: more specific rules (Googlebot) override general rules (*), and Allow rules can override Disallow for specific paths. Missing trailing slashes on directory paths (/private vs /private/) are flagged—without slash, /private123 would also be blocked. Sitemap URLs must be absolute (https://example.com/sitemap.xml), not relative (/sitemap.xml). SEO teams use robots.txt validators to prevent accidentally blocking important pages (product pages, blog posts) from Google indexing, verify crawler access to sitemaps, and ensure proper configuration before deployment. Invalid robots.txt can cause catastrophic SEO damage—blocking entire sites from search engines.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a robots.txt file?
A robots.txt file is a text file that tells web crawlers which pages or files they can or cannot request from a website. It follows the Robots Exclusion Protocol and is placed in the root directory of a website. The file contains directives like User-agent, Disallow, Allow, and Crawl-delay to control crawler behavior.
How does the robots.txt validator work?
Our robots.txt validator parses your robots.txt content to check for syntax errors, validate directive formats, identify conflicting rules, and verify compliance with the Robots Exclusion Protocol. It provides detailed feedback on any issues found in your robots.txt file.
Is my robots.txt content safe when using this validator?
Yes, completely safe. All validation happens entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Your robots.txt content never leaves your device, is never sent to any server, and is never stored or logged anywhere.
What directives does the validator support?
The validator supports standard robots.txt directives including User-agent, Disallow, Allow, Crawl-delay, Sitemap, and Host. It validates the syntax and structure of these directives according to the Robots Exclusion Protocol standards.
Can the validator check if my robots.txt is blocking important pages?
The validator checks syntax and structure, but cannot determine if your robots.txt is blocking important pages. It validates the format and identifies potential issues, but you should review the rules to ensure they match your SEO and crawling requirements.
What common errors does the validator detect?
The validator detects syntax errors, invalid directives, missing User-agent declarations, conflicting Allow/Disallow rules, incorrect path formats, and formatting issues. It provides clear error messages to help you fix problems in your robots.txt file.