ChatGPT-User
OpenAI · reviewed 2026-11-05
About ChatGPT-User
Fetches a page when a ChatGPT user asks a question that needs live web context.
Operates ChatGPT and the OpenAI API; separates user-triggered fetches, search indexing, ads fetching and training crawlers into distinct user agents.
Usually means: A person asked an AI assistant a question, and the assistant fetched this URL to answer with fresh context or citations.
Identity
User agent
Crawlers are matched by token, not the full browser string. Providers may add version or product text around it.
robots.txt token
Use this token in a User-agent line to allow or block the crawler.
Block this token
User-agent: ChatGPT-User Disallow: /
A Disallow only stops crawlers that honor robots.txt. Classify the category before blocking; check the live file with the robots.txt checker.
Verify a hit
A matching user agent is not proof: any client can send the string. When the vendor publishes network data, compare the request against it before you trust the hit.
Match the user agent
Request UA contains ChatGPT-User.
Check reverse DNS
The vendor publishes no reverse-DNS suffix.
Check the IP range
Fetch the endpoint below and compare the request IP.
Range endpoints
A verified hit proves the network path; it does not prove what the crawler will do with the page.
ChatGPT-User: common questions
What is ChatGPT-User?
ChatGPT-User is a crawler from OpenAI, filed under AI answers. Fetches a page when a ChatGPT user asks a question that needs live web context. Requests advertise it in the User-Agent header as ChatGPT-User.
Does ChatGPT-User train AI models?
No. It fetches a page only when a person asks OpenAI's assistant a question that needs live context.
How do I block ChatGPT-User in robots.txt?
Add a group with User-agent: ChatGPT-User and Disallow: / to robots.txt, then re-test the live file. robots.txt matches the token, not the full User-Agent string, and blocking this token does not block the vendor's other crawlers.
How do I verify a ChatGPT-User hit?
Match the user agent, then compare the request IP with the ranges or endpoints listed on this page. A matching user agent alone is not proof — any client can send the string.
Testing a block? Run the live file through the robots.txt tester or check the whole AI crawler access group.
See when ChatGPT-User hits your site
Page scripts never see AI crawlers because they do not run JavaScript. Install the server probe and each hit lands in the Crawlers block with its path and status.