Grok-DeepSearch
xAI · reviewed 2026-11-05
About Grok-DeepSearch
Fetches pages during a Grok user's deep search run.
Operates Grok; publishes several crawler user agents whose individual purposes are not fully documented.
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: Grok-DeepSearch 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 Grok-DeepSearch.
Check reverse DNS
The vendor publishes no reverse-DNS suffix.
Check the IP range
The vendor publishes no IP ranges.
A verified hit proves the network path; it does not prove what the crawler will do with the page.
Grok-DeepSearch: common questions
What is Grok-DeepSearch?
Grok-DeepSearch is a crawler from xAI, filed under AI answers. Fetches pages during a Grok user's deep search run. Requests advertise it in the User-Agent header as Grok-DeepSearch.
Does Grok-DeepSearch train AI models?
No. It fetches a page only when a person asks xAI's assistant a question that needs live context.
How do I block Grok-DeepSearch in robots.txt?
Add a group with User-agent: Grok-DeepSearch 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 Grok-DeepSearch hit?
Only by user agent. xAI publishes neither reverse DNS nor IP ranges, so a match is not checked — that is not the same as forged, but it is not proof either.
Testing a block? Run the live file through the robots.txt tester or check the whole AI crawler access group.
See when Grok-DeepSearch 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.