Skip to content

robots.txt control

What is Applebot-Extended?

Applebot-Extended is a robots.txt token Apple reads to decide whether pages Applebot crawled may train its generative models.

AI trainingFollows robots.txtToken only
Operator
Apple
Purpose
AI training. Collects pages to train AI models. Blocking it does not remove you from AI answers.
robots.txt token
Applebot-ExtendedA robots.txt control that never appears in your logs.
Sample user agent
None. No crawler sends this user agent. Apple reads the token from robots.txt.
Follows robots.txt
Yes, according to Apple. Apple says it does not crawl webpages. Blocking it does not affect Apple search features.
How to verify
Nothing to verify: no crawler sends this user agent.
Sources
Apple documentation
Last reviewed

Allow or block Applebot-Extended

Block Applebot-Extended
User-agent: Applebot-Extended
Disallow: /

Asks Applebot-Extended not to crawl any page. Well-behaved crawlers stop; it does not stop anyone who ignores robots.txt.

Allow Applebot-Extended
User-agent: Applebot-Extended
Allow: /

Lets Applebot-Extended crawl everything. You only need this if a broader rule would otherwise block it.

Should you block it?

Blocking Applebot-Extended asks Apple not to use new crawls of your pages for training. It doesn't remove you from AI answers.

Write a full policy with the AI Crawler Policy Generator

Applebot-Extended never appears in your logs

No crawler sends the Applebot-Extended user agent. Apple reads the token from your robots.txt when it decides how pages it already crawls may be used, so there is no request to verify.

Questions about Applebot-Extended

Is Applebot-Extended safe to allow?

Applebot-Extended reads public pages; it does not log in or submit forms. Whether to allow it is about how your content is used, not security.

How do I know a request is really Applebot-Extended?

No request ever carries Applebot-Extended: it is a robots.txt token only. Apple reads it when deciding how to use pages it already crawls.

How often does Applebot-Extended visit?

It depends on your site; Apple doesn't publish a schedule. Referscope shows the real visits.

Related crawlers

All AI crawlers

Free tools for Applebot-Extended

AI Crawler Policy Generator

Build a robots.txt that blocks AI training and keeps AI search and Google.

Build your robots.txt

AI Bot Verification Tester

Paste an IP and user agent from your logs and see if the bot is real.

Verify a bot

robots.txt Checker

See which AI crawlers your robots.txt allows or blocks.

Check robots.txt

Less guessing. Clearer growth.

Connect your site today and see your first verified AI crawler by tomorrow.

Explore ReferscopeBecome a design partner