[AI crawlers](https://www.crawlreadiness.com/crawlers) · Anthropic · AI search index · Counted in the score

# Claude-SearchBot

Claude-SearchBot is Anthropic's ai search index crawler token. Blocking it costs points in the AI readiness score. 11.1% of the top 1,000 websites with a robots.txt block it.

Navigates the web to improve the quality of Claude's search results, so answers can point to relevant, current pages.

## Where this comes from

- **Documented by the vendor.** Source: [support.claude.com](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8896518-does-anthropic-crawl-data-from-the-web-and-how-can-site-owners-block-the-crawler)
- **Honours robots.txt.** Published addresses: [claude.com/crawling/bots.json](https://claude.com/crawling/bots.json).
- **Counted in the readiness score.** It can keep a site out of AI search or answers, so a block costs points.

## In the top 1,000 websites

- **11.1% block it in robots.txt** (63 of the 569 sites with a robots.txt), as of 2026-10-12.
- Method, limits and the full data: [the October 2026 study of the top 1,000 websites](https://www.crawlreadiness.com/research/ai-crawler-access-october-2026).

## What blocking it costs

Your pages leave the search index Claude-SearchBot builds, so Anthropic's product can no longer find or cite them from its own index. The score counts it among the crawlers that feed AI search and answers, so a block costs points.

## The robots.txt lines

To let it in (a group that names the crawler replaces any wildcard rules for it, so this also lifts a `User-agent: *` block):

```
User-agent: Claude-SearchBot
Allow: /
```

To keep it out:

```
User-agent: Claude-SearchBot
Disallow: /
```

A rule in robots.txt is a request. Anthropic says this crawler honours it. The [robots.txt generator](https://www.crawlreadiness.com/tools/robots-txt) writes a whole file with the same split: block the training crawlers, keep the search and answer crawlers.

## Also from [Anthropic](https://www.crawlreadiness.com/crawlers/vendor/anthropic)

- [`ClaudeBot`](https://www.crawlreadiness.com/crawlers/claudebot) · Training only
- [`Claude-User`](https://www.crawlreadiness.com/crawlers/claude-user) · Fetches when a user asks
- [`Claude-Web`](https://www.crawlreadiness.com/crawlers/claude-web) · Retired token
- [`anthropic-ai`](https://www.crawlreadiness.com/crawlers/anthropic-ai) · Retired token

## Does Claude-SearchBot get through on your site?

[Run the free check](https://www.crawlreadiness.com/): it reads your robots.txt against all 51 crawlers and tells you which ones can read you, and what to change.

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Source: https://www.crawlreadiness.com/crawlers/claude-searchbot