AI crawlers · Google AI · Fetches when a user asks · Counted in the score

Google-GeminiNotebook

Fetches the individual URLs that Gemini Notebook users add as sources. It replaced Google-NotebookLM. Google documents it as a user-agent string, not a robots.txt token, and says user-triggered fetchers generally ignore robots.txt.

Where this comes from

  • Documented by the vendor. Source: developers.google.com
  • May bypass robots.txt for user-requested fetches.
  • 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

Not measured in the October 2026 study of the top 1,000 websites.

What blocking it costs

A rule may not stop it: Google-GeminiNotebook fetches a page because a person asked about it, and its vendor says such fetches can bypass robots.txt. Where it does honour the rule, the assistant cannot read your page when asked. The score counts it, 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: Google-GeminiNotebook
Allow: /

To keep it out:

User-agent: Google-GeminiNotebook
Disallow: /

A rule in robots.txt is a request. Google AI says a fetch a user asked for may go ahead regardless. The robots.txt generator writes a whole file with the same split: block the training crawlers, keep the search and answer crawlers.

Also from Google AI

Does Google-GeminiNotebook get through on your site?

Run the free check: it reads your robots.txt against all 60 crawlers and tells you which ones can read you, and what to change.