Build and review the implementation
- Enter only metadata or rules that truthfully describe the page or site.
- Review generated markup before deploying it.
- Inspect the final rendered HTML or response headers in production.
Robots.txt Generator with Rule Groups & Sitemap Lines
Build robots.txt rule groups with user agents, allow/disallow paths, crawl-delay notes, and sitemap URLs while keeping semantics visible.
Local SEO workspace. OpenFileTools does not crawl, submit, rank, or modify your website. Generated markup is based only on the values you enter.
SEO & marketing workbench
Robots.txt Generator
Build robots.txt rule groups with user agents, allow/disallow paths, crawl-delay notes, and sitemap URLs while keeping semantics visible.
How to use this tool
Enter the page or campaign values you actually intend to publish, review the live preview or generated output, then copy/download only after checking it against your CMS and current platform requirements. OpenFileTools does not submit changes to search engines or social platforms.
Crawler rule groups
Sitemap declarations
robots.txt is not an access-control system. Disallowed URLs can still be discovered or indexed from other signals, and private content must be protected with real authorization.
robots.txt
User-agent: *
Allow: /
Disallow: /private/
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xmlBuild robots.txt rule groups with user agents, allow/disallow paths, crawl-delay notes, and sitemap URLs while keeping semantics visible. The workflow is designed as a repeat-use local workspace rather than a thin one-click page.
How OpenFileTools processes it
Local processing, explicit choices.
The browser generates previews, markup and deterministic text metrics from the values you enter. No website crawl or submission occurs.
Quick technical summary
What this tool changes.
| Property | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Output | Plain-text robots.txt rules and optional Sitemap line |
| Security | Not an access-control mechanism |
| Indexing | Crawler access rules are separate from noindex/removal |
| Verification | Recheck the deployed /robots.txt and sitemap |
Build crawler rules from the access decision
Use robots.txt only for crawler access rules. It is not authentication, and blocking a URL in robots.txt is not the same as removing that URL from search results. Start by deciding which paths a compliant crawler may fetch, then keep user-agent groups small enough to review.
- Use Disallow for crawl restrictions, not for secrets.
- Use an absolute sitemap URL on the production hostname.
- Keep important CSS, JavaScript, images, and public pages crawlable unless there is a specific reason not to.
Verify the deployed file and the pages it references
After generating the file, request the production /robots.txt directly and inspect the exact response. Then open the sitemap and representative allowed/blocked URLs. A syntactically valid robots file can still be harmful if it blocks the whole site, points at the wrong hostname, or references a sitemap full of redirects and retired routes.
- Production and preview hosts may intentionally use different rules.
- Use noindex on pages that should be excluded from indexing when crawlers can access them.
- Protect private content with real access control rather than robots.txt.
Treat crawler behavior and indexing as separate checks
A crawler may know about a URL it is not allowed to fetch, so robots.txt alone is not a reliable deletion mechanism. Search-engine behavior can also change. Review current search-engine documentation when the indexing decision matters, and monitor the deployed site after changes.
Questions, answered.
Can robots.txt hide a private page?
No. robots.txt is public and is not authentication. Protect private content with real access controls.
Is Disallow the same as noindex?
No. Disallow controls crawler access. If you need a page excluded from indexing, use the appropriate indexing directive and make sure the crawler can read it when required.
Should I add my sitemap to robots.txt?
It is useful when the sitemap URL is correct and public. Use the absolute production sitemap URL and verify that it contains only intended canonical pages.
Can one robots.txt file work for production and previews?
Not always. A preview host is often safest when it is fail-closed, while production usually allows public pages and blocks only non-public paths such as internal APIs.
Related guide
Read the related guide