AdsBot
Google operates AdsBot-Google, a special-case crawler whose crawling preferences affect Google Ads' ability to check web page ad quality. It obeys robots.txt rules addressed to the AdsBot-Google token but ignores the global User-agent: * group. Verify it by reverse DNS to rate-limited-proxy-***-***-***-***.google.com with matching forward DNS, or against Google's special-crawlers.json range file.
AdsBot-Google (+http://www.google.com/adsbot.html)What AdsBot does
In access logs the crawler identifies itself as AdsBot-Google (+http://www.google.com/adsbot.html). Google's stated reason for the visits is ad quality: crawling preferences addressed to AdsBot-Google affect Google Ads' ability to check web page ad quality, so the crawler fetches pages in connection with those checks. Google groups it with its special-case crawlers, which operate from a different IP range than the common crawlers. Google does not document how often the crawler visits or which pages it selects.
The robots.txt behavior is the detail to watch. AdsBot-Google follows rules written under User-agent: AdsBot-Google, but Google states that the global user agent (*) is ignored, and that this happens with the ad publisher's permission. A site-wide Disallow under * does not keep this crawler off the site; only a group naming AdsBot-Google does. Blocking it with such a group limits Google Ads' ability to check ad quality for pages on the site, which is the only consequence Google documents. Allowing it lets those checks proceed. Google does not connect AdsBot-Google to Google Search indexing in this description.
Verification has two documented routes. A reverse DNS lookup on the requesting IP should return a host of the form rate-limited-proxy-***-***-***-***.google.com, and a forward lookup on that host should return the same IP. Alternatively, match the IP against special-crawlers.json, Google's published range file for special-case crawlers. Because special-case crawlers use a different range than common crawlers, a match against the common crawler range file does not confirm AdsBot-Google.
Operator note. Special-case crawler: it obeys rules addressed to its own token, but 'The global user agent (*) is ignored' with the ad publisher's permission. Special-case crawlers operate from a different IP range than the common crawlers.
Controlling AdsBot with robots.txt
Use the token AdsBot-Google in robots.txt. Google documents limits on how this bot applies robots.txt; see the operator note.
User-agent: AdsBot-Google
Disallow: /User-agent: AdsBot-Google
Allow: /Verifying a request is really AdsBot
Anyone can put AdsBot-Google in a User-Agent header. Reverse DNS to rate-limited-proxy-***-***-***-***.google.com with matching forward DNS, or match the source IP against special-crawlers.json.
host <request-ip>
# expect a hostname ending in google.com (rate-limited-proxy-***-***-***-***.google.com)
host <that-hostname>
# expect it to resolve back to <request-ip>Google publishes a machine-readable list. Our probe read it on 2026-09-06; the file's own creation time was 2026-09-04.
- Prefixes
- 272
- IPv4
- 136
- IPv6
- 136
First entries at fetch time: 2001:4860:4801:2008::/64, 2001:4860:4801:200c::/64, 2001:4860:4801:200d::/64
SHA-256 of the fetched body: 9da99f8a169f35bc80153ec102d0be5674975861f3705614ef6ae51fd32ea5a1
Common questions
Why does AdsBot-Google ignore my robots.txt?
It does not ignore all of it. Google states that AdsBot-Google follows rules addressed to its own token but ignores the global user agent (*), with the ad publisher's permission. If your only rules sit under User-agent: *, the crawler will still visit. Add a group with User-agent: AdsBot-Google to control it.
Should I block AdsBot-Google?
Blocking it affects Google Ads' ability to check web page ad quality, which is the consequence Google documents. If you run Google Ads pointing at your pages, blocking the crawler can interfere with those checks. If you do not, Google's documentation gives no other reason to allow or block it.
How do I verify AdsBot-Google?
Run a reverse DNS lookup on the IP; a real request resolves to rate-limited-proxy-***-***-***-***.google.com, and a forward lookup of that host returns the same IP. Or match the IP against Google's special-crawlers.json file. Special-case crawlers use a separate range from Google's common crawlers.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against Google's own documentation, listed below, and re-checked by a second reviewer before publication. Reviewed September 2026.
Related crawlers
This registry documents how operators describe their own bots so site owners can identify and control them. It does not publish third-party IP lists or guess at undocumented behaviour. To see how your own site responds to automated visitors, the bot detection scanner reads a URL's live response and names the protection it finds.