PerplexityBot
Perplexity operates PerplexityBot to find and link websites in Perplexity search results. The operator states it is not used to crawl content for AI foundation models. The bot honors robots.txt under the token PerplexityBot. Perplexity publishes its IP ranges in a JSON file and documents no reverse DNS method, so verification is by IP range plus the User-Agent string.
Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; PerplexityBot/1.0; +https://perplexity.ai/perplexitybot)What PerplexityBot does
In access logs the bot appears with a User-Agent containing PerplexityBot/1.0 and a link to perplexity.ai/perplexitybot, which redirects to the Perplexity crawler documentation. Perplexity says the visits exist to find pages and link them in Perplexity search results, and that the bot is not used to crawl content for AI foundation models. The documentation says each robots.txt setting works independently and that changes may take up to 24 hours to take effect.
Allowing PerplexityBot keeps a site eligible to appear as a linked result in Perplexity search. Perplexity recommends allowing the token in robots.txt and permitting requests from its published IP ranges. A Disallow rule for User-agent PerplexityBot keeps the site out of those results, since Perplexity ties appearance in its search to allowing the bot. The documentation does not contain an explicit sentence saying the bot respects robots.txt; the registry's 'yes' rests on the intro statement about robots.txt tags and on the recommendation to allow the bot there.
The IP range file is a JSON object with a creationTime field and a prefixes array, each element holding a single ipv4Prefix. Perplexity says the addresses are updated regularly and should be the source of truth for WAF configuration. The published URL on perplexity.com redirects to the same file on perplexity.ai. The documentation does not mention JavaScript execution anywhere.
Operator note. The docs page opens with: "Webmasters can use the following robots.txt tags to manage how their sites and content interact with Perplexity. Each setting works independently, and it may take up to 24 hours for our systems to reflect changes." The page does not state outright that PerplexityBot respects robots.txt; the robots.txt entry rests on that introduction and on the docs' recommendation to allow the bot in robots.txt. The docs cite the range file at https://www.perplexity.com/perplexitybot.json, which redirects to https://www.perplexity.ai/perplexitybot.json and lists IPv4 prefixes only, and the docs say the addresses "are updated regularly and should be the source of truth for your WAF configurations." The user-agent info URL https://perplexity.ai/perplexitybot redirects to https://docs.perplexity.ai/docs/resources/perplexity-crawlers, and JavaScript execution is not mentioned in the docs.
Controlling PerplexityBot with robots.txt
Use the token PerplexityBot in robots.txt. Perplexity documents that PerplexityBot honors robots.txt directives.
User-agent: PerplexityBot
Disallow: /User-agent: PerplexityBot
Allow: /Verifying a request is really PerplexityBot
Anyone can put PerplexityBot in a User-Agent header. The operator publishes IP ranges only. The docs say to combine User-Agent string matching with IP address verification against the published JSON range file. No reverse DNS method is documented.
Perplexity publishes a machine-readable list. Our probe read it on 2026-09-06; the file's own creation time was 2025-02-07.
- Prefixes
- 8
- IPv4
- 8
- IPv6
- 0
First entries at fetch time: 107.20.236.150/32, 3.224.62.45/32, 18.210.92.235/32
SHA-256 of the fetched body: 2688b50802b42611b412f8ac3bc614248d0eab00d74f4ceda41cb78526bde6b2
Common questions
Should I block PerplexityBot?
That depends on whether you want your pages linked in Perplexity search results. Perplexity states the bot finds and links sites for search and is not used to crawl content for AI foundation models. Blocking it in robots.txt keeps your site out of those results. If you want that exposure, Perplexity recommends allowing the token and its published IP ranges.
How do I verify PerplexityBot?
Match the User-Agent string containing PerplexityBot and check the requesting IP against the JSON range file Perplexity publishes at perplexity.com/perplexitybot.json, which redirects to perplexity.ai. Perplexity documents no reverse DNS method, so IP range matching combined with the User-Agent check is the only documented approach.
Does PerplexityBot run JavaScript?
The operator's documentation does not say. Neither the bots guide nor the IP range file mentions JavaScript execution, rendering or cookies, so the registry records this as undocumented rather than answering yes or no.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against Perplexity'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.