At a glance
| robots.txt name | DuckAssistBot |
|---|---|
| Company | DuckDuckGo |
| Kind | AI search. Finds pages for DuckDuckGo's AI answers |
| Visits sites | Yes |
| Official page | duckduckgo.com |
DuckAssistBot is an AI search crawler owned by DuckDuckGo. It finds and reads pages so the assistant can quote, cite and link to them in answers that search the web. Blocking it usually means the assistant cannot cite or link to the site. This matters to a business because if the assistant cannot read your pages, it cannot include your content in its answers.
Whether to block or allow DuckAssistBot depends on your goals. Allowing it means your content can be quoted, cited and linked in DuckDuckGo's AI answers. Blocking it means the assistant cannot cite or link to your site. To allow it, use Allow: / or no rule for it. To block it, add a group to robots.txt with its User-agent line and Disallow: /. Remember that robots.txt is a request, not a lock, and a firewall or bot-protection service can block a crawler even when robots.txt allows it.
robots.txt lines
User-agent: DuckAssistBot Disallow: /
User-agent: DuckAssistBot Allow: /
Questions
What is DuckAssistBot?
DuckAssistBot is a search crawler from DuckDuckGo that finds and reads pages so its AI assistant can quote, cite and link to them in answers.
Should I block DuckAssistBot?
It depends on whether you want your content to appear in DuckDuckGo's AI answers. Allowing it means your pages can be quoted, cited and linked. Blocking it usually means the assistant cannot cite or link to your site.
How do I block DuckAssistBot in robots.txt?
To block it for the whole site, add these two lines to robots.txt: User-agent: DuckAssistBot Disallow: /
Does blocking DuckAssistBot affect AI search or Google?
Blocking DuckAssistBot affects DuckDuckGo's AI answers, not Google. It may stop your site from being cited or linked in those answers. It does not directly affect Google's search results or other AI systems.