Google-InspectionTool (Google): what it is and how to allow or block it
Updated · checked against the operator's documentation on
Google-InspectionTool is the Google fetcher behind Search testing tools such as the Rich Result Test and URL Inspection. Its robots.txt token is Google-InspectionTool.
Facts
- Operator
- Category
- Special-purpose crawler
- robots.txt token
Google-InspectionTool
- Honors robots.txt?
- Yes, per Google. Google says its common crawlers always obey robots.txt rules when crawling automatically. Google also notes that the token matches the Googlebot group.
- User-agent example
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Google-InspectionTool/1.0)
- Official source
- Google: Overview of Google crawlers and fetchers
- Compared with the source
What it is used for
Google says it powers Search testing tools, such as the Rich Result Test and URL inspection in Search Console. It does not affect Google Search itself.
Not the crawler behind a search index. What blocking it changes is specific to its tool, so read the next section.
What happens if you block it
Google's testing tools, such as the Rich Result Test and URL inspection, may be unable to fetch your pages. Per Google, it does not affect Google Search itself.
Google files it with its common crawlers, but it only runs when someone uses a testing tool, so it is a user-triggered fetch rather than a search crawler. Google's verification page names several IP range files but does not say which crawler is in which file, so check the current page rather than assuming.
Is it really Google-InspectionTool?
Anyone can send Google-InspectionTool as a user agent, so a log line proves nothing by itself. The way to tell is the requesting IP address.
- Compare the IP address with the Google: Verifying Googlebot (links the IP range files). A request from outside those ranges is not the operator's crawler.
- Paste any user agent from your logs into the user-agent lookup, or follow the scripts in Fake Googlebots and PHP scanners.
How to allow or block Google-InspectionTool
Add one of these groups to the robots.txt at the root of your domain. A group that names the bot overrides a general User-agent: * group.
User-agent: Google-InspectionTool Allow: /
User-agent: Google-InspectionTool Disallow: /
Does your site allow Google-InspectionTool today? The checker evaluates your robots.txt for this and every other bot.Check my site
What we see on our own sites
No request identifying as Google-InspectionTool has been recorded in the last 30 days, so there is nothing to show yet. We never fill this in with estimates.
Counts come from the websites we operate; they hold no IP addresses or URLs, and a user agent is only a claim. See the bot traffic data and the methodology.
Questions about Google-InspectionTool
What is Google-InspectionTool?
The Google fetcher behind Search testing tools such as the Rich Result Test and URL Inspection. Google says it powers Search testing tools, such as the Rich Result Test and URL inspection in Search Console. It does not affect Google Search itself.
Is Google-InspectionTool safe and legitimate?
The real Google-InspectionTool is a special-purpose crawler run by Google. A user-agent string is only a claim, though, so anyone can send it. Compare the requesting IP address with the published IP ranges.
Does Google-InspectionTool obey robots.txt?
Yes, per Google. Google says its common crawlers always obey robots.txt rules when crawling automatically. Google also notes that the token matches the Googlebot group.
How do I block Google-InspectionTool?
Add a group to the robots.txt at the root of your domain: User-agent: Google-InspectionTool followed by Disallow: /. A group that names the bot overrides a general User-agent: * group.
Will blocking Google-InspectionTool hurt my Google rankings or AI visibility?
This is not the crawler behind a search index, so blocking it is not a ranking decision. Google's testing tools, such as the Rich Result Test and URL inspection, may be unable to fetch your pages. Per Google, it does not affect Google Search itself.
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