Published on 2025-08-07T06:18:08Z

ChatGPT-User

ChatGPT-User is a user agent from OpenAI that accesses web content on behalf of a user interacting with ChatGPT. Unlike a traditional crawler, it operates on-demand, fetching specific pages when a user asks ChatGPT a question that requires real-time information from the internet. Its presence on your site means a user has prompted ChatGPT to access your content, potentially increasing your content's visibility through AI-generated answers.

What is ChatGPT-User?

ChatGPT-User is the user-agent identifier for OpenAI's ChatGPT service when it browses the web to fulfill a user's request. It is not a traditional web crawler that systematically indexes the web. Instead, it functions as an on-demand fetcher, visiting specific web pages only when a user's query requires current information that is not in ChatGPT's training data. It identifies itself in server logs as ChatGPT-User. This targeted approach makes its behavior more akin to a human user with a specific goal rather than an automated, wide-ranging bot.

Why is ChatGPT-User on my site?

The ChatGPT-User agent is visiting your website because a ChatGPT user has made a request that led the AI to your content. This happens when the AI determines that a page on your site contains information that can help answer the user's question. Unlike search engine crawlers with regular schedules, ChatGPT-User's visits are sporadic and directly triggered by individual user queries. The frequency of visits depends entirely on how often users prompt ChatGPT to access your specific content. This is considered authorized web access, similar to a regular user visiting your site.

What is the purpose of ChatGPT-User?

The primary purpose of the ChatGPT-User agent is to equip ChatGPT with the ability to provide accurate, up-to-date answers by accessing real-time information from the web. The data it fetches from a webpage is used exclusively to generate a response to the current user's query. For website owners, this can be a new channel for content discovery. When ChatGPT uses your content to formulate an answer, it may cite your website as the source, potentially driving interested users directly to your page and increasing your content's reach.

How do I block ChatGPT-User?

If you do not want ChatGPT to access your website's content for its browsing feature, you can block the ChatGPT-User agent. Note that this is different from blocking GPTBot, which is used for AI model training. Add the following rule to your robots.txt file:

User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Disallow: /

How to verify the authenticity of the user-agent operated by OpenAI?

Reverse IP lookup technique

To verify user-agent authenticity, you can use host linux command two times with the IP address of the requester.

```
> host IPAddressOfRequest
```
This command returns the reverse lookup hostname (e.g., 4.4.8.8.in-addr.arpa.).

> host ReverseDNSFromTheOutputOfFirstRequest

If the output matches the original IP address and the domain is associated with a trusted operator (e.g., OpenAI), the user-agent can be considered legitimate.

IP list lookup technique

Some operators provide a public list of IP addresses used by their crawlers. This list can be cross-referenced to verify a user-agent's authenticity. However, both operators and website owners may find it challenging to maintain an up-to-date list, so use this method with caution and in conjunction with other verification techniques.