AI crawlers / ChatGPT-User
ChatGPT-User: what it is and how to block or charge it
ChatGPT-User is run by OpenAI. Fetches a page when a ChatGPT user or custom GPT asks for it during a conversation.
| Operator | OpenAI |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Fetches pages live when a user asks |
| User-agent contains | ChatGPT-User |
| Official IP list | openai.com/chatgpt-user.json (237 ranges). Verify an address |
| Same operator | GPTBot, OAI-SearchBot |
Block ChatGPT-User in robots.txt
User-agent: ChatGPT-User
Disallow: /robots.txt is a request, not a lock: well-behaved crawlers follow it. To block by user agent at the server, match ChatGPT-User in the User-Agent header.
Or charge ChatGPT-User per page
Instead of blocking it, answer ChatGPT-User with HTTP 402 Payment Required and a price. Crawlers and agents that support x402 pay a fraction of a cent in USDC straight to your wallet and get the page; people and search engines browse free. Set it up free on pay-per-crawl in about five minutes.
Is ChatGPT-User reading your site?
See the full list of AI crawlers. Facts here follow each operator's own documentation; tell us if one changes.