Does Google-Extended respect robots.txt?

Google documents product tokens such as Google-Extended for robots.txt preferences related to generative AI features. Follow Google’s crawler overview for current tokens and examples.

Is Google-Extended the same as Googlebot?

No. Googlebot is the primary crawler for Google Search. Google-Extended expresses preferences for Gemini / Google AI feature uses. Blocking Google-Extended is not the same as blocking Search.

Does blocking Google-Extended affect Google rankings?

Google has positioned Google-Extended as separate from classic Search crawling. Still verify Google’s current documentation for your use case, and do not block Googlebot unless you intend to affect Search.

Should I allow Google-Extended?

Allow if you want content available to documented Google AI features; block if you prefer opt-out for those uses while keeping Search. Align legal and SEO stakeholders.

Where do I put Google-Extended rules?

In robots.txt as User-agent: Google-Extended with Allow or Disallow paths, separate from your Googlebot group.

How do I test Google-Extended configuration?

Use Vinespire’s Robots.txt AI Validator for a quick registry check, then confirm against Google’s documentation and production robots.txt after deploy.

Google-Extended

Google · Controls use of content for Gemini and Google AI features (not classic Googlebot search)

By Vinespire Editorial Team, Editorial · Last reviewed July 18, 2026

Update: Verified against Google operator documentation for Google-Extended.

See our sourcing methodology →

This page is the operator/profile guide for Google-Extended. To paste a full robots.txt and check Google-Extended plus other AI crawlers in one pass, use the Robots.txt AI Crawler Validator. Short definitional entries also live in the AI search glossary.

Related free utilities are in free AI SEO tools.

What is Google-Extended?

Google-Extended is a product token used in robots.txt to express preferences about whether Google may use your site’s content for Gemini and certain Google AI / generative features. It is not a substitute for Googlebot: classic Search crawling and ranking generally continue to use Googlebot (and related search crawlers). Site owners who want to remain in Google Search while limiting AI training/grounding use cases often allow Googlebot and configure Google-Extended separately. Always read Google’s current crawler and robots.txt documentation for the authoritative list of user-agents and product tokens.

How to block Google-Extended

Add this group to robots.txt to disallow Google-Extended. Path rules can be narrowed if you only need to protect parts of the site.

User-agent: Google-Extended
Disallow: /

How to allow Google-Extended

For most public marketing and documentation sites, allowing well-behaved AI agents is the default recommended stance for AI visibility—while remaining a factual robots.txt Allow rule you can reverse later.

User-agent: Google-Extended
Allow: /

Should you block Google-Extended?

Blocking Google-Extended is a product preference about Google AI features, not a general “block Google” switch. If organic Search rankings are your priority, do not confuse Google-Extended with Googlebot. Many brands allow Google-Extended for AI feature inclusion; others block it for training/licensing reasons while still allowing Googlebot. Decide explicitly, document the choice, and re-check Google’s crawler overview when tokens change.

Category: Dataset / other

Official documentation (Google)

Last verified: 2026-07-18. Re-check operator docs after major crawler announcements.

Google-Extended FAQ

Google documents product tokens such as Google-Extended for robots.txt preferences related to generative AI features. Follow Google’s crawler overview for current tokens and examples.