Who this is for
A newsroom or editorial site that wants public search discovery without opening every archive page to every AI training crawler.
Worked example
Newsroom AI Crawler Policy Example
A publisher-focused example for separating search visibility, licensed archives, and AI training crawler access.
Signals to check
- Fresh articles should remain discoverable.
- Paid or licensed archives need a stricter rule.
- Editors need a clear reason for each crawler decision.
Best tool path
Step-by-step workflow
- List public, archive, and subscriber-only URL groups.
- Allow ordinary search discovery where it supports reader acquisition.
- Block or limit training crawlers where licensing and archive value matter.
- Save the rule set with a change date and test a few representative URLs.
A useful crawler policy includes URL groups, intended bot categories, rule text, test examples, and a change note. The useful result is not just a score or file; it is a small record that explains what was checked, what changed, and what should be reviewed next.
Before you start
After the output
Known limitation
Robots.txt is a public crawl instruction. It is not authentication, paywall enforcement, or a substitute for server-side access control. Keep an editable copy and re-run the workflow when the destination requirement or policy changes.