See it on a real storeBots, pages and people sent by AI on an example store. No sign-up.AI search index, run by DuckDuckGo.
What is DuckAssistBot? DuckDuckGo's crawler for AI search answers. Verifiable by IP ranges.
Run by DuckDuckGo.
Purpose: AI search index. A visit means your page is being added to, or refreshed in, an index that AI answers draw on.
robots.txt name: DuckAssistBot.
Verifiable by IP ranges.
At a glance, the facts in one table.
DuckAssistBot at a glance. Taken from SenseGap's open bot directory, the same data that sorts every visit in the dashboard.
All bots| DuckAssistBot | |
|---|---|
| Operator | DuckDuckGo |
| Purpose | AI search index |
| User agent contains | DuckAssistBot |
| robots.txt name | DuckAssistBot |
| Verification | IP ranges |
| Documentation | None listed |
Purpose, what it does and why it came.
What DuckAssistBot does. SenseGap sorts every visit by purpose. DuckAssistBot is in the AI search index group.
DuckAssistBot is DuckDuckGo's crawler that builds the index DuckDuckGo uses to find pages for AI search answers. DuckDuckGo says DuckAssistBot fetches pages to source answers for DuckAssist, and that the data is not used to train AI models.
What a visit means
A visit means your page is being added to, or refreshed in, an index that AI answers draw on. Nobody asked a question at that moment; it is preparation for future answers.
Detection, the header SenseGap matches.
How SenseGap recognizes DuckAssistBot. By its User-Agent header. A separate check then decides whether the visit is real.
Every request carries a User-Agent header naming the software that sent it. SenseGap counts a request as DuckAssistBot when that header contains DuckAssistBot, in any letter case. The header is plain text, so any script can copy it. Matching the name is where recognition starts, not where trust starts.
/DuckAssistBot/iVerification, how to tell a real visit from a fake.
How to verify DuckAssistBot. DuckDuckGo publishes its IP ranges, so a real visit can be proven.
How we verify botsduckassistbot.json
Published by DuckDuckGo at duckduckgo.com. A real DuckAssistBot visit comes from an address in this list.
Open the listChecked on every visit
SenseGap runs this check on every visit that claims to be DuckAssistBot. A pass is marked Real. A visit that sends the name and fails is marked Fake, and stays out of your other reports.
robots.txt, rules you can copy.
Block or allow DuckAssistBot in robots.txt. Its robots.txt name is DuckAssistBot. Paste a group into the robots.txt at your site's root.
User-agent: DuckAssistBot
Disallow: /User-agent: DuckAssistBot
Allow: /User-agent: DuckAssistBot
Disallow: /private/One rule catches people out. Under the robots.txt standard (RFC 9309), a crawler that finds a group naming it follows only that group and ignores your User-agent: * rules. If you add a DuckAssistBot group, repeat in it anything from the catch-all group you still want applied.
robots.txt is a request, not a lock. To enforce a block, match the User-Agent header at your server or CDN. In nginx:
# nginx, inside a server block
if ($http_user_agent ~* "DuckAssistBot") {
return 403;
}SenseGap reads your robots.txt and shows, bot by bot, what you allow and which bots fetched pages you disallowed. See what you get.
Trade-off, what blocking changes.
Should you block DuckAssistBot? It depends on what you want from DuckDuckGo. Here is what each choice means.
If you allow it
Your pages can be found, cited and linked in that company's AI answers.
If you block it
Your pages become less likely to appear, or to be described accurately, in that company's AI answers.
DuckDuckGo, every bot it runs.
More bots from DuckDuckGo. DuckDuckGo runs 2 bots in the directory, each with its own job.
AI search index, other bots with the same job.
Other AI search crawlers. Same purpose, different companies.
Browse the directoryFAQ, DuckAssistBot in short answers.
DuckAssistBot, answered plainly
What is DuckAssistBot?
DuckAssistBot is DuckDuckGo's crawler that builds the index DuckDuckGo uses to find pages for AI search answers. DuckDuckGo says DuckAssistBot fetches pages to source answers for DuckAssist, and that the data is not used to train AI models.
Who runs DuckAssistBot?
DuckDuckGo. SenseGap's directory has no documentation link for it yet.
What does a visit from DuckAssistBot mean?
A visit means your page is being added to, or refreshed in, an index that AI answers draw on. Nobody asked a question at that moment; it is preparation for future answers.
What user agent does DuckAssistBot use?
Its User-Agent header contains "DuckAssistBot". SenseGap matches it regardless of letter case.
How do I block DuckAssistBot?
Add "User-agent: DuckAssistBot" followed by "Disallow: /" to your robots.txt. robots.txt is a request, not a lock; to enforce it, block the user agent at your server or CDN.
How do I know a visit is really DuckAssistBot?
DuckDuckGo publishes the IP ranges DuckAssistBot uses (duckassistbot.json), so check that the visiting address falls inside one of them. SenseGap runs these checks on every visit.
Does DuckDuckGo publish IP ranges for DuckAssistBot?
Yes, at https://duckduckgo.com/duckassistbot.json.
What happens if I block DuckAssistBot?
Your pages become less likely to appear, or to be described accurately, in that company's AI answers.