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# How to edit robots.txt on Squarespace for AI crawlers

You cannot edit robots.txt on Squarespace. The platform generates the file and there is no editor, no upload path, and no code override for it on current Squarespace. The only control is in Settings, then Crawlers: two checkboxes. For AI visibility, leave "Block known artificial intelligence crawlers" unchecked, and leave "Block search engine crawlers" unchecked too.

## Why Squarespace is different

There is no way to add per-bot rules. If you want OAI-SearchBot allowed explicitly while something else is blocked, Squarespace cannot express that. The file is platform property, regenerated by Squarespace, and hand edits are not possible.

The "Block known artificial intelligence crawlers" checkbox writes a block over Squarespace's list of known AI crawler tokens. It is a training-and-ingest control, not a search control. Ticking it does not remove you from ChatGPT or Perplexity answers, because those answers come through the search crawlers and the answer-time fetchers, not the training bots on the list.

The "Block search engine crawlers" checkbox writes a full-site block for every bot that reads the file. That is the box people tick during a site build and forget to untick. Left on, it removes the site from every index and every AI answer at once. On a live business site it should be off.

The default state is fully open, and Squarespace ships it that way on purpose. Its own guidance for AI search tells you to leave the AI checkbox unchecked so crawlers can scan your content.

If you need granular allow rules for specific AI crawlers, that is a platform limit, not a settings puzzle. The closest alternative Squarespace offers is the binary choice above.

## The steps, in order

1.  Check what is served today. Open https://\[yourdomain.com\]/robots.txt in a browser, replacing yourdomain.com with your actual domain. On an untouched site you will see Squarespace's generated file with its named bot groups.

1.  Open the only control that exists. In your site dashboard go to Settings, then Crawlers.

1.  For AI visibility, make sure both boxes are unchecked: "Block known artificial intelligence crawlers" and "Block search engine crawlers". Save.

1.  Reload https://\[yourdomain.com\]/robots.txt and confirm the file reflects your choices. Squarespace regenerates it from the checkbox state.

1.  Do not try to hand-edit the file through file storage or redirects. On current Squarespace the platform file wins.

### The fundamentals

Three things work the same on every platform:

-   •What goes in an llms.txt file and where to publish it on Squarespace, see our [llms.txt guide](https://aizii.ai/learn/ai-search/how-to-write-a-good-llms-txt-file)
-   •The product markup AI tools read on the page, see our [product schema guide](https://aizii.ai/learn/ai-search/how-to-add-product-schema-markup-for-ai-search)
-   •The full crawler token reference and what each allow or block costs, see our [robots.txt guide](https://aizii.ai/learn/ai-search/how-to-write-robots-txt-for-ai-search)

### A hypothetical example

Say you are a photographer selling prints on Squarespace. A scan flags that AI crawlers cannot read your site, and you go looking for the robots.txt editor. There is none. In Settings, then Crawlers, you find "Block known artificial intelligence crawlers" ticked from a year ago, when a blog post told you to block training bots. Unticking it regenerates the file and the flag clears. The lesson is the shape of this platform: every robots.txt question on Squarespace resolves to those two checkboxes, and the answer is almost always to uncheck them.

## What this guide does not cover

The file is only the declaration. If a bot manager or CDN blocks an AI crawler at the edge before it reads robots.txt, the file's rules do not matter. That edge check, plus ongoing monitoring for drift and the transaction layer that lets an agent complete a purchase, are separate work.

## Frequently Asked Questions

Does Squarespace allow direct editing of robots.txt?

Squarespace does not permit direct editing of the robots.txt file. It manages crawler access through internal system settings and page toggles.

How do I block or allow AI search engines on Squarespace?

Go to Settings, open Crawlers, and toggle the AI Crawler options provided by Squarespace to control access.

What if Squarespace does not list a specific new AI crawler?

Unlisted crawlers fall under the default wildcard rules until Squarespace updates its platform crawler settings.

## Check your own brand now

Run the free scan at aizii.ai/aeo-scan. One click, no signup. It shows which AI crawlers can reach your site today and which ones are blocked.

[Run the free scan](https://aizii.ai/aeo-audit)