AI SearchPerplexity
Last verified: 2026-06-13 · maintained by Unsourced
PerplexityBot indexes pages so Perplexity can cite and link them in its answer engine. Because Perplexity shows sources inline, this crawler is a direct route to referral traffic.
PerplexityBot publishes the IP ranges it crawls from, from the operator's published feed. A request claiming to be PerplexityBot from an IP outside these ranges is suspect:
A User-Agent string is just a claim — anyone can send PerplexityBot in a header. Confirm identity two ways:
forward-confirmed reverse DNS (the IP resolves to Perplexity, and that host resolves back to the IP), and, where published,
an IP inside the operator's official ranges. If neither holds, it's an impostor wearing the badge — not PerplexityBot.
Recommended: bait. Cites and links to sources and can send you referral traffic — you want this crawler.
If you do choose to act in robots.txt (which crawlers honour but don't enforce):
# PerplexityBot: recommended to ALLOW — blocking can cost you AI visibility User-agent: PerplexityBot Disallow:
Is PerplexityBot really from Perplexity?
PerplexityBot is Perplexity's crawler, but a User-Agent header can be spoofed, so the claim alone isn't proof. Confirm it with forward-confirmed reverse DNS and, where published, a match against Perplexity's official IP ranges.
What are PerplexityBot's IP ranges?
Perplexity publishes the IP ranges PerplexityBot crawls from, via the operator's live published feed. This page lists the current 12. A request claiming to be PerplexityBot from an IP outside those ranges is suspect.
Should I block PerplexityBot?
Our recommendation: bait. Cites and links to sources and can send you referral traffic — you want this crawler.
Unsourced verifies every AI crawler against published ranges and reverse DNS, and shows which AI assistants cite you.
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