How to Block DeepSeekBot
Complete guide to blocking DeepSeekBot (DeepSeek) from crawling your website using robots.txt, server configuration, and Switch workflows.
Should You Block DeepSeekBot?
DeepSeekBot collects data for AI model training. Blocking it prevents your content from being used in DeepSeek's AI products without affecting your search visibility.
This is a common and recommended action for sites that want to control how their content is used in AI training.
Blocking Methods
1robots.txt
High for cooperative crawlersAdd a Disallow rule for DeepSeekBot's user-agent string in your robots.txt file. This is the standard, cooperative method that well-behaved crawlers respect.
2Server-side UA filtering
HighConfigure your web server (nginx, Apache, Cloudflare) to reject requests matching DeepSeekBot's user-agent patterns. This blocks at the network level before your application processes the request.
3Switch Journey Workflows
Highest — granular, real-time controlCreate a custom journey in Switch that detects DeepSeekBot and routes it to a block action, challenge, redirect, or modified content — without touching your server configuration.
robots.txt — Block DeepSeekBot
Add the following to your robots.txt file (at the root of your domain) to block DeepSeekBot:
User-agent: DeepSeekBot Disallow: / User-agent: deepseek Disallow: /
robots.txt — Allow with Restrictions
Alternatively, allow DeepSeekBot on most pages while blocking specific directories:
User-agent: DeepSeekBot Disallow: /private/ Allow: / User-agent: deepseek Disallow: /private/ Allow: /
DeepSeekBot User-Agent Strings
Use these patterns to identify DeepSeekBot in your server logs or firewall rules:
Frequently Asked Questions
Does blocking DeepSeekBot affect my Google search rankings?
No. Blocking DeepSeekBot does not affect your Google search rankings. Only blocking Googlebot impacts Google Search visibility.
Does DeepSeekBot respect robots.txt?
Yes, DeepSeekBot respects robots.txt directives. Adding a Disallow rule for its user-agent will prevent it from crawling blocked paths.
Can I allow DeepSeekBot on some pages but not others?
Yes. Use robots.txt to disallow specific directories, or use Switch journey workflows for granular page-level control with conditional logic.
Go beyond robots.txt
Switch detects DeepSeekBot in real-time and lets you build custom journey workflows — block, challenge, redirect, or serve modified content. No server changes required.
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