🤖 Robots.txt & .htaccess Generator

What is a Robots.txt and .htaccess Generator?

A robots.txt and .htaccess generator is a visual tool that helps webmasters and developers create two of the most important server-configuration files for any website. The robots.txt file lives at the root of your domain and tells web crawlers (search engine bots, AI scrapers, and other automated agents) which parts of your site they are allowed or forbidden to access. The .htaccess file is an Apache configuration file that controls URL redirects, HTTPS enforcement, caching headers, access restrictions, compression, and much more. Both files follow strict syntax rules, and even a small formatting mistake can break crawl behavior or cause server errors.

This free tool lets you build both files visually. In robots.txt mode, you can add multiple user-agent blocks with Allow and Disallow rules, set crawl-delay values, add sitemap URLs, and apply one-click presets such as "Block AI Crawlers" or "WordPress Default." In .htaccess mode, you can toggle HTTPS and www redirects, add 301/302 redirects, set custom error pages, enable CORS headers, configure browser caching with custom expiry times, turn on Gzip compression, block hotlinking, restrict access by IP address, and set up password-protected directories. A live preview updates as you make changes, and built-in validation catches common mistakes before you deploy.

How to Use This Tool

1. Choose the mode tab at the top: robots.txt for crawler rules, or .htaccess for server configuration.
2. For robots.txt: start with a preset (Allow All, Block All, Block AI Crawlers, Standard, or WordPress Default), then customize individual user-agent blocks, add Allow or Disallow paths, set crawl-delay values, and enter your sitemap URLs.
3. For .htaccess: toggle the features you need (HTTPS redirect, www preference, Gzip, caching, etc.), fill in the relevant fields, and add custom redirects, error pages, or blocked IPs as needed.
4. Review the live preview at the bottom. For robots.txt, the validator will flag missing user-agents, empty paths, or syntax problems. Then click Copy to send the output to your clipboard, or Download to save the file directly.

Key Features

• One-Click Presets - Quickly load common robots.txt configurations such as allowing all bots, blocking everything, blocking known AI crawlers (GPTBot, CCBot, etc.), a standard setup that blocks admin and private directories, or a WordPress-tailored default.
• Visual .htaccess Builder - Toggle features on and off with switches instead of hand-writing Apache directives. Covers HTTPS, www normalization, custom redirects, error pages, CORS, caching, compression, hotlink protection, IP blocking, and password protection.
• Live Preview and Validation - See the generated file update in real time as you change settings. The robots.txt validator checks for common errors and warnings before you copy or download.
• Copy and Download - One click copies the output to your clipboard. Another click downloads the file with the correct filename (robots.txt or .htaccess) so you can upload it to your server immediately.
• 100% Client-Side - No data is sent to any server. Everything is processed in your browser, keeping your configuration private and secure.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is robots.txt and why does my site need one?

Robots.txt is a plain-text file placed at the root of your website (example.com/robots.txt) that instructs web crawlers which URLs they should and should not request. It follows the Robots Exclusion Protocol. While it does not enforce access control (a misbehaving bot can ignore it), all major search engines and reputable crawlers respect its directives. Without a robots.txt file, crawlers will attempt to access every publicly reachable URL on your site, which can waste crawl budget, expose internal tools or staging pages in search results, and let AI training bots scrape your content freely.

What is .htaccess and when should I use it?

The .htaccess file is a directory-level configuration file for the Apache HTTP Server. It lets you override server settings on a per-directory basis without editing the main Apache config. Common uses include forcing HTTPS, redirecting old URLs to new ones, setting custom error pages, enabling compression, adding security headers, and restricting access by IP or password. If your site runs on Apache (or a compatible server such as LiteSpeed), an .htaccess file gives you powerful control over how requests are handled.

Can I block specific AI crawlers like GPTBot or CCBot?

Yes. Use the "Block AI Crawlers" preset to instantly generate user-agent blocks that disallow GPTBot (OpenAI), CCBot (Common Crawl), Google-Extended (Gemini training), and other known AI scraping bots. You can also add additional bots manually. Keep in mind that robots.txt is a voluntary protocol, and not all AI scrapers may honor your rules, but major providers including OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have stated they respect robots.txt directives.

Will enabling both "Force www" and "Force non-www" cause a redirect loop?

These two options are mutually exclusive. If you turn one on, the other is automatically turned off. Enabling both simultaneously would create an infinite redirect loop where each rule keeps redirecting to the other format. This tool prevents that by toggling the conflicting option off when you activate one.

Is .htaccess compatible with Nginx servers?

No. The .htaccess file is specific to Apache and Apache-compatible servers like LiteSpeed. Nginx uses its own configuration syntax (nginx.conf) and does not read .htaccess files. If your hosting provider runs Nginx, you will need to translate the directives into Nginx configuration blocks. However, many shared hosting plans and popular platforms like cPanel use Apache, so .htaccess remains widely applicable.