Free tool checks whether ChatGPT can read your website

Can ChatGPT even open your website? The Dubai-based agency Proof of Pixel has made a free tool to answer that question. It is called AI Crawler Checker.

What the tool does

A "crawler" is a program that automatically visits websites and reads them. AI services use such programs to find answers. If your site blocks them, AI may have a hard time mentioning you.

The checker tool first reads the site's robots.txt. It is a small file where you can tell automated visitors what they may and may not do. It then requests the page in the same way as the individual AI crawlers do, including OpenAI's OAI-SearchBot and ChatGPT-User, Anthropic's Claude-SearchBot, PerplexityBot, Googlebot, Google-Extended and Bingbot.

The result shows which of six AI services can read the site, which can only partially, and which are locked out. They are ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, Google's AI Overviews and Microsoft Copilot. The tool also points to the line or setting that causes the block.

Who is mentioned instead of you?

Afterward, the tool asks AI search three questions that a customer might ask, without the company's name included. You can then see which other companies AI mentions. The full report with suggested fixes comes by email together with a four-page guide on getting mentioned in AI answers.

Blocks often happen by accident

According to Proof of Pixel's founder, blocks are often caused by security plugins or settings at a CDN (a service that delivers pages faster to visitors) rather than a deliberate choice. He says: "Owners spend months on their Google ranking and never check whether ChatGPT can open the page."

In a September 2026 test of major publishers, the New York Times and the BBC each got 2 points out of 6, while The Guardian got 3. Proof of Pixel's own site got 6 out of 6. Keep in mind here that the agency itself made both the tool and the test.

What it means for you

If you or your workplace has a website, it may be worth checking whether the AI services can see it. Some deliberately want to keep AI out, and then a block is fine. But if you want to be found when people ask an AI for advice, the block should not be accidental.

The tool is free and available at proofofpixel.agency/ai-crawler-checker. The information comes from the agency's own press release.

What it means for you

If you or your workplace has a website, you can see for free in a few minutes whether ChatGPT, Claude and the other AI services can even open it. That is especially useful for small businesses, shops and associations that want to be found when people ask an AI for advice. Often it is a security program on the site that blocks by accident, so pass the result on to whoever looks after your website. If you deliberately want to keep AI out, on the other hand, a block is perfectly fine.