Slackbot

Handles Slack API requests and outgoing webhooks that the other Slack bots don't cover.

Ignores robots.txt

User agent token: Slackbot
Operator: Slack
Verification: None published
Source: Slack documentation

What a bot for ads, link previews or SEO tools does

These bots work for a specific product: checking an ad's landing page, drawing the preview when a link is shared, or collecting data for an SEO tool. Some only visit because the site owner asked them to.

Slack says it does not read robots.txt, since it acts for a person and does not follow links.

Block or allow Slackbot in robots.txt

Add one of these to the robots.txt file at the root of your domain. Crawlers read it before they fetch anything else.

Block Slackbot

User-agent: Slackbot
Disallow: /

Allow Slackbot

User-agent: Slackbot
Allow: /

More from Slack

Slackbot-LinkExpandingReads a page's meta tags to show a preview when someone posts its link in Slack. Slack-ImgProxyCaches images posted in Slack and serves them over HTTPS.

Browse all 66 crawlersAI and search bots from 16 companies, with the rules to block or allow each one.

Questions, answered.

Slackbot is a bot for ads, link previews or SEO tools run by Slack. Handles Slack API requests and outgoing webhooks that the other Slack bots don't cover.

No. Slack says robots.txt does not apply to Slackbot. Slack says it does not read robots.txt, since it acts for a person and does not follow links.

Add "User-agent: Slackbot" and "Disallow: /" to your robots.txt. Since robots.txt may not stop it, block it at your firewall or server too.

Slack publishes no IP list for Slackbot, so it can only be recognised by its user agent, which other bots can copy.

No. Slackbot works for one product, such as ad checks, link previews or SEO data, rather than bringing visitors.

Only if you don't use the product it works for. Blocking Slackbot is safe for your search rankings.

In its own documentation at https://api.slack.com/robots. Every fact on this page comes from there.

Still have questions? We're happy to help.

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Free 14-day trial, no credit card. The server SDK also sees bots that never run JavaScript.